What to do When it Seems like the World is Ending

If you are someone who is passionate about the state of the planet, you probably know how easy it is to get sucked into the doom and gloom of media reports. Species are going extinct, entire nations are in severe drought, storms are getting more ferocious than ever and climate change is exceeding at a rate faster than expected. And they are… *sigh*.

The one that has been getting me recently is all of the plastic pollution. I can’t stand to see visions of turtles suffering because they have eaten plastic bags thinking they were jelly fish. Or carcasses of dead birds with stomachs full of bottle tops and rubbish. We’ve seriously done some damage to the environment with the whole plastic thing.

As humans, our first instinct is often to succumb to the fear instilled in us by the news. To see the problems as too big to fix and beyond our control. To give up and not waste our energy on fruitless missions.

But now is the time that it is imperative for us to remain positive about the future of the earth. Believe that things can be turned around. Know that something can be done. Have faith in humanity and trust that we can overcome this. For if no one has this vision, it will not eventuate.

Imagine finding solutions. Dream of a planet full of pristine environments. Picture all the people in the world having food to eat. Fantasise about all religions and races getting along.

I’m not saying we should be naive about the negative impacts we, as a race, are having on the world. We can’t turn a blind eye to them. We need to understand the issues fully to be able to effectively remediate them. We just need to understand the importance of being hopeful as opposed to pessimistic about changing the situations.

Being negative, feeling like the victim and acting helpless does nothing to improve the state of the world. In fact, it worsens it. It makes problems bigger and solutions scarcer. It prevents any positive action being taken. Worst of all, it just makes us feel like shit.  

Even if we have no technical knowledge about how things can be improved, just believing that there are solutions out there, helps. Supporting the people who are doing something is also beneficial.

We can all play our part by taking responsibility for our own actions and limiting our personal impact on the planet. Whether it be using less water, cutting back on plastic usage or using more public transport rather than driving. It’s all a step in the right direction.

So let’s keep our heads up, our minds positive, and create the future we actually want!

Do you have any tips on staying positive when it seems like the world is ending?