It’s (Been) Too Much

Is it any wonder millennials struggle so much?

We just had to absorb the horrors of 9/11 and act like everything would be OK. Then, we washed down the “war on terror” with a dose of Facebook likes and got a high from Twitter trolling. And they expected us to pull ourselves and our families out of the Great Recession with our cheaply made Chinese bootstraps. Don’t even talk about Candy Crush and same-day Amazon delivery with me.

And now, we’re supposed to just watch as rights like due process we used to think were inviolable get trampled. We’re just supposed to work and raise a family and be happy as the federal government tyrannizes communities and surges toward authoritarianism. Just supposed to watch an ICE employee murder a mother and then call his dead victim a “bitch” and get on with our lives.

I guess that’s what us American millennials are supposed to do, right? Just act like everything’s normal, that the things we were taught to value as kids in the 90s weren’t meant to last, that nothing lasts anymore. But it’s not normal. For our generation, things haven’t been normal for at least 25 years. Though our political beliefs aren’t homogenous, it’s obvious that this dysfunction has hit millennials extremely hard. The upshot is that not only has this affected our mental health, but that practices such as psychotherapy aren’t going to cut it. Instead, we need to create a better society.

Indeed, we millennials grew up in an era in which mental health became discussed more openly than in previous generations. But, we also experience unique mental-health struggles. So, yes, there’s the stress, depression, and anxiety that we suffer at higher rates than previous generations.

None of this should be surprising, though. Having been raised by one boomer parent and one silent generation parent (yeah, my old man’s old old), it’s apparent that the course of our lives were different. They could get a minimum wage job when they were young and live in their own apartment, close to the beach. We could not. And then, yes, they had the specter of nuclear meltdown, but then again so do we and oh, the twin towers fell as we were getting ready for first period in 7th grade.

All of these societal factors have an impact on mental health. The research says that societal factors play a significant role in determining people’s mental health. These macro factors can include the government, economy, and cultural factors as well. Again, all of this is painfully expected. What isn’t expected, though, is how conversations still revolve around access and not tangible, macro-level interventions.

Not that I would even know what those interventions are and should be, exactly. I know that, as a budding social worker, we’re expected to advocate for just and equitable systems. But other than that, it’s murkier than a 9/11 conspiracy theory. Plus, there’s the fact that I’m still tethered to the frayed edges of the American dream– you know, work hard and stuff and once your debt’s done with maybe you can buy a house and have a kid and go out to a decent brunch spot on Saturdays and maybe sometimes get a little bit too drunk and challenge everyone to a bout at the driving range but then twist your back into 2012. And yet, there are things that us millennials can do and often are doing to help ourselves.

Indeed, we can choose to be victims or we can choose to be heroes. Since life’s too short to be a victim, better to figure out how to be a hero. Or, at least a non-victim. For one, we’re advocating for more and improved mental-health services. We’re not the youngest and loudest anymore, but we can still make our voices heard. Then, there’s being there for friends and maintaining a community.

For me, it’s those simple things that give life meaning, that breathe vibrancy into all of us. But then, it’s not all kumbaya. Nope, we’re going to have to do uncomfortable things to create a society that’s in harmony with our human nature, to diminish mental illness but also to establish a peaceful, just, and prosperous world. We’re going to have to confront people who want to hurt us and others; we’re going to have to stand up to those in power, the people who want to take resources away from us and hoard things and just immiserate us economically and spiritually.

It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be difficult. It’s going to be nasty.

But my generation’s been uncomfortable for a generation now. Hell, I know I’ve been popping generic Imodium off and on for at least that long. It’s nothing new. But now, we’re more prepared than ever.