Do good, feel good: Environmental activism helps your headspace

By Scoop
April 29, 2022 · less than 3 min read

Facing up to the climate crisis can be hard on your mental health – but activism has a place for mindfulness, too.    

The dread of doomscrolling  

Eco anxiety. Climate grief. These are feelings indelibly linked with a generation of climate activists that can see a scary future rolling down the track. The impact of climate change on our wellbeing – both psychological and emotional – is telling, and mental health experts are more than familiar with the rage and despair that many of us feel about our planet’s future.  

According to a 2021 survey, more than eight in 10 Gen Z’ers are worried about our planet’s future, and rightfully so. But there are also studies showing that one of the best ways to deal with this feeling of paralysis is to get out and make change happen.  

Fight the good fight  

Ask yourself this: What is your role in ‘the story of climate change’? Rather than remaining passive, it can be helpful to see yourself with a part to play, even if it’s minor. And while it’s true that washing your plastic recycling or turning out the bathroom light is small fry compared to the scale of change needed by society as a whole, climate groups and protest parties are likely waiting to welcome you with open arms. 

Einstein once said, “The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” We all have a part to play, and in doing so, you may end up winning your personal battles, as well as those we’re all facing together. 

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