If Your Kids Are Struggling With Eco-Anxiety, Here’s How To Help
Signs of environmental change and climate crisis are all around us, and once you start seeing them, it’s impossible to stop. Major hurricanes are becoming more common now in parts of the northeast, fire seasons come with regularity across North America, microplastics are seemingly everywhere and having an unknown (but definitely not beneficial) effect on our health and the planet’s. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what global warming and human activity are doing to the earth every day.
Not surprisingly, many of us are now experiencing a condition called “eco anxiety” and its effects are very real. A 2017 report released by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that climate change can take a significant toll on mental health, including inducing trauma-like symptoms, and defined eco-anxiety as “a chronic fear of environmental doom.” In essence, eco-anxiety refers to the feelings of anxiety and distress we experience over “increasing awareness and concern” about environmental issues, says psychotherapist, mental health advocate, and SheKnows contributor Zuania Capó, MHC-LP.
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If you find all of the headlines about the state of our planet overwhelming, then, no doubt, your kids feel the same way. The 2023 Eco-Anxiety Index by the organization Earth Rangers included a survey of 1,000 U.S. kids ages six to eleven and found that 80 percent of respondents shared a feeling of climate anxiety. That could show up as anything from worry about animals becoming extinct or the general future of the planet.
“Kids hear the adults in their lives discussing these messages and they may not understand what it all means, but they do internalize the eco-anxiety that their loved ones are feeling,” Dr. Erica Dodds, CEO of the Foundation for Climate Restoration, tells SheKnows. “They understand that there are major concerns about what the future — their future — will look like.” Then there’s the fact that children often possess a strong sense of empathy, Capó adds — and they pick up on everything. “Kids are like little sponges soaking up everything around them,” she explains. “With all the news and talks about the environment, they can’t help but feel worried. Uncertainties about the future, including the potential consequences of climate change on their own lives, can be pretty scary for a child’s mind and exacerbate their anxiety.”
Growing up, climate activist Rohan Arora could relate. “I truly felt the world was ending,” he tells SheKnows. “Every couple of months, some news report or article would come out indicating that we were one step closer to a state of ‘impending doom.’”
Arora says his experience is similar to what many young people are feeling today: “I was worried about my future, or potential lack thereof. And, sometimes it kept me up at night.”
“I was worried about my future, or potential lack thereof. And, sometimes it kept me up at night.”
Dr. Dina Hirshfeld-Becker, PhD, Co-Director of the Child Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital, says worry, fear, catastrophic thoughts, and associated difficulties with sleep, mood, and concentration are symptoms that may be associated with eco-anxiety in children. “At an extreme, children who have faced traumas may experience frequent nightmares, fear and avoidance of stimuli that remind them of the trauma, feelings of hopelessness about the future, and withdrawal from friends.”
According to Arora, the reason why most children suffer from eco-anxiety is because the ways to combat climate change appear too “out-of-reach” or “ineffective” for most folks, so there’s a feeling of powerlessness.
Hirschfeld-Becker agrees. “The messaging children get [on climate change] tends to emphasize catastrophic outcomes, which has the effect of triggering anxiety rather than productive action.”
This messaging “leads to people feeling helpless because they don’t see the fruits of their activism,” says Arora, whose own eco-anxiety led him to become the executive director and founder of The Community Check-Up, a national environmental health organization that makes environmental health resources more accessible and empowers youth to become changemakers in their local communities.
In fact, the recent Earth Rangers survey found that the same kids who have anxiety about climate change are also involved in doing something about it. “More than 65 percent agreed to statements about taking regular eco-action, including talking with friends and family, participating in rallies and events, volunteering, supporting environmental organizations, and participating in activities at home or school,” a statement from Earth Rangers read.
But celebrating young people’s ability to take action doesn’t mean we should ignore the anxiety that kids are feeling. With eco-anxiety on the rise, Dodds says it’s important parents know “just how many youth are experiencing stress and worry about the climate, too, so that they can have those challenging — but important — conversations with their kids.”
Wondering how to talk to your child about eco-anxiety? Read on for tips from our experts.
Validate Their Feelings
First step: “let them know it’s okay to feel the way they do,” Capó says. Then start a conversation about how they’re feeling. “As a parent, validating your child’s feelings and providing them with a supportive environment to express their concerns openly is essential.”
What you shouldn’t do is dismiss their concerns or flippantly tell them everything will be OK. “Parents and caregivers must recognize that eco-anxiety in children is a natural and valid concern that requires attention and support,” says Capó. “Ignoring or dismissing their feelings can exacerbate their anxiety and hinder their emotional well-being.”
Let Them Know It’s Not All On Them
“Not one individual is responsible for saving the planet, but we can as individuals contribute to positive change,” says Dodds. Teaching children early that everyone has a role to play in climate change is key to proactively and positively addressing it. “A deeper understanding of climate change and environmental degradation can help make kids’ eco-anxiety less all-consuming by placing boundaries around the problem.”
Use Strategies To Cope With The Anxiety Itself
It’s hard to simply snap out of anxiety, but Hirschfeld-Becker says it is possible to change the thoughts or actions that underlie the feeling and make it worse.
“The child could substitute helpful thoughts for their worries. For example, they could think about all the scientists, activists, and policy-makers who are working on improving the environment. Or they could do actions that help them stay calm, such as exercising, spending time with friends, or spending time in nature.” Meditation is another thing she recommends for children to “let go of worried thoughts at times when they’re unhelpful.”
Highlight The Intersectionality Of Climate Change
“Parents can help their kids cope with eco-anxiety by highlighting the intersectionality of climate issues,” says Arora. “The climate movement is so much more than just increasing CO2 levels; it has to do with food systems, health equity, racial justice, and more. There are several ways that you can do this, and the majority, if not all, are free or affordable. I’m a firm believer that important lessons regarding environmentalism and sustainability can start from home.”
Arora recommends checking out the hundreds of free videos and informational resources online about environmentalism and related issues that can help both you and your child become more informed about certain issues and how you can make a change together.
Remember: You Don’t Need To Be A Climate Expert
“The uncertainty of climate issues doesn’t have to be scary: if you don’t have all the answers, these conversations can be a way for parents and kids to explore learning together,” says Dodds. “If a question comes up that you can’t answer, you can say: ‘What a great question. I don’t know the answer yet but I will look into that so I can answer it properly.’”
She also suggests parents take her climate restoration course with their kids, a resource she created in collaboration with teachers and educators. “It teaches them to have a hopeful view of the climate crisis and to feel empowered to restore the climate,” Dodds explains.
Be Solution-Oriented
Hirschfeld-Becker recommends using problem-solving to think about ways your child might help prevent the outcomes they are worrying about. “This plan might involve focusing on practical steps the child could take to help the environment and figuring out which one the child might be able to try first. Focusing on practical solutions for everyone to do their part can help children feel empowered and less hopeless. Also, helping others can be a means of reducing one’s own distress.” For example, teens might lobby their school to convert to renewable energy or to reduce paper waste; younger kids might decide to walk or bike to school instead of being driven if that’s a possibility.
Encourage Your Kid To Get Involved
“My main piece of advice for young people is to get involved and to start in their own communities,” says Arora. “There are so many opportunities for you to get involved whether that be on the local, regional, state, or federal level.” He recommends young people join organizations in their region or school or attend climate strikes. “There are so many parts of advocacy and you might like certain parts of it more than others, so I encourage you to get your feet wet. This will help you see where your interests lie.”
Remind Your Child To Be Kind To Themselves
“I encourage young people to be kind to themselves,” says Arora. “Social justice issues often weigh on us heavily; however, while it is important to fight for justice in your community, it is also equally important to care for your mental and emotional health and try to strike a healthy balance. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is perfectly fine to take a break and jump back in when you are ready. People are most impactful when they are healthy and well, so please make sure to prioritize that.”
That also starts at home with you, as a parent. By modeling self-kindness, conversations about mental health, and rest when an issue becomes too taxing, you’re contributing to your family’s healthy behaviors around activism.
A version of this post was originally published in 2023.
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