by Fran Goldstein

Given recent events — from accelerating climate disasters to government cutbacks — many people are experiencing profound anxiety and despair about the future. Yet emerging research and expert advice point to ways we can process these emotions, find meaning and take action without becoming overwhelmed. For instance, researchers at the University of Virginia Environmental Institute found that better sharing of new ecological and climate solutions — especially at the community level — can help alleviate feelings of hopelessness about climate change.

Here are some other strategies to help cope with climate-related despair and anxiety:

1. Acknowledge and validate your feelings

• Mental health professionals stress that eco-anxiety is a natural, rational response to a real threat — not a pathology.
• Clinicians advise naming the emotions: grief, fear, guilt — recognizing them helps reduce shame and isolation.

2. Engage in ecotherapy and mindfulness

• Grounding practices such as mindfulness in nature — walking mindfully, forest bathing — help calm the amygdala and restore balance.
• Ecopsychology emphasizes strengthening the connection to nature and community to support mental well-being.

3. Limit doom-scrolling and set healthy media boundaries

• Repeated exposure to catastrophic climate news can worsen anxiety; schedule limited, focused media time.

4. Seek community and professional support

• Sharing with friends or community groups provides emotional validation and a sense of belonging.
• Therapy — especially climate-aware therapists — and peer groups (like Climate Psychology Alliance) can help normalize and process climate distress.

5. Channel anxiety into collective action

• Studies show that collective climate action (versus isolated efforts) more effectively buffers against anxiety and depression.
• Even small, community-engaged efforts — like local advocacy, conservation projects, or citizen lobbying — build agency and hope.

6. Use meaning-focused coping

• Psychological approaches that emphasize meaning-making — like reframing progress and focusing on long-term goals — enhance life satisfaction and climate engagement.

“Action is the antidote to despair.”  

— Joan Baez