HOW TO MANAGE YOUR ECO-ANXIETY

A survey of practical strategies for young people to use to alleviate anxiety related to the effects of a warming planet.

As people experience the impact of our climate emergency, psychoanalyst Grose has seen more clients who exhibit stress over climate change. Acknowledging that eco-anxiety is “a reasonable response to a real problem,” she presents 10 steps, each with an accompanying toolkit, to support teens in managing their feelings, building resiliency, taking empowering action, and more. The book opens by identifying how these challenging feelings might show up, both mentally and physically. Throughout, Grose balances the need to be genuinely concerned about climate change with learning how to take care of oneself so the concern doesn’t harm one’s well-being. She acknowledges that people will need different things, especially when it comes to self-care, and offers a variety of concrete suggestions for common challenges, including striking the right balance with the amount and kind of information we consume and finding a community of like-minded people who can offer support. The informal font, pastel-colored pages, and whimsical illustrations of flowers, rainbows, and toadstools give the work a journal-like feel and help lighten the mood. The human figures scattered throughout are diverse in skin tone.

An empowering guide to living with the stress of the climate change crisis.