Protecting Our Planet and Your Mental Health

April 21, 2023

Protect the Planet and Save the Earth are phrases we have heard for a long time. There are various reasons we should aim to protect the planet, but one that you may have yet to think about is that it can help protect your mental health.

You have a lot of things going on in your everyday life, and whether this earth will make it through the next 40 years shouldn’t be one. The environment that we live in truly affects our mental health, whether we know it or not. It’s essential to consider your local environment and what you can do to minimize the risk of it failing.

Protect the Planet & Your Mental Health

While we don’t see what’s around us as our environment or ecosystem, the truth is that it is. Our ecosystem includes our homes, work, schools, parks, and much more. The physical environment that they are in allows our ecosystems to exist. The environment has a huge positive or negative influence on our mental well-being. When everything syncs positively, there is a balance. Knowing that your immediate environment is in danger can bring anxiety. If there is air pollution or other negative environmental threats, they can damage your physical body, and that also adds stress to your mental health. The easiest way, at the moment, to decrease the anxiety, stress, and potential damage to your physical body would be to find a way to reduce the risk.

Making plans to protect your environment can only benefit your mental health. Participating in conscious earth-saving activities allows your mind to focus and boosts the dopamine in your brain, leaving you happier, in a better mood, and feeling rewarded.

What Can I Do To Protect The Planet?

Here are some of the things that you can do day to day to protect our planet. Remember that change starts with you! Even though you’re one person, your daily impact on our world makes a difference.

The Famous: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Volunteer to clean open spaces around you or donate to charities aimed at protecting the planet.
Educate others around you about their impact on the planet, and educate yourself on the importance of saving the planet.
Conserve water by taking short showers and closing the tap while brushing your teeth.
Use and buy less plastic. Plastic does not break down in landfills and ends up hurting the environment.
Choose sustainability. Buy clothes and products that last long and are made with sustainable materials.
Drive less or, if you have the means, Go Electric! If your work allows you to work from home, request fewer days in the office. Cars burn a lot of fuel which can be expensive to your pockets and pollutes the air. Try carpooling or biking.
Plant a tree. This is where we get our oxygen, so help clean the air by planting a tree.
Save bees. Bees transport pollen, which allows for different plants and trees to reproduce.
Reduce your waste. Watch what you’re throwing out; most things end up in landfills and are not biodegradable.
Live energy-wise: Find ways to be more energy efficient. Whether that’s changing to an energy-saving light bulb, changing your HVAC filter, and more.

We only have one planet to live on, and we must do our part to protect and save it. Start today and protect our planet and your mental health.

* This blog provides general information and discussions about health-related topics. If you or any other person has a medical concern, you should consult your healthcare provider and seek professional medical treatment. Some of the information and content in this blog has linked materials. The links should and are not intended to be construed as medical advice and should not be supplemented as medical advice. If you think you may have a medical emergency, locate emergency services or dial 911.