If you’re under the age of about 20, this may not resonate with you. What on earth is “dial up”? What is this real-life save icon used for? What’s blockbuster? How did you live without internet? If you needed to know something, why could google not just tell you? If you ask some of these questions, chances are you are from Generation Z. Some of the older generation Z might take away some of the points in this blog post (some being: stop relying on your smartphone so much; make connections in real life and experience embarrassment, devastation and suffering in the real world, not through your online avatar; be more human and above all, be patient).
Millennials (myself included) are all so impatient. Born between the early 80’s and the mid 90’s, we are used to having everything we want instantly now. TV shows, don't have to wait just binge watch on Netflix. Want something from a shop? Next day delivery. Curious about something in history? - Go to the library to rent out a book and read through pages and pages to find the fact, or say "OK Google, how long did the Napoleonic wars last?" We are so used to getting everything we want instantly. Granted most of us will remember a time when you had to rent a DVD for the weekend, tell your mum to get off the phone so you could log in to msn and chat to your pals, record a tune on the radio and time it just so it only recorded the music and not the radio DJ, or basically just remember a time when internet was not a thing or was maybe just something that was being introduced as you were very young. Unfortunately the advancements in technology are making us lazier and lazier as everything is becoming easier and easier to do. It's the exact same with social media. You’re on Facebook for however long you need to be on for, then when you stop, the less time you spend not on Facebook the better, because it's right there, its free, social interactions, instantly, right at your fingertips. I feel it can be so hard to manage that sometimes.
When mobile phones were first around, they were revolutionary. When they were introduced, you could call your family/friends, then soon enough it was possible to send a written message to your mum to say you’ll be home late for dinner, or call or text a friend and ask them how they're doing. It opened up a wealth of communication in society. It became less necessary to meet face to face with people and so peoples social skills would have taken a dip, but in general we still had control over our phones.
Now the paradigm has shifted. Smartphones! (even that word is strange when you think about it; a phone that is actually smart? Personification of an electronic device? 60 years ago I’ll bet that would have gotten you laughed out of the boardroom as a concept). The phones control us, from where we're fed information and news stories, to becoming addicted to social media, we have became reliant on a device to live. Chances are you know the feeling I’m talking about when you have your phone stolen, you leave it on a bus or drop it in a lake, or you go to get your phone out your pocket and it isn’t there…your heart falls out your arse. That’s a totally normal reaction nowadays as we are dependant on these things for living. No phone means no one can get in touch with me. No phone means I can’t check the weather next weekend. No phone means I can’t check my insta. No phones means I have no alarm clock so I’ll be late tomorrow. No phone means I have no way of finding out what time of day it is. No phone means I’ll have to interact with other humans in real life. How will I cope without it? Smartphones are not bad, but our relationships with them can be. There does need to be a balance between being on your phone and spending time with people.
Why are millennials suffering from burnout and poor mental health more than previous generations? Why is there a rise in the number of people in their 20’s and 30’s quitting their job because of their mental health? Are we really so miserable at our work and get such little satisfaction out of our jobs that we need to quit? Why, when something gets too stressful for us to handle, we back off and consider changing our job? I’ve been through a huge amount of stressful situations at work and came home at the end of the day feeling like maybe being a teacher isn’t meant for me. Why do I feel like that (as I’m sure many others feel)? What is it about being in a stressful situation that makes our age group want to pack it in? The difference between our generation and our parents/grandparents generation is that if you were to openly talk about how you couldn’t cope during a stressful situation at work, you would be ostracised and if you told people you got panic attacks, you would probably be told to toughen up, or even fired for not coping with your workload, or, at an extreme, be asked to check in to a mental institution (maybe pre 1970’s). So they had to suck it up and “get on with it”. Now that we have added pressures of student debt, lower wages and higher costs of living (including inflation), it’s no surprise that our generation can’t cope with the pressures of work. Our generation are also more likely to express their stress, depression and anxiety (if they can afford to put themselves through therapy). Mental health is becoming more and more destigmatized which is great. It’s great our generation feel comfortable talking about how they are struggling, but it means now more and more people are taking a bit of stress as a reason for low job satisfaction and giving up. Because we have been brought up into a world where we can have things instantly, we assume we stay in a job for 6 months and we’ve made a massive difference, we’re fulfilled and feel like we have succeeded in that company. Unless your job is something that gives you satisfaction on a daily basis, chances are you will not feel successful in your company for many years. Even people starting their own business, they don’t just throw in a load of money, set it up and it’s instantly a roaring success. It takes time and might not work at all and you need to try something else. That is one thing I would say to my fellow millennials and the younger ones – time is on your side. Work hard and push on. Don’t expect results or success straight away.
Poor health (both physical and mental), is our generations main concern. Baby boomers main concern was making money no matter if it had an impact on their health. As long as you got paid well at your work, and your children and family were healthy, your only other concerns were maybe the Vietnam war, the Cuban missile crisis, the financial crashes and the youths not respecting their elders. “If I was paid an extra shilling a week to shovel shit, I would have shovelled shit till the cows came home”. Nowadays, while money is still of importance (as long as we live in a capitalist world, money will always be important), health is our main priority. It’s not to say money does not cause problems, especially when us millennials are left with crushing student debt, high living costs and of course an expensive housing market. If you work for a company and you end up taking a sick day for a non-physical health issue, and the company tell you you shouldn’t be taking so many sick days, instead of asking if you’re ok and if there is anything they can do to help, it will only make matters worse for you. “what if I’m having a panic attack and can’t get out my bed? What if they fire me because I’m having a really bad day and feeling depressed? What if I don’t get another job and have no money? What if I find another job and the same thing happens? How will I get paid? How will I feed my family?” Your health is more important than a company. If your company cannot respect your mental health and take it for what it is and help, then that company is not a good fit. If you feel undervalued, unappreciated, replaceable and like just a number, then I promise you your mental health is more important than this job. I’m not saying give up, I’m just saying focus on your health as a priority and if you feel you have worked as hard as you could and given it your all and the job is still not right for you, make a positive change in your career and in your life.
Diagnoses of anxiety disorders and depression are increasing much faster for millennials compared to any other age group. Why? Highest rates of suicide and drug/alcohol related deaths occur in millennials. Why? Is it our upbringing? Is it the advancement in technology? Is it the economic environment we have grown up in? Is it because we have money problems? Is it because we are marrying later and are less connected to political parties and religious communities? Is it the stigma attached to mental health that makes us still uneasy about talking about our feelings? Is it our impatience? As well as finding a balance for your social media and tech use, practicing mindfulness and meditation, making small adjustments in your career, your relationships and your life in general, one single word of advice for dealing with this strange existence full of stress, depression and anxiety: patience. We are still really young. You hear about these famous people that didn’t find success till they are in their late 40’s or even their 50’s. Colonel Sanders, Henry Ford, Alan Rickman, Morgan Freeman, Susan Boyle, Oprah…you get the point. All found success after they were 40. Don’t worry that your in your 30’s and you feel like you’ve not made a difference or aren’t successful. It will come, I promise. But your success can come one of 2 ways: either you are extremely lucky and an opportunity for success lands in your lap; or you continually work at it, be patient and trust that it will all work out (or a mix of both) “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. It is absolutely true, good things DO come to those who wait, so, Millennials: Be patient.