Coping “Eco-Anxiety”

Eco-anxiety is a fast picking concept in the field of psychology. American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as “a chronic fear of environmental doom”. We are aware, how we human have led to, where we are in terms of environmental damage. The obvious reasons are carbon emissions, industrial agriculture, plastic overuse. Yet the underlying root to all of our problems is our utility maximization behaviour in everything. We expect an infinite consumption experience with finite resources. Incidences about fast degrading and delipidating environment are new normal. We are in the year 2020, and the month of January does bring great news. Trending news of nuclear war, humongous bush fire in Australia on various mass media platforms sends chills in the spine. An extinction protest march is happening around the world every Friday. I don't know how everyone feels about what is happening in the world, in our environment, in our society. It seems to me there is so much entropy everywhere, so many contradictions and so much hatred, and sorrow. Our political and religious leaders have tried to find an answer either in strong ideology perverse with greed, or in some belief, or a cultivated faith. And none of these things seems to answer the problems. Our problems go on interminably.

The world as it stands now seems to be falling apart for someone like me. I have painted the world as gloomy, but I do believe there is so much hope too. But what scares me are climate deniers. Also, some people live a conscious life, to become a reason for that hope. They are living and making conscious choices to be the change. To be the former is disdainful, given the circumstances. The latter choice though comes with a cost. The cost which I am sure many conscious souls confronts. The cost of getting consumed in the process, losing yourself, losing social circles as you make less sense to people, the cost of shutting yourself from people whose actions and words both affect you. The reason being the indifference in the people. One is hurt by the insensitivity, absence of mindfulness and lack of affirmative action. When most of the people remain cold to such development, it makes someone conscious and active a “crazy”. The definition of being crazy thus becomes questionable and subjective. As we are social animals, this phenomenon leads to a word which I came across - compassion anxiety or eco-anxiety.

What leads to it? There can be several reasons. They can range from small incidences like seeing a running tap to bug issues like Australian fires. It makes us anxious; how can people be insensitive in such alarming times? All your efforts such as choosing a bike for commuting, using stairs over escalators, planting trees, reducing plastic use, managing your daily waste by composting, avoiding online purchase, sticking to goals such as no clothes in a year, seems to become a mania. We follow religiously. Many among us eco-anxious people have gone further to make choices to build a professional career to solve the problem. The way to go is triple bottom lines where people and planet come first before profit. On a similar line, I have chosen to work in most geographically challenged and environmentally poor places in Africa and India. So, there is extreme cognitive dissonance of not falling in line with your values, when most of your social circle do not care at all.

I have experienced a phenomenon called “eco-anxiety”. But I have also realised that the discourse of the world will keep on continuing the way it is, one can only make small changes which we can, and we must. I have realised to be in the present – this time and space is the only thing which I can do in person. This blog is not a post about how to save the planet, how to be plastic-free, and how to reduce your footprints. This blog can be a medium to share and connect and tell all those people, who face what I faced, the unique kind of anxiety. I have to say, and I must say before taking care of the others; we must start from ourselves. To be sure we take care of ourselves and rather be affected by it. Self-love is important while we stand for these causes, irrespective of the fact we have eccentric politicians and many who do not care to screw things up. So, let's focus on a simple personal strategy which was adopted to keep up while being compassionate for people and the environment.

Yoga and Meditation

I picked up Yoga after almost eight years. I used to practice in under-graduation. A little training again helped me get back to my strength and flexibility. The two practices I am now regular at which have reduced my trouble. I am more conscious about how I feel and how I should respond to the factors affecting my state of mind. Rather than having an emotional reaction, I give more of an observation of all such feelings and cull out thoughts which are beyond my command.

Engagement with people:

We all are human, we cannot change everyone, but we must engage with them in a conversation. There is a theory on “perceived behavioural control” (Lynne et al.1995), which postulates that people are more likely to change when they feel they are in command of their actions. Most of the people have reservations of doing something when someone else asks or orders them. That is how “reverse psychology” works. To change ourselves is the most difficult thing, then how can we expect someone to change, as per our will. The only thing we can do is engage with more and more people and have conversations. They might not eventually change, but it will certainly leave a seed of thought in their mind. The seed may turn into the plant when necessary time and situation comes. Rather than brooding in our thoughts, engaging with others and discuss how they feel about, is a way to go, to channelize your internal energy. Trust me; it does wonders for people.

Write and Share

Writing and sharing help to outreach not only to the community out there but also the person inside you. One becomes aware of what is ongoing as a discourse in your world inside and outside and how one can respond to it. It also helps to outreach to people those who connect with you with your values. Creating a community which beliefs in the concerns on similar lines the way you do. Writing helps us to articulate what we are feeling and how we are feeling and can rationalise it.

Saying it with art

All my conversation ends up in some serious talks on society, food, and environment. But I have realised the human brain work with entertainment well. The message is more clearly sent when it is coupled with some art form. Be it music, drawing, painting or maybe some sense of humour. You might like to see this page on Instagram, called Green Humour by Rohan Chakraborti. Rohan’s post has made me realise one thing that we can be active about the issues and can send a message across while being funny about them. He also posts political satire which is a way to go to deal with such problems and create awareness. You all might like to follow him here.

So, by writing this short blog, I took my effort to externalise the energy. I hope we all do and keep staying stronger and keep moving, and keep rebelling — the rebellion which should start from within and later seek others to join it.