Mental health seems to be a rising problem in this generation. I have heard people say that doctors just hand out diagnoses to anyone, or that people are too soft nowadays. I never agreed with this, but it is so true that mental health is becoming a bigger struggle each and every day. It is to the point that it is not a surprise anymore to hear "so and so had a mental break down," or "this person had an anxiety attack." Why is this? Why is this becoming the norm?
A conversation I had the other day with a friend gave me some insight that I hadn't considered before.
Why are there more mental health problems today then there were 30 years ago? TECHNOLOGY. Not just technology in forms of social media. It is not unknown that social media causes diseases such as eating disorders, depression or other mental health problems because social media allows people to portray the best version of themselves. The stress-free, happy, tan pictures on a luxurious vacation — taken with the perfect angle to make their body look fabulous.
The grass is not greener on the other side like people assume though. Thinking that these people on social media are perfect and don't have any problems could not be further from wrong. But it is so destructive and discouraging to see all these social media platforms — and it's hard not to get down on yourself for it. Everyone faces hardships and struggles that the outsider does not see through social media though.
The technology of social media only seems to be the tip of the iceberg though. The issues of technology in mental health go deeper —dealing with phone calls, text messages and emails. While all of this technology is extremely convenient, each of these forms allows for constant communication — we are NEVER alone. We are constantly on-call for life.
On an educational level, this gives professors a perpetual line of communication to you. They can instruct outside of the classroom. They can assign homework outside of the classroom. They can change the assignment, or even send an email about a mandatory event they want us to go to out of the blue.
This can be extremely stressful for students. I know I have run into multiple occasions where my professor will email me and say "please read this article for Monday." Sometimes they will email and change the due date on the assignment or add to the assignment they had given in class.
This is incredibly stressful and can be the root of many mental health problems because even when a student thinks they are caught up and can maybe relax over the weekend, just a quick email can change that in an instant.
After school, this doesn't change. Careers are no better. People put in their 40 hours of work for the week, but in today's world, most bosses have their employees' phone numbers. Even when we are not at work, we are held reliable as an employee constantly.
It would be unprofessional to not reply to your boss's text message about a question they have. Technology allows people to pick up a phone and ask you to come in early, or call and ask if you can come cover a shift. Some jobs even supply work cell phones so they can contact you 24/7. This is so stressful because a day off might not actually be a day off.
Communication through technology is a great thing. But it can cause a lot of mental health issues because 24/7 I am held accountable as a student and an employee. There is no time off, there are no breaks. I can be on spring break, and my professor still has the power to assign whatever he wants — and I have to comply.
If I take a vacation from work, I am still only a phone call away, a phone call that most likely will start off as, "Sorry, I know you're on vacation, but I was wondering if you could..."
This is a challenge that people did not face 30 years ago. It was normal and acceptable to just go off the grid. It was okay to go on a vacation and not look at a screen for the entire trip. Now, if I don't reply to an email in 24 hours, I will probably be reprimanded or lose points in a class.
If I need to be an employee and a student 24/7, when do I have time to just be me? It is necessary to take breaks and step away from work and school once and awhile. This is an ever-increasing struggle though and more and more peoples' mental health is at stake.
While it is hard to get away from this entirely, remember to take time for yourself and that you are a person, not just a student/employee-robot. Take care of yourself and your mental well-being.
