How Can Existential Therapy Help With Eco-Anxiety and Climate Grief?

LPC

Introduction

With the heat waves happening this summer and multiple environmental disasters across the world, climate change for many is top of mind, top of social media reels, and may be top of the list of reasons to be anxious/ depressed/ angry/ scared/ filled with existential dread. The escalation of climate change, seeing the devastating effects on certain communities and countries, and ongoing political discourse on the topic all have the potential to increase our anxiety and often result in feelings of panic, overwhelm, hopelessness, and/or dissociation and numbing out. In this previous blog on climate change and mental health you can read about the social justice impacts of climate change, how to get involved, and how to learn from disability rights activities. This blog will specifically explore existential therapy, and how this theory may be a helpful frameworking for dealing with some of the dread and hopelessness that can come up around this topic. I highly recommend checking out the previous blog and other social justice advice on how to cope, find community, and get involved.

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Eco-Anxiety

The term eco-anxiety was coined by Australian environmental philosopher Glane Albrecht; the term gained popularity around 2007. It refers to distress around our changing climate, but describes something beyond general anxiety; it describes extreme worry and feelings of impending doom. In recent years, eco-anxiety has gotten more attention in the media and in research. In 2018 the American Psychological Association formally stated that the changing climate is having a negative impact on people’s mental health. For some, eco-anxiety can be motivating to take action and make change. For others, it can be paralyzing, leading to feelings of hopelessness and thoughts that nothing can be done. Eco-anxiety is not a disorder; it is not a sign that an individual has a chemical imbalance or anything is wrong with them psychologically. It absolutely makes sense that given our current circumstances people would feel this intense concern.. However, we don’t want to stay stuck in these feelings, or let this anxiety take over our lives.

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Solastalgia

Albrecht is also responsible for the term solastalgia. Related to eco-anxiety, solostalgia refers to a feeling of homesickness a person can have while still in their home, but the landscape is drastically changing. This can include things like extreme weather, deforestation, or mining. It is a feeling that occurs when a person is watching their home environment be degraded or destroyed. Solastalgia often involves feelings of grief, loss of identity, and helplessness. While it can refer to any natural disaster or extreme change in the natural environment, it is often used specifically to discuss climate change and human effects on our environment. It is more likely to affect people who are closely tied to the natural environment, such as farmers whose jobs depend on it, and people who do not have the financial resources to move or make adjustments when extreme weather happens. Like eco-anxiety, experiencing solastalgia makes sense and is a very valid response to what is going on.

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Existential Therapy

In the introduction, I did mention existential dread, and what better answer to this than existential therapy! Instead of treating specific symptoms, this type of therapy is philosophical and looks at major life themes like mortality, freedom vs. responsibility, and meaning-making. Existential therapy can be especially useful for navigating big life transitions, crises, and grief. Looking at something like climate change, it makes sense that taking an existential approach may be helpful to address something so impactful, largely out of our control, and that can create a sense of hopelessness.

White man in waterproof jacket looking up at the sky with a worried face while it rains

Research

There is vast research available on eco-anxiety, solastalgia, and existential therapy. I will offer up just a few examples to show that science does support the info being shared here. Two studies looking at the collective research done so far on eco-anxiety found that climate change has a significant effect on mental health and anxiety (Mento et. al, 2023; Galle et. al, 2025). A similar study looking collectively at existing research on solostalgia found that it is a significant human experience, especially for indigenous people who feel connected to the land and have worked to try to protect it (Galway et. al 2019). An older study on solostalgia conducted interviews with people about their experiences and found that terms like solostalgia are becoming necessary in order for people to express this unique experience (Albrecht et. al 2007). Another study specifically names this as an existential problem, and psychological flexibility and resilience are what is needed, both of which can be worked on through existential therapy (Weems et. al 2025).

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Specific Coping Strategies

With all of this information in mind, let’s look at some specific coping strategies from existential therapy to help with eco-anxiety, solastalgia, and other mental health effects of experiencing climate change.

1. Meaning Making

It can be important to find ways to make meaning out of life even through catastrophic and tragic events. Asking ourselves ‘what makes life meaningful?’ and ‘what gives life purpose?’ can help refocus energy on the parts of life that feel significant. Do we find meaning in our relationships? Our work? Our creativity? Knowing that we can still engage with these things at the moment helps us see that life still has meaning and purpose. It may be helpful to connect with nature and remember that this is still an important relationship; what meaning do you find when camping, walking through nature, or sitting outside somewhere peaceful?

2. Grieving

There is a certain amount of irreversible climate change that has already happened, and while we can find ways to fight for environmental activism and to halt the harm and make repairs, there is grief in the things that we have already lost and cannot get back. Allowing ourselves to cry, rage, and move through different phases of grief can help us not stay stuck in one place.

3. Managing Isolation

In existential therapy, there is an acknowledgement that isolation is part of the human experience, so it is not something to fix or change. However, once this is accepted, more genuine and authentic connections can be made. In terms of eco-anxiety and solastalgia, we need to acknowledge that we are all alone to a certain extent within this crisis, accept this, and then move on to build connections where we can. It may help to find community with others who also care greatly and worry about the environment; we can also acknowledge that this community will not erase our feelings of isolation, and that sometimes this will be part of our experience.

4. Radical Acceptance

This last one is part existential therapy and part Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This strategy involves looking the problem head on without denial, avoidance, or downplaying. Radical acceptance is often painful, but resisting and denying what is happening can lead to prolonged and needless suffering. Accepting the situation and figuring out how to move forward given the circumstances, this can be a useful way to move through something so overwhelming and challenging.

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Conclusion

There is no easy answer to this issue, and it would be a lie to pretend that any kind of therapy could eradicate our fear and grief around climate change. Existential therapy won’t change what is happening, but it can help us come to terms with it and find ways to make meaning and connect with community amidst these issues. If this blog resonates with you, I recommend talking to your current therapist, or finding a therapist to talk to. Sharing feelings with loved ones and your support systems is also a great way to start to accept and work through these feelings.

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References

Eco-Anxiety: An Evolutionary Line from Psychology to Psychopathology by Mento et. al 2023
Assessing the Presence of Eco-Anxiety in the General Population: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression by Galle et. al 2025
Solastalgia: The Distress Caused by Environmental Change by Albrecth et. al 2007
Mapping Solastalgia Literature: A Scoping Review Study by by Galway et. al 2019
Existential Anxiety, Psychological Flexibility, and Deep Resilience to Climate Crisis by Weems et. al 2025