Reachout.org's "How to cope with anxiety about climate change"

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Hearing constant news about climate change can make you feel pretty crappy and worried about what it all means for your future. Reports of the proposed Adani coal mine and backflips on the Paris Agreement might be leaving you feeling angry and frustrated.

‘Ecoanxiety’ and ‘ecological grief’ are terms that have been coined recently to describe what you’re feeling. Yep, it’s actually a thing.

There are lots of reasons why young people might feel stressed about climate change:

  • They feel like planning for the future is hopeless.
  • They are angry that the people around them aren’t doing anything to help.
  • They are frustrated that there’s nothing they can do now to change things.
  • They are worried about whether it’s responsible to have children.
  • They feel like everything is out of their control.

Lots of young people are worried about climate change. Thousands of students went on strike from school in December 2018 to demand that the government do more to address climate change. In March 2019, they held another strike, with students involved in 60 locations across Australia.

If you’re feeling stressed out about climate change and what it means for your future, here are some tips to help you cope.