Eco-anxiety is the persistent worry about the climate crisis and the future of the environment. Many describe it as a diffuse weight that surfaces while reading news about floods, heatwaves or species loss. It isn't a mental illness; it's an understandable response to a real problem. That said, it doesn't mean we should carry it unconsciously, day after day.
Often eco-anxiety doesn't stay in the realm of thought. It can show up as trouble sleeping, guilt over every small choice, anger toward those who seem indifferent, or a sense of futility — "whatever I do, nothing changes." In younger people it can also appear as hesitation about major life decisions, such as whether to have children. When the worry becomes so intense that it paralyses rather than motivates, it deserves a closer look.
The goal isn't to convince yourself that everything is fine. It's to find a way to live with awareness without being overwhelmed by it. That includes setting limits on news consumption, connecting with others who care, and turning part of the worry into concrete, human-sized action. Individual effort doesn't save the planet on its own, but it often restores a sense of agency that anxiety had taken away.
If worry about the climate is clouding your days or your sleep, you don't have to manage it alone. In therapy you can process these feelings, separate what you can control from what you can't, and build a stance that keeps your care alive without exhausting you. See how working on eco-anxiety might help, and let yourself breathe.