I read somewhere in the news that there has been a sharp increase in mental health issues ever since COVID broke out. Of course, this is now the new normal, I guess.
I want to understand why mental health issues seemed negligible in our previous generation. What made them more suited to adapt to situations, and what involuntarily goes wrong with us, Gen Z, and so forth?
Is it overexposure to data, which makes it a tough challenge for the human mind not to compare itself with others? Or is it because people are becoming more money-minded in comparison to our previous generation? Is it because of FOMO or YOLO? Everyone seems to be in a hurry to achieve, to gain experience of everything. Patience and tolerance are reducing over time. And it's not just my generation, but I see a sharp decrease in our previous generation's ability to harbor patience in old age, too. They sometimes seem to be comparing themselves with us.
Change is the only constant, yet accepting change is the major problem. Everything from infrastructure to the environment is rapidly changing. Things are turning very different in just a span of five years. This rapid growth is also the cause behind our inability to accept the change. Five years seems too soon for the human mind to adjust to all these changes.
When you go back to scriptures, they talk about a time that was slowly changing, but now the situation is very, very different. The safety net people had back then in the form of mental support is no longer available in today's world. Who really bothers about you? You seem to be fighting all alone always. Although you might be surrounded by many, there are very few who really understand you and are willing to make an effort to be available to just talk to you when you need them.
I read somewhere that it just takes eight minutes to console anyone in need. When someone is anxious, just listening to them for eight minutes can make a lot of difference. Yet, no one seems to have those eight minutes. Maybe that's why we now live in modern societies with lots of amenities, yet we suffer alone.
