Podcast Episode 12 Eco-Anxiety & Wildfire

Wildfire is a vital ecological process, but it can be dangerous. Living in areas impacted by wildfire can be stressful on many levels, and individuals may experience anxiety or even grief in response.

On the latest episode of the Living With Fire Podcast, guest Caitlyn Wallace, LCSW, unpacks these feelings and talks about ways to address emotional responses to wildfire. According to Wallace, “Ecoanxiety is the anxiousness and the worry about what might happen. And eco-grief is the sadness and grief at the loss of life – human, animal and plant life – that you anticipate to come.”

Wallace, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist in Northern Nevada, specializes in perinatal mental health and the emerging field of environmentally informed therapy. She treats patients experiencing pregnancy, postpartum depression and anxiety, infertility, grief and loss. Wallace explained that some of her clients were also experiencing eco-anxiety and eco-grief.

“I started noticing in some of my clients this grief and guilt around – I work so hard for this baby, I tried so hard for this baby. The baby is here. And now I am guilty and ashamed because there’s a pandemic, there’s smoke, there are so many risks. What did I do? Why did I bring a baby into this world?” said Wallace.

On the podcast, Wallace explained that anxiety and grief show up differently for everyone. Therefore, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for dealing with anxiety and grief. However, she emphasized the importance of acknowledging feelings and experiences.

“I think that a big thing is being able to name it and being able to talk about it. Yeah, we know enough to know that for a lot of these things—specifically depression and anxiety—that being able to talk about your feelings around them gets you out of a fight-or-flight reactive place and into a place where you can be more responsive.”

Wallace speaks about the benefits of finding a space to talk about feelings of eco-anxiety, such as a discussion group modeled after Death Cafés. These informal, respectful spaces provide a safe environment to share emotional responses and reactions to environmental concerns.

To learn more about eco-anxiety, check out Wallace’s suggested reading list below:

• A Guide to Eco-Anxiety: How to Protect the Planet and Your Mental Health, by Anouchka Grose  
• Generation Dread, by Britt Wray 
• Earth Emotions: New Words for a New World, by Glenn A. Albrecht