TBI Green Influencers: What is ‘Eco-Anxiety’ And How To Get Rid of it!

We often receive emails from our readers, asking doubts about their experiments with sustainable living. So, here’s a section dedicated to you – TBI’s ‘Green Influencers’ where we reach out to influencers and ask them about their sustainable journey and the mistakes they’ve made.

This week, we reached out to Nayana Premnath – an Eco-Youtuber who gave up being a beauty vlogger to lead a sustainable lifestyle. We talked to her about her journey into a green-life and what comes with it, eco-anxiety.

“It all started with a menstrual cup. I had used one for about 6-8 months and it was truly life-changing. But when I spoke to my friends, I realised that there was a lot of stigma and anticipation attached to it. That’s when I came up with a video series on menstrual cups where I asked for expert opinions and user experiences. This series became a big hit and that’s when I realised that I could try to take on a sustainable lifestyle, completely” says Nayana.

“It was also when I started adopting sustainable methods that I realised a lot of the plastic in my house was coming from the packaging from online shopping,” she adds.

This realisation made Nayana go one step further and do a giveaway of all her makeup on her YouTube channel.

Nayana, who hails from Trivandrum, Kerala, was known for her videos on fashion trends, makeup tutorials and clothing styles. Her switch to a low-waste lifestyle has inspired her followers to try out the same.

Finding out about eco-anxiety

The vlogger started her sustainable journey in May 2018 but the transition into green living was a real challenge for her.

“I started getting really anxious about the tiniest of things. It would be something as simple as forgetting to refuse a plastic straw at a restaurant but I would feel so guilty about it,” she shares.

“The worst part was that I would start feeling guilty even for mistakes my husband made! That’s when I realised I had eco-anxiety. I just wanted to fix everything wrong with the world.” she adds.

“I realised that I needed to work around this problem with a positive outlook, rather than mull over it. So through Instagram, I reached out to like-minded individuals who were also following a zero-waste lifestyle. This helped me to a great extent because it made me realise that I wasn’t alone on this journey. I also started participating in beach clean-ups, seminars and basically just doing the best I can,” she explains.

Nayana has also used Youtube as a platform where she tries out different sustainable practices and is also very keen on taking up various eco-challenges.

“This month I’m trying out the #Veganuary challenge and going completely vegan. It was really hard to give up my favourites like cheese and milk, but the whole point it’s to try. What I’ve understood from sustainable living is that you can never be 100 per cent right and you don’t have to feel guilty about that,” adds Nayana.

Nayana shares tips and tricks for a zero-waste lifestyle on her page, so if you’re looking for ways to start your sustainable journey, remember to check out her profile on Instagram and her Youtube channel.

Also Read: TBI Green Influencers: How To Deal With Not-So-Sustainable Friends

If you have questions about living a sustainable lifestyle or know someone leading one, do reach out to us at [email protected].

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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