Young people and young adults face increasing stress because modern life offers abundant technologies, processed food, media, and addictive opportunities. The proliferation and potency of highly rewarding stimuli—drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, and social media—has created an environment of overwhelming abundance. Younger minds may be especially vulnerable, and large-scale research finds youth now exhibit the highest levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. Deliberate practices such as meditation, regular exercise, structured wellness goals, and setting boundaries help restore physical and mental health. Developing critical media literacy and limiting exposure to negative content supports healthier online engagement.
Life for youth and young adults has never been easy, but in the last few decades, the world has changed in significant ways that have increased the stress. We live with more technology, distractions, processed food, media, and addictive possibilities than ever before. Dr. Anna Lembke has summarized the jarring and overwhelming world we inhabit: "We've transformed the world from a place of scarcity to a place of overwhelming abundance: Drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking. Instagramming, YouTubing, Tweeting... the increased numbers, variety, and potency of highly rewarding stimuli today is staggering." We are not always prepared to handle this, and younger minds may be especially vulnerable. A new study of over two million people has found that the demographics of mental illness are changing. In previous decades, mental distress peaked in midlife, but the middle-aged have now been surpassed by youth and young adults, who now have the unhappy distinction of having the highest levels of anxiety, depression, and stress.
1. Choose Balance. Today's pressures are real, and it is easy to get weighed down. It takes deliberation to detach from the distractions and restore physical and mental health. In one of my classes on wellness, we have students practice meditation, go to an exercise class twice a week, and set aside time each week to pursue wellness goals. Creating a structure for the positive and setting boundaries on the negative is essential.
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