Amy Snider’s often finds solace in the outdoors.

Her family would often make trips to British Columbia in the summer. Hiking and swimming in cold lakes would often replenish her energy levels.

But the summer of 2021 was different.

Scorching temperatures from an intense heat dome event fuelled numerous forest fires in the province, which Snider’s family witnessed as they drove along highways in the province.

“I was constantly reminded of the damage we are doing to the planet,” said Snider.

That fall, she fell into a severe depression — constantly thinking about how her own actions affect Climate change and the impact it would have on her son.

“Some days I could hardly get out of bed, I had difficulty having basic conversations; finding words,” she said.

Snider’s worry and grief is often classified as eco anxiety or climate anxiety, a “form of Anxiety related to environmental issues, including climate change, pollution, deforestation, species extinction, overpopulation, and other environmental challenges,” according to Anxiety Canada.

Eco anxiety has been particularly studied in younger generations thought to be most affected by long-term climate impacts. A study conducted by science journal The Lancet in 2021 suggested that out of 10,000 people in 10 countries between 16 and 25 years old, over 45 per cent said feelings of climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning.

Finding support in numbers

In the months after falling into depression, Snider turned to two other people in Regina she knew who studied eco anxiety to see if they’d be willing to start an eco anxiety support group.

An open house for their group a short while later revealed 27 interested participants — much more than expected.

“A few broke down in tears just expressing their relief to find like-minded people,” said Snider.

The current group — known as EcoStress Sask. — has around 12 members who meet monthly over Zoom. The group usually discusses current climate issues and ways to deal with the stress climate change brings.

The group has been beneficial to Glenn Sutter. The Regina man has been feeling anxiety about the climate to some extent for over 30 years.

Working for the Royal Society of Canada in the late 1980s, his work involved conversations around the growing topic of climate change.

“It was really apparent that these were big, big concerns,” said Sutter.

“It’s existential. It’s got its fingers on everything that we do. I think better to equip your self with the tools and experiences and support to sort of open yourself up to it.”

Along with attending EcoStress Sask. meetings, Sutter also eases his mind by riding his bike to and from work and writing songs on his guitar. Some of his music touches on themes of nature and the environment.

Anxiety a ‘natural reaction’ to climate threats: therapist

Jared Knoll, a therapist with Heartfire Medicine in Saskatoon, says almost all of his patients experience eco anxiety to some extent.

He says a sharper increase in patients with eco anxiety began around 2018, when the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change released a report detailing the impacts of the planet warming by 1.5 C.

“Often we’ll have people coming in telling us they’ve been experiencing this anxiety, which we see medicalized, pathologized, treated as a problem, when it’s a pretty natural reaction to danger and threat,” said Knoll.

He says eco anxiety can strain family relationships — for instance, kids upset with their parents’ inaction on climate change.

Knoll says mental health professionals have a role in not just providing support for people with eco anxiety, but providing education and taking action on climate change themselves.

That’s something Katherine Arbuthnott has tried to do herself.

A professor emerita of psychology at Campion College, she’s a co-founder of EcoStress Sask. She’s also taught classes and performed research on eco anxiety, including for the Canadian Psychological Association.

Her classes focused on how nature can reduce anxiety and stress caused by climate change.

“We found that even very tiny times in nature greatly improved peoples’ positive emotions and decreased their negative emotions,” said Arbuthnott.

Self care and taking action are also important in overcoming those negative climate emotions, Arbuthnott said. 

Things that members of EcoStress Sask. continue to do — meeting and talking about how they can make change.

They’ll also be expanding their reach. Another eight-week session with a different group is in the works, with the possibility of continuing on with their meetings, just like the current group.