Anxiety, sadness, or anger... many of us feel these emotions in response to the climate crisis. What is happening to the planet deeply affects some of us, leading to feelings of helplessness and a loss of meaning. This "malady of the century," also known as solastalgia, highlights the link between mental health and environmental health: our "mother earth" is not well, and neither are we. And gardeners, due to the bond that ties them to nature, often experience this malaise known as eco-anxiety in an exacerbated way.
What is eco-anxiety and how can we overcome it? Here are some avenues for reflection and attempts at answers.
Eco-anxiety or solastalgia: what are we talking about?
Since we apparently suffer from a malaise, the first thing to do is to define and describe it correctly:
- Eco-anxiety, a concept that emerged in the 1990s, refers to the range of emotions related to a sense of fatalism regarding the degradation of the planet's state, from pollution to climate change. These emotions primarily include fear, sadness, anger, and frustration caused by the inaction or inadequacy of actions taken for the climate by governments and populations. Eco-anxiety is therefore related to what may happen, to the fear of the future for our children, for humanity, and for nature. It is a kind of pre-traumatic stress that is not recognised as a disease. However, it is described by professional psychiatric associations as a chronic fear of environmental disasters.
- Solastalgia - literally "loss of comfort" - is a concept defined in 2007. It is a form of psychological distress inducing nostalgia in response to environmental changes, the destruction of ecosystems and biodiversity, and by extension, climate change. It is linked to a mourning for what has already been lost and causes sadness, intense worry for the future, and sometimes feelings of guilt and anger towards collective inertia. People suffering from solastalgia often experience a sense of disconnection and loneliness compared to those around them who do not share the same concerns or environmental sensitivity.
It is normal to be worried in a world that is struggling
Gardeners are a "public" particularly affected by these issues, because through our gardening practice - which is often more than a hobby, but a true passion - we see the direct effects on our little piece of nature and paradise, to which we devote so much time and care. Gardens ravaged by hailstorms, plants wilting under the heatwave, dwindling water reserves for careful cultivation, uncontrollable pest insects... gardening increasingly resembles a kind of battle, and many gardeners simply feel like giving up in the face of so much effort rendered futile.
So what can we do, doctor?
In this situation, it is impossible to put things into perspective as we might with the minor ailments of daily life! Yes, the situation is very real and dramatic, and our so-called "small daily gestures" seem utterly trivial in the face of the situation and the inaction of the world around us.
Nevertheless, taking action and turning towards solutions are more positive and constructive attitudes than lamenting the fate of our planet and the bleak future that awaits us. Every gesture to reduce carbon impact, save water, and promote biodiversity is of real importance, and these eco-solutions have numerous co-benefits: they are good for health, they allow for savings, they enable a more pleasant way of living, and they reconnect people.
Anger can also be beneficial, more dynamic than anxiety and withdrawal: it drives us to rebel and act, to set an example around us through collective or individual action. Why not get involved in an environmental, biodiversity, or bird protection association? Learning how these ecosystems function, knowing the fauna and flora of your region and those that are endangered, and taking action to protect them allows you to engage in meaningful causes and feel useful. In short, instead of being eco-anxious, let us be eco-furious and continue to fight our small and large battles, in our gardens and beyond!
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