You want to scream, run away, cry so fucking hard because you’ve had enough. I took the initiative to ask around if feeling burnt out of anxiety is a common feeling. It was no surprise almost everyone answered a punctuated “YES” with eyes bulging.
Welcome to the 21st century. Where millennials become sleep deprived, walking zombies with a superpower of having to stare at their phones for hours long. Where they measure their self-worth from the best-angled Instagram picture to scouting the most “relevant” Facebook post re: political issues (don’t deny, we know you’re guilty in some way).
Known as the “most anxious generation,” studies show that millennials are the crowned kings and queens of emotional stress. Is it because of 2016’s turn of events or is there anyone to blame?
The news can be a factor, but let’s dig in deeper. According to the golden Psychology bible (otherwise known as the DSM-V) , it’s no surprise that more millennials are restless, have difficulty in concentrating, irritable, have increased body aches, and trouble falling asleep nowadays. Perhaps millennial anxiety can also be due to “helicopter parenting”–when parents are full-focused on your academics, social life, etc. that makes us feel like we should always work. work. work.
But the root of all evil? All studies point to one answer: the internet.
Being the primary species of “digital natives,” millennials let anxiety get ahead of themselves for fear of the unknown, which shouldn’t be! Psychologist Erik Erikson even said, it’s normal to figure life out because everyone’s on the same boat of a psychosocial crisis—the “identity vs role confusion.” Even Twenty-One Pilots released their 2015 EP Stressed Out to remind us that being burnt out in this age is normal, especially where 2016 is headed.
So note to self: prioritize your mental health always. The present situation is never a permanent one as people change and things get better, as cheesy as it may sound. Don’t be afraid to forget your responsibilities for a while, go pop that chill pill, get some sleep, and just raise your glasses to the uncertain. Life’s too short to get too stressed out.
By Rach Acorda