Nina To/ The Cougar
Gen Z holds themselves to higher standards with pressure to always achieve more. This isn’t your ordinary “I don’t know what I’m doing in my life” mentality that people have always had in their 20s. Self-pressure, along with unrealistic expectations from social media, is leading people to have midlife crises far too early.
The beginning
The typical midlife crisis has always been between the ages of 40 and 60. However, now people are experiencing the effects two decades earlier. There are constant feelings of self-doubt, wasted potential and depressive episodes. These symptoms are in character for people who have lived a good chunk of their lives, but people in their 20s are experiencing these calamities too early.
It feels as though no matter what setting people are in, whether that be school, work or just hanging out with friends, everyone wants the next best thing.
That’s not to say growth is bad, or that everyone should feel perfectly content where they are at all times. But there needs to be a balance between wanting to do better and appreciating where your feet are.
Free time
We’ve collectively lost the plot because this generation has begun associating how busy they are with how successful they are.
The less free time you have does not equal the more accomplishments you have. It is easy to get addicted to the high of achievement, but when there isn’t anything more to “achieve,” it feels like failing.
Social media plays a huge role in this mindset. People believe that if they can accomplish many things in one day and before a certain age, everyone else should, too.
Not only is this mindset close-minded, but also a privilege to have. Some people’s 24 hours consist of multiple jobs, taking care of family members and other duties the average person doesn’t have to worry about.
Many people who post their achievements on social media have connections that help their successes. That’s not to say their achievements are any less significant, but it’s worth noting for anyone who views the content and compares themselves to it.
Overexposed
One reason the midlife crisis is happening so early is that social media exposes us to more content than our brains can process. Rather than only knowing what your close friends and family are doing, you can open Instagram and see multiple people you’ve barely talked to posting their lives.
This makes the comparison window much bigger. Instead of the natural desire to do more, this constant exposure breeds envy and bitterness.
With graduation season around the corner, this is causing the comparison mindset and debilitating stress to seem endless. People are stressed about their next move; some have already graduated and are struggling to find work in their field or fighting to get into grad school.
Our environment is not a reflection of the hard work that earned our degree; you can find peace and still succeed. It is normal to take a gap year or some time off. In fact, you are more likely to graduate with a higher GPA if you take a gap year.
What’s not normal is feeling like you have already failed at life when you’ve yet to really start.
It is so easy to get caught up in social media comparisons and let setbacks stop you from growing. It’s neither healthy nor beneficial to you in actually growing. There needs to be a balance between wanting to do better and not hurting yourself mentally in the process. Your 20s are meant to be lived, not felt as though you have already failed.
opinion@thedailycougar.com
Great Job Umniyah Al-Azzawi & the Team @ The Cougar for sharing this story.
