My generation (Gen Z) has the most mental health struggles and stress issues by far compared to older generations:
"On a scale from one to 10, generations reported stress at these levels:
75 years and older – 3.3
Baby Boomers – 4.0
Gen X – 5.2
Millennials – 5.6
Gen Z – 6.1
One explanation may be that as people age, they have experienced and survived more stressful events. That makes it easier to adopt an attitude of “this too shall pass.” Meanwhile, teens and young adults are coming into their own at a time of great uncertainty with no clear vision of the future" (LifeStance Health, 2021)
We are by far way more stressed out. I honestly don't know anyone in my generation that hasn't struggled with anxiety or depression. It seems from my perspective, that most of us have had these disorders within our small lifespan. (Gen Z ranges from around 10-25. I'm 23 so one of the older of the Gen Z.) I battle anxiety all the time. I have had depression in the past. Anxiety for me is always there waiting like a volcano ready to explode at any moment. It's always there just waiting for something to set it off for me to have a little breakdown. Sometimes my worst fear isn't the event but the anxiety itself.
I think a lot of factors play into why we all feel this way. It's the norm now for my generation. I think we are so great at mental health awareness and being proactive about counseling. Unlike Boomers, who don't necessarily see counseling as a normalcy due to their generation being, "You only go to counseling if you're crazy." I'm sure they're getting better at that now that mental health awareness is more of the norm.
"Generation Z is considered the loneliest generation, according to research. Between sleep, social media, and the world around them, it’s easy to see why Gen Z faces chronic stress" (WGU Indiana, 2019)
We are also lonely thanks to most of our relationships being virtual. I think our scary reality is that if we didn't have technology we would lose 90% of our relationships. We are constantly being thrown to us by media and we can't necessarily get away from it when most of our careers are involved in media. It's the world we live in.
So you get the point, we're the most stressed out, the most depressed, the most anxious, and the most lonely of all. How will we ever survive?
I think us young 20 year olds need to be the change for the kids in our generation. We need to prioritize relationships in person, be poured into by uplifting people, creating in some way, taking time off our buzzing phones, rest in nature, quit doing so many tasks where we are literally running to the next thing on our agenda.
I feel for the kids that will come after our generation. If we are at this point, I do worry for the health of the kids that come. Most of us are barely breathing as we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders. I mean I literally have knots in my shoulders right now as I am trying to navigate my tasks, my stress, relationships, and somehow maintain my health. Our society feels so prideful of being busy and what we have accomplished. I feel that way all the time. I don't like chilling that much. I'm a doer. I love adventuring with my independent ways, but it might not always be the best thing for me. I do need time to let my heart rate settle and for me to actually have time to think even though I don't like being left with my thoughts.
So here's my letter to you, fellow gen z people:
You're going to make it somehow. I can't really say how because it's unique to you, but I think we're going to be stronger because of this. I think we have a greater capacity to handle a lot because we're being thrown a lot of things with so much at once. I think we can get through this but what I'm not saying to you is to just keep barreling through. I'm not telling you to suck it up and just deal with it. I'm not saying to dismiss your feelings. I'm saying to sit with your feelings and not avoid them so much. I'm telling you to care for yourself in the ways you care so much for people. I'm telling you to listen more and care because that's what we all need. To not be in so much of a hurry that you can't take five minutes to hear how someone is doing. To not say, "I'm good" so much, but say how you're really doing. (This is me raising my hand because I always do this because its "easier.") I'm telling you to take care of yourself also for the kids that follow behind you. They're watching how we tend to ourselves. They'll probably inherit a lot of our mental health issues, but good thing we can empathize with them. We can nurture them and also spur them on to keep going while check in with our emotions. To not give up like we have tried to so many times. We can prove to them that we can make it even though it hurts. We are doing so well with mental health awareness so let's keep doing that. Let's keep prioritizing our well-being over our accomplishments. Let's stop doing so much just so people like us or know our name. You have so much going on and I'm proud of you for how you're making it. We really are broken mosaics. Pieces that are scattered all over the place, but the Master Artist is putting us back together. Maybe not in the way we predict, but in a more beautiful way...a mosaic. So lean into Jesus and find shelter in His arms. He knows what it is like to be human. He also understands anxiety surprisingly enough so what can be better than to cling to our Father who truly emphasizes us.
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15, NIV).
References
LifeStance Health. (2021, January 11). Is Gen Z the Most Stressed Generation? LifeStance Health. https://lifestance.com/blog/is-gen-z-the-most-stressed-generation/
WGU Indiana. (2019, June 6). Stress, Mental Health, and Generation Z. WGU Indiana. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/stress-mental-health-generation-z1906.html#close
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