The world us millennials live in today is a lot different than the world our parents and most definitely the world our grandparents grew up in. I am very thankful for the advice and direction my parents have given me, but there are a few things that they need to understand. Our parents experienced anxiety that doesn’t even compare to ours. Here are some of the anxieties we face today.
1. Forgetting your chargers
We have all been there, that
moment when you are in class typing notes and your computer is at 5%. You break out in a mini sweat when you look in your book bag and your charger is nowhere to be found. Or you stay over with a friend and your phone charger is still plugged into the wall next to your bed. Regardless of when and where you have experienced the loss or misplacement of a charger, this is an anxiety our parents did not have to worry about when they were growing up.
2. Group Chats
There is nothing more annoying then leaving your phone on silent while you are working or
napping, then looking at your phone later and realizing you have 75 missed messages. Don’t get me wrong; group chats are great for making plans with a bunch of people, but missing out on the initial
conversation gives you anxiety because you don’t want to miss out on something. Our parents definitely didn’t feel the stress of keeping up with multiple messages or even the relief of leaving a group message.
This phrase was once a joke, but now the line between joking and sincerity has become a bit blurred. One thing is for sure, our parents never had to stress about what would happen when they were invited over for “cable and delivery pizza.”
4. “Basic” Shame
Being shamed for our love of pumpkin-spice lattes, the feeling of Uggs between your toes, and devotion to monograms is something we all fear. I’m sure my mother was never called “basic.”
5. The struggle-is-real struggle
Is your struggle real enough? Does your struggle make you sound privileged? When does flaunting your #firstworldproblems stop being funny and ironic and start being just plain obnoxious. Everyone struggles, so why do I feel anxious about having enough "struggle"
6. Wellness Woes
Detox. Vegan. Yoga. The world of health is overwhelming for the girl who only just learned that chocolate-covered raisins are not superfoods. Every time you go to the grocery store, you are overwhelmed with options of “gluten-free” and “vegan” food options. Many young adults are now contemplating what kind of new diet they should adopt, but chances are this wasn’t even a concerned for our parents at our age.
Everyone wants to be a part of a group. Everyone wants to be the group of friends that everyone wants to be a part of. But you were clearly part of the 0.01 percent not invited to participate in Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour; the last thing that made you feel like a tastemaker was your Easy-Bake Oven, and every time you and your friends
pose for a group photo, you end up looking like the wait staff at a roadside Applebee’s. BRB I have 1,400 hours of
Friends to catch up on. By myself. I’m sure my parents had better squad goals with their friends riding bikes through the neighborhood.
8. FOMO
I don’t even have to pay to go to concerts anymore because my friends post clips of the concert on their snapchat, and it’s almost like I was actually there with them after watching a 45-minute snap chat story. For all of the moms and dads out there, FOMO is “Fear of Missing Out.” Hearing in person how great an event was, is one thing, but actually witnessing, with your own eyes, how much fun you missed out on? It makes the anxiety of FOMO that much more real.
So, overall, even though I know my parents had quite the struggles back in the day, it's nothing near the struggles kids, teenagers, and young adults have today. Their wisdom has guided me through hard times, and I hope this shed some light for them.
