The more we care about the world around us, the more we want to solve its problems – yet we also notice new issues everywhere, making it easy to be overwhelmed. Pause here! Choose your battles and act in ways that do not make you the next problem for this world.

Climate concern itself is actually a good thing – it shows you care, and that makes you part of the solution. If this concern pushes you towards more sustainable everyday choices, you are helping. 

But constant pressure for more, newer, bigger, faster, and better than your neighbour creates stress and burdens the planet. Another part of the solution lies in focusing on mental wellbeing, sufficiency, and solidarity. 

What Can Each of Us Do About Climate Anxiety?

• Gather your “mental health vitamins” – start with peaasi.ee.
• Do what you can for the planet, no matter how small – every action counts. If you don’t know where to begin, get ideas from or even join the Green Theme Months initiative (contact rohekuud@taltech.ee).
• Remember the old saying: a shared worry is half a worry, and shared joy is double joy. Avoid negativity and indifference – find like-minded people and act together.
• Support others when possible: if a friend or colleague seems worried, ask how they are and listen. Paradoxically, loneliness is one of the most common issues on our crowded planet. Research shows that even small daily human interactions – a brief chat with a cashier or a smile in the park – improve wellbeing.
• Realise you may already have what billionaires don’t: enough. Let go of the constant pursuit of “bigger, newer, better” – it helps both you and the planet.
• Seek happiness in the right places. Yale University’s wellbeing researchers created a free online course showing what truly makes us happy – not more money, cars, or bigger houses, but different values.
• Join the climate anxiety workshop on 28 October, where participants will explore the emotions climate topics trigger, which coping strategies help or drain, and how to make sense of events so we can live calm, resilient, and meaningful lives even amid change. More details will soon be available in the “Month of Mental Refreshment” programme.
• Take part in other Mental Refreshment Month events – from yoga mornings to therapy dogs – to connect with others.
• Finally, don’t forget to rest from worrying and learning. Pack sandwiches and spend a long day in nature, or borrow a novel or board game from the library. Switch off your screens and enjoy a slow life for a few evenings. Slow living saves the planet and protects mental health – and it doesn’t even cost money.