Everyone remembers their favourite teacher. Not because of what they taught you but because of how they made you feel. In a world with an increased awareness about mental wellbeing, it is vital that we, as teachers, are able to engage our students in healthy discussions about the impact the climate crisis can have on our planet, as well as our own wellbeing. In this post, we’re going to look at the meaning of eco-anxiety, its causes and what we can do to help address it.
What is eco-anxiety?
Eco-anxiety (sometimes referred to as climate anxiety) seems to be a buzzword in a lot of classrooms at the moment – but what does it really mean?
Definitions vary, but the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as: a condition in which someone feels frightened or very worried about climate change. The American Psychological Association is a little more extreme in its definition when it refers to it as a chronic fear of environmental doom.
The reality is each person will experience eco-anxiety to different degrees and in very different ways. As teachers, it’s up to us to recognise it and try our best to ease those feelings.
What eco-anxiety isn’t
- New: Eco-anxiety has been around for a long time; we’re only recently recognising it for what it is.
- An illness: The feelings of nervousness and anxiety about the dangers of the climate crisis are a perfectly natural human reaction. We must address these feelings and deal with them the best we can.
- Your fault: Eco-anxiety, like the climate crisis, isn’t your fault, nor is it your students’ fault. It isn’t up to you to solve the climate crisis. However, in your role as a teacher, you can reframe challenges in a positive and proactive way, help students recognise their feelings and help them move from anxiety to action.
Why do we feel eco-anxiety?
There are many reasons for eco-anxiety. The most common being:
- Constantly reading or watching media related to the climate crisis.
- Experiencing an ecological event, like a drought or a flood.
- Living in a climate-affected area.
- Being told that your personal carbon footprint is responsible for the climate crisis.
Some of these reasons are beyond our control and must be seen in that way. Others, however, can be worked on a daily basis.
How we can address eco-anxiety in the classroom
1. Address the situation.
Remember to always ask your students what they are feeling – don’t tell them. The range of emotions connected to eco-anxiety is very broad and you’ll need to understand them before you can address them. Using eco-anxiety as a reason to avoid teaching about the climate crisis is not the answer. There is no point ignoring the climate crisis and the effects it can have on our mental health.
Use your classroom as a safe space to talk about these concerns. If you’re giving your students a well-rounded education about the problems the world faces and the solutions available, they can better understand what they are feeling and why they are feeling that way.
If the feelings of anxiety become too great, remember you can always consult a mental health professional for further guidance.
2. Look at solutions.
One of the best ways to help students deal with negative feelings around the climate crisis is to look for solutions. Rather than look at the negative side of things, look for the positive. Reframe your lessons to focus on good things being done in the world and the positive actions people are taking to make a change.
Avoid self-limiting beliefs like ‘There’s nothing I can do’ and reframe them to ‘I need to find other people who think like me so we can get together and talk about the changes we’d like to make’.
One great activity for this is to set your students the task of finding a solution. If you’re looking at microplastics, why not look into the work Fionn Ferreira is doing to remove them from waterways. If deforestation is the topic, then check out Felix Fenkbeiner and the work of his organisation Plant for the Planet.
3. Make changes, not sacrifices.
One of the biggest causes of eco-anxiety is that we have been told for many years our actions are destroying the planet, and that if we make changes to our lives, we can save the planet. One of the symptoms of eco-anxiety is the feeling of helplessness that no matter what we do we can’t make enough of a difference.
A great approach to this is to first look at what your students already do to help the planet, ie. use refillable bottles or eat fewer animal products than before. Then look more closely at the small changes they can make. These changes will make a difference to how they think and how they feel. Rather than becoming a perfect environmentalist and giving up everything, make a list of behaviours students can easily change. Reducing consumption is a great place to start. Other simple changes may be:
- Eat less meat and animal products
- Only wash our clothes when necessary
- Replace single-use plastic items with reusables and refillables
- Reuse everything you can
- Upcycle before buying
These changes might not save the planet, but they will help students feel like they are making a positive difference. From there it will encourage greater involvement in other environmental issues.
4. Connect with nature to reduce anxiety.
One of the best ways to deal with any negative emotion and improve mental wellbeing is to go into nature to disconnect from the mobile world and reconnect with the natural world. Whenever you have the chance, take your students into nature. If it’s impossible to get your students into nature, get nature to your students. Invest in plants for your classroom, or campaign for green spaces at your school.
5. Turn anxiety into action.
Perhaps our most important role as teachers is helping our students become better citizens. Helping our students turn their anxiety into action will help them deal with the stresses caused by the climate crisis as well as other stresses that will come their way throughout their lives as students and beyond.
Every time we take action we fight against the feeling of powerlessness. Simple changes and actions, like those mentioned above, can make a huge difference to our students’ mindsets. Set out some goals and take steps to achieve them. If the school wants to go plastic-free, become a Plastic Clever School. If you’re looking at reducing your fashion footprint check out Swop It Up for some ideas.
Eco-anxiety and its symptoms are becoming more and more common in classrooms across the globe. As teachers, we can help reduce this anxiety and turn it into something that can make a genuine change in the world.
What are you going to do to make a difference today? Share your ideas in the comments below.
Want more ideas on how to talk about the environment and climate change with your students? Check out the blog “How to teach the environment to prepare young learners to become future-ready generation“.