Coping With Eco-Anxiety

I feel the effects of eco-anxiety quite a lot, as I'm sure a lot of us do. I know people who are genuinely scared to have kids because of the state of the world and the uncertainty about the future, and I do worry myself about where we're heading and what it's going to be like for our children. Sometimes it seems impossible to make a difference, to make and stick to sustainable habits. Let alone campaign to change the behaviour of big corporations and governments.

I also struggle with the guilt of not always making the best eco-friendly decisions, like buying new plastic for my kids 😔 or throwing something away because I just don't have the time to rehome it somewhere. Often it comes down to convenience, where the stress of needing to solve an immediate problem outweighs (or often distracts me) from the stress I feel about the environment.

I do find focusing on the little things helps. Like the shoes in the photo, which make me smile. The fact that I was prepping them for resale in the hopes someone will then not need to buy a pair of new shoes. I try to remind myself that while I'm not always the best version of myself, I do try my best to be the change I want to see.

In the face of such global bleakness I sometimes feel that talking about the benefits of shopping second-hand can seem a little frivolous, but the second-hand movement is real and already making a difference. The resale actions of lots of individuals and small businesses are disrupting the retail environment and are making traditional retailers sit up and start to change their practices (albeit along with a tonne of greenwashing!). So every single time you shop second-hand instead of new you are contributing to this. Every time you make the effort to resell or rehome something you are making a difference. That is definitely something to feel good about.