Millennial Stress. What exactly is that?
First, let’s classify millennial. A millennial is anyone born between the years of 1981 to 1996.
As a millennial in the city of Los Angeles, I have had my fair share of pressure and stress.
Millennials are living in the era of the continuous rise of social media, which means it is only easier to access other people’s successes and compare ourselves to them. Social media can be a trigger for one’s lack of success at a certain age.
“Why haven’t I started my own business?” “Why does she have that many followers?” “He just bought a house?” “She gets all the work perks!” “How is everyone else doing well but me?!”
These are some of the questions I hear from my clients who identify as millennials. The anxiety starts to settle in.
We live in a culture that highlights people’s achievements and downplay the mishaps that inevitably happen. We forget that people who have reached their goals have also had some setbacks. Most people don’t post their “failures” on their Instagram pages.
So, how do we navigate through our inner judgmental thoughts? How do we relieve the pressure to succeed? Here are three different ways to help with the stressors of being a millennial.
Gratitude
Getting distracted by other people’s success is very easy and can we tend to forget about our personal achievements. Try listing 10 things that you are grateful for each day. Start a journal and notice your mood shift. In this busy world, it is easy to get distracted and focus our attention on things that are not working well.
Reality Checking
It is easy to exaggerate the negative situations we experience. When we are feeling defeated, we make all-or-nothing statements. “I am NEVER going to find a job.” “EVERYONE I meet is going to break my heart.” “I WILL NEVER get that promotion.” These statements are all absolutes. Words such as “never, can’t, always, wouldn’t” are all absolutes. In reality, not everyone we meet is going to fail us, and there is actually one job out there for us. It is important to watch our statements and notice how accurate they really are. Our brain takes whatever we feed it, and as you hear these words to come true, the further you may fall in the anxiety trap.
Self-Compassion
We need to celebrate our achievements! Take some time to reflect on what you have done for yourself and the struggles you have endured. And for those times that didn’t work out, exercise self-compassion. Be kind and gentle to yourself. Remember there is no such thing as failure, only learning opportunities.
It’s easy to get distracted with what’s attractive and what we want to achieve. It is also just as easy to beat ourselves up for not having enough. Remember, there is no ticking clock. You are on your own time.
