If you are suffering from eco-anxiety, this book was written for you.

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My eco anxiety got up too early this morning…

It was 4:30 this morning when I walked up and started thinking that I needed to go to the office today. I’ll be driving and participating in the eco disaster we are all making. First, I’m drinking a cup of coffee which has travelled more than me this year. The fact that it is fair-trade and organic can not compensate for such travels. Such habit is an eco disaster on its own. 

I am looking at our new apartment and the wires hanging from the ceiling are reminding me of this personal eco disaster. My guilt is ramping up. 

The sun has risen before I started typing these words and while I was reading an article from MIT about the incredible challenge ahead and the tremendous need for capital to finance the breakthrough innovations required in the next decade to sustain life, human life on this planet. 

I’m getting all worked up thinking about climate deniers. How can they refuse to see that their children will suffer the most? 

For a while, I manage to calm down, I drink my coffee outside while watching the sunrise & the glorious change of colours. It is so pretty, so quiet & peaceful, like nothing bad is happening. How could it? 

Thoughts about the book I just finished reading comes to my mind. I recognise the emotional ups and downs I’m feeling. 

And I realise that, the only good thing I could do, in this moment, is to recommend you to read this book. 

If you suffer from eco-anxiety

If you are amongst the human beings who religiously sort their trash, do everything they can to produce less, who buy things when only necessary, who eat organic, mostly locally produce vegetables… if you are amongst the human beings who cycle everywhere they can, who turn off the lights, who take showers instead of long baths… if you are amongst the human beings who have decided to not have children or at least fewer of them… if you are are amongst the human beings who use organic and cruelty free products for their house, their face, their hair, who have banned single plastic use, who reuse, repair or repurpose things… who have switch banks and other service providers based on their ESG, who vote for politicians who support environmental policies, who are activists… If you are amongst the human beings who are mindful of greenwashing, who help others make the right decisions… 

And yet, if you are one of these human beings, you most likely know all these things won’t have a big enough impact on the eco disaster in the making. You are still committed to doing all these things but are feeling terrible and sometimes even of just being breathing and alive… Please, know you are not alone! 

You are not alone and it seems that more and more people are suffering from some form of eco-anxiety. 

This book might help

Unfortunately, I do not recall where I first read about this book. If I did I would send some thanks to the person who recommended it because it did help me a lot. 

The book in question is called Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis by Dr Britt Wray. 

It is really a marvellous book for people suffering from eco-anxiety.

It is non judgemental and yet describe very well the full range of emotions a lot of people are feeling currently. You are bound to relate to some, more than others and it is truly comforting to know that you are not alone.

With that in mind Dr Wray follows up with ways to accept such emotions and later explores ways to use such anger / despair / fear / dread… to take actions.

Any eco conscious person will get something out of this book. Maybe they will want to speak to therapist specialised in eco-anxiety because they never realised they existed. Maybe they will want to join a group of activists. Maybe they will take a totally different career path, like the author did. Then again, maybe they will simply feel less alone knowing others are suffering too. As I said before, this alone is reassuring… No, you and I are not crazy just because we are scared for the future!

Honestly, I think at this point we are just realistic to be scared. But we mustn’t let this fear stop us.

I wish I could pass on this book to someone but it got drenched in my tent. Not because of rain as I first thought, but because my water bottle leaked. It now is beaten up and smells! 😢