This week I have been feeling particularly anxious. The mix of classes beginning, moving, and my own erratic sleep schedule has left me in a think tank of my own anxious thoughts. This has left me wondering: Did any other generation have this much anxiety?
With all of the current events, it can sometimes feel as though we may just be the very last generation. In the U.S alone, we have a plethora of issues. According to Urban Institute nearly half (45%) of Americans cannot afford the cost of living. Over 36 million American adults are functionally illiterate, according to Worldmetrics
Death In The U.S
“Since 2016, fentanyl has taken more lives than heroin and prescription opioids combined.” According to USA Facts.
The fentanyl crisis in the US has hit almost every major city in the US. It is a cheap, extremely potent drug, making it the perfect storm for contaminated drugs. It is often mixed with other common drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine, and pills. In the CDC’s Federal Response To A Growing Crisis, they say, “Over the past two decades, drug overdose deaths have claimed far too many lives, with more than 250 Americans now dying each day from an overdose.”
Social Media
We live in a generation of constant stimulation. We scroll past memes, breaking news, and OOTD’s all in the same minute. According to Statista, on average in 2025 people use social media for 141 minutes per day. According to “The Effect of Cell Phones on Dopamine in the Brain” this kind of use overloads our brains in various ways. It can lead people to crave validation, cause dopamine spikes leading to more use, and overwork our memories leading to a decline in short-term memory.
All of this together can start to paint the picture of just why this generation is so anxious. These problems are a new type of people that haven’t really had to deal with before. The perfect thing about that is that every problem has a solution.
The generations before us
Every generation has had their world-ending scares. For some it was Y2K or the Mayan calendar. For others it was international crises such as World War II or the threat of mutual assured destruction during the Cold War. According to MIT Press, Human extinction has been a worry of ours dating back to the 1810’s.
Let’s Give Ourselves Some Grace
Recently, I met a man who went to prison for 27 years, 5 months, and 1 day. That is almost 3 decades in confinement. He had a way of life that really stuck with me. “You can hang around trauma for too long. At some point you have to pick up the mat and walk. The only way I was going to elevate myself was to excavate.” This is a sentiment we all could use.
While all of our problems may seem never-ending or impossible, there are always going to be creative minds that change the limits of what is possible. This is not the end times; it never has been. The world we live in today is completely different from the one humans walked 1000’s of years ago, and in 100 more it will be unrecognizable to us. It’s imperative for us to adapt and keep moving towards a future where we can continue to grow and evolve.