The Weight of the World: Reducing the Pressure of Being Environmentally Friendly

If you are vocal in your community about environmental issues, but so few are receptive, they may very well be ignoring you because it’s just easier to! When you are trying to be environmentally friendly, and live your life in a certain way, it can be stressful, right? We have to learn what can be recycled where, whether its better to buy local, organic or fair trade food and there is so much conflicting information out there, it can be a minefield. So when we start to consider the monumental task that is being environmentally friendly, it’s hardly a surprise some people feel environmental fatigue.

If you’re feeling a sense of pressure on your green journey, here are some important reminders:

The Importance of a Long Journey 

We have to remember that it won’t happen overnight. There are simple things that we can all do to head in the right direction, and everybody has to start small. Take inspiration from those people that had to continually knock on doors and make their voice heard. As a householder, I started with the simple step of refusing carrier bags at the checkout. From there I started using my kerbside recycling, then I supported my local baker and green grocer – 18 months down the line, we’d slashed our carbon footprint and were being asked to appear in a documentary promoting waste and sustainability!

Stephen Troese Jr, the CEO, and co-founder of LRI Energy Solutions, a company that provides energy-efficient solutions, had to start small. We all do. And if you are able to take care of your own little patch, it is about remembering that starting small is the best way to build up your strength. We can all feel overwhelmed. But we are not alone. Everybody has had to start somewhere.

Learning to Calm Down 

If you feel stressed, you are applying pressure on yourself. In life, we feel enough stress as it is. If you start to panic because you didn’t recycle something, you’ve got to give yourself a break. It’s about making sure that you turn these things into a habit. But it’s also important to learn how to calm down when we feel stressed. When we start to make mistakes or do something wrong, we start associating stress with being eco-friendly, and we will only grow to hate it. Instead, take a step back, and, if necessary, bring things down to the basics. Learning to calm down by having simple relaxation practices can make a big difference. Sometimes, sitting quietly, and reminding yourself why you are doing this can give you the strength to carry on. But when you feel anxious, always remember that if you are associating stress with saving the planet, you may very well fall off the wagon.

Remembering That Your Best Is Good Enough 

When we try our best, but there are external pressures in our lives, we can run the risk of making mistakes. And we have to remember that saving the planet is not just the responsibility of just one person. We need to make sure that we can spread the message in other ways. Because if someone is not environmentally friendly, but you have started them on a journey, this can be considered a success. It’s about remembering that you can’t change everybody’s minds. You are one person. And it’s about making sure that fighting the good fight is a habit in your life.

When we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders, it’s going to get us. Instead, remember that it is our responsibility as human beings. It’s not always easy, but it’s not just your responsibility.