The Environment and Mental Health

May is mental health awareness month. How does the environment impact our mental health and well-being?  And what are effective ways of combating eco-anxiety?

How does nature help?

Spending time outdoors has been shown to have many benefits including reducing symptoms of PTSD, a reduction of stress in office workers, helping reduce feelings of loneliness, and a general increase in mental health and well-being. Many of these effects have to do with how our nervous system responds to nature, causing us to feel more relaxed and connected.

Climate Anxiety

According to the news outlet Grist, in 2021 the number of Google searches for the phrase “climate anxiety” increased by 565%. Terms like “climate anxiety” and “eco-anxiety” are becoming more widely used in conversations, especially among climate activists but what does it mean? According to Yale Associate Professor and clinical psychologist Sarah Lowe, “Climate anxiety is fundamentally distress about climate change and its impacts on the landscape and human existence.” This is a phenomenon that is found across demographics and age groups. Yale Sustainability published an interview on climate anxiety with Lowe and Anthony Leiserowitz, the founder and Director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and a Senior Research Scientist at Yale School of the Environment. The main takeaways are that many people are worried about the environment, research has been done in this field for decades, and there are effective ways to combat these feelings of anxiety before they turn to hopelessness.

What can we do?

According to Lowe, an effective way to combat climate anxiety is through collective action. As mentioned previously, getting outside has many benefits for specific symptoms as well as general well-being, and engaging in positive action with a group enhances these benefits. If you’re looking for ways to participate in collective action, ECU Sustainability hosts litter cleanups and garden workdays monthly throughout the academic year. Participating in these activities will help you make connections with others concerned about the environment and work to make positive changes. We also have several student groups and community partners who host meetings and volunteer activities on a regular basis. If you would like to keep up with events and activities ECU Sustainability hosts, check out our social media pages. We would love for you to join us!

If you are experiencing mental distress at any time, we encourage you to reach out to ECU’s Counseling Center.