Is All This Eco-Talk Creating Anxiety and Hoarding Disorders?

I am the first to fall prey to the feeling of anxiety when making decisions about product use - especially when they're meant for my son.  Just recently, I was looking for bedsheets and mattress covers and all I kept thinking about was the amount of hours my little guy would be spending on those.  They had better be the least toxic as possible.

Oh, yes.  Here I go again, bursting another bubble for you.  Only today, I'm not going to give details about toxins in fabrics.  This time, I want to take this article in another direction.

I searched high and low for not only the cutest kid bedsheets, but also the safest.  I drove myself completely crazy reading labels, then checking online, then double checking with websites about possible chemicals, then triple checking with a friend.

It wasn't until this friend told me to "calm down" that I realized how unreasonably nervous I was about this simple purchase.

Similarly, I've been receiving several questions through email about green cleaning products. Sometimes, I can read the urgency in them.  There's this feeling of panic toward the products they're presently using.  They're feeling like terrible parents because they've exposed their children to toxins all this time.

I have recently been catching myself when it comes to tossing things out.  In the name of reusing, I think twice about getting rid of plastic containers, cardboard boxes and even newsprint that comes with my shipped packages (yes, I hand-iron them and save them).  As a teacher, it's in my blood to repurpose just about anything.  Sometimes, I put items aside with the intention of bringing them to school (they don't always make it there).  It's only when I clean-up that I ask myself why I've kept so much good quality garbage for so long!

There is also this thing about eating organic.  I don't eat berries unless they're organic because of everything I learned about pesticides on these precious little fruits.  But, that means that I sometimes don't eat berries at all.  That can't be good, can it?

All of this has me thinking.

Eco-this = Anxiety.

Eco-that = Hoarding.

Eco-everything = Unhealthy mental states.

Something is not adding up here.

If we're meant to keep a green world so that we're also healthier in the long term, why are we becoming so anxious about simple purchases, cleaning products, and the choice between organic bedsheets or not (ok, that last one was about me)?

Are we really making things better if we obsess about absolutely everything we come in contact with?

Are we being reasonable with the amount of time we spend searching for the safest products?

Are we creating guilt for our past experiences with products we had no idea were harmful?

I'm not going to pretend I know the answer to any of this. This post is not going to give you scientific connections between eco-everything and mental disorders, even if just mild. I'm just as guilty as the next gal when it comes to questioning everything.

But, in the words of my amazing friend, I do want to say this: calm down.

Let's get a grip.

Let's stop freaking out over everything.

It's time to analyze what we're doing and who we're becoming.

What is our goal with going green?  Who are we doing it for?  How do we feel in the process?  How do others feel about us on this journey?

The answers to these questions can really tell a lot about who we're becoming.  As much as
we want to resist them, if our family members think we're neurotic, then we may need to start listening.  While we may be more eco-knowledgeable in some way, if they think we're over-the-top, then let's take that as a signal to calm down.  If we're choosing to go green because it's the thing to do, and because "she told me so" - then calm down.

Do we really want to live the rest of our lives constantly worrying?  Do we really want our children to inherit our anxieties?  Do we really want to be that person everyone runs from at family gatherings? 

I hope the answer is no.

I also hope the content on this blog doesn't make you agitated.  I really hope you're not reading here and then walking away hyperventilating.  I hope you're not questioning your parenting skills or your housekeeping skills or your ability to make good purchases at the supermarket.

Because, if it does, I need you to stop coming here (and any other green website you cherish).  I need you to unsubscribe to my newsletter.  Because, I need you to be healthy in all realms.

I'm going to let you know that, contrary to what you may think, I'm not 100% green in everything I do.  In fact, I went in to change my bio to read: "mostly green" (it previously stated that I was "all-green" - not intentionally written as a lie, but I don't want to be misleading). 

I'm also going to let you know that I'm not the best recycler (sometimes, if the garbage can is closer, I'll dump the empty bottle of shampoo in there... *gasp*).  I'm not the healthiest snacker (I enjoy milk and cookies in the afternoon like it's nobody's business).  And, I'm going to have you know that I chose a polyester mattress pad for my son's bed (because it was just impossible for me to locate an allergy-proof 100% cotton one instead).

Many green businesses (myself included) post information that is meant to educate, to raise awareness, and to persuade change.  Many popular blogs teach how to upcycle a pencil and repurpose an old shoe with the intention of making the world more conscious of the life span of objects.  There really is a fine line between going green and going into a panic about every toxin we encounter.  There is a fine line between keeping old clothing to repurpose into a quilt and saving every magazine we ever purchased just in case we want to make a collage one day.

Please understand that I'm not making light of serious mental illnesses.  Nor am I a psychologist with authentic stats and clinical solutions.

On the contrary.  I'm hoping to leave you a little more light-hearted.  A little more reassured that you're not alone.  There is something we can all do.  (And, this piece of advice is as much for me as it is for you).

Calm down.

Live.

Get over yourself.

Get over your stuff.

When in doubt, don't keep it.  Recycle it. 

When unsure, don't panic.  Use what you know.

And, only keep coming back here if you're able to handle the fact that we are not living in a perfect world.  It will never be completely toxin-free.  You cannot control everything you eat, drink or inhale.  You are (and have been) doing the best you can.  It's all you will ever do.  You can only continue to take baby steps.  And, every step counts, as long as you're doing it with a healthy mind. 


Are you finding yourself anxiety-prone when it comes to going green?  Are you beginning to store unusual objects in the hopes of upcycling them one day?  I'd love to know how you feel about this idea that going green is possibly creating psychological and emotional disorders.  Do share below.



Related articles from this blog:

Just Breathe: Yoga and the Power of Breath
Considering Consciousness 
5 Things I'm Not Quite Ready to Give Up in the Name of Eco-Healthy
Stop Feeling Guilty - I Don't Blame You (An Open Letter to Previous Generations)