Acknowledging Eco-Grief & Anxiety: Navigating the Difficult Thoughts and Emotions of Environment Students
Being an environment student means we are routinely exposed to multiple negative aspects of the environmental crisis we are in. We also see that although solutions exist, there are multiple barriers in the way of achieving sustainability for the sake of our planet.
Politics, economics, wicked problems, and other factors seem to consistently thwart our environmental efforts to solve things that keep on getting worse, or should have already been solved. Rising sea levels, mass extinction rates of species loss, climate instability, desertification, degraded soil health, deforestation, ocean acidification, droughts, wildfires…. and by this point you are probably feeling a certain sense of panic, loss, stress and despair. When these feelings persist, you may be experiencing one of the following
Eco-Grief: the mourning of a perfect ecological future
Eco-stress/anxiety: the intermittent or chronic fear of human-caused ecological disaster
Climate stress: a synonym for eco-stress but more focused on climate change impacts
Unlike other forms of anxiety, this is a rational fear response and therefore it is encouraged to not be pathologized. These associated anxiety and fear responses can considerably impact our lives and our ability to fully function.
What makes this more complicated for us is the overwhelming sense of responsibility we feel to dedicate ourselves to the heavy burden of this issue. When you see something so vital continuously being damaged, you can begin to lose hope. Many times after a disheartening class I have spoken with my friends questioning
“How are we possibly supposed to fix this?”.
So what is the answer?
You have a community.
You are not alone.
You do not have to take this on by yourself.
You are not the only one experiencing these feelings.
There are people you can talk to who will understand.
The Environment Students Society (ESS) at the University of Waterloo represents environment students at the faculty level and keeps all of us connected. Through events, workshops and advocacy efforts, this elected team works hard every week to keep us engaged with each other. Throughout my degree, I have met and made a lot of friends at the ESS student run coffee shop who have inspired me. Being immersed in this community has shown me the solutions that are working, the drive of our spirit, and our dedication to contribute to something greater than ourselves. It is for these reasons and more that led to my decision to run for the position of Mental Health and Wellness Director and serve for three terms. It was an honour to be part of this amazing team, who’s each member contributes in their own way and makes the team strong.
In this role, I have been able to distribute great mental health resources like Eco-Grief support cards from a company called PASS (panic, anxiety and stress support), run weekly challenges, and create weekly content on behalf of ESS. But there is SO much more that ESS does too. From organizing nacho crawls to hosting the famous Bob Ross paint nights, weekly trivia and plant care, charity gala dances, sharing BIPOC resources, creating playlists, and the list goes on.
So at this point, you may be asking, “how does this change anything?” Yes, there are still big environmental issues. But staying connected helps us share our struggles, see the tremendous amount of positive work being done, and create relationships that are stronger than the fears we face. Managing hope and resilience through connection is part of the internal work that environment students and beyond must do. So, if you are struggling with what seems like a hopeless or impossible situation, get involved with the community that is working on the problem. Do not let yourself become isolated in despair, for there is strength in vulnerability and everyone has an experience we can learn from.
If you or someone you know is struggling with eco-grief and/or anxiety, it may be helpful to direct them to one of the resources below
Additional Resources
This story was written by Benjamin Muller, a 5th Year Geography and Environmental Management Student and Mental Health and Wellness Director for Environment Students Society (ESS) at the University of Waterloo.