When I asked a group of adolescents to describe themselves, I heard tired, ghosted, bored, maxxed out, sleepless, shook, and broke. While their mannerisms looked a lot like apathy, it read as an atrophy of human exuberance to me. Not limited to youngsters alone, socio-emotional wellness is the universal cornerstone for a fulfilling life, and we need to examine the factors impacting it to build a holistic approach.
Popularity panic
Globally, success in sports, corporates, politics, and entertainment is now framed in the context of the youngest, richest, most liked, and most tweeted. This culture triggers a chronic stress response in the young, leading to low self-worth and passive-aggressive behaviour. According to the CDC, 11% of children aged 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety, and 29% high school students reported their mental health was poor.
Impostor syndrome
Justin Bieber: "I definitely feel unequipped and unqualified most days. I personally have always felt unworthy". Alarming- coming from a 31-year-old pop sensation who sold 150 million records, won 2 Grammys, and has 453+ million followers. Now common, Impostor Syndrome is claimed by the likes of Natalie Portman, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and Starbucks’ ex-CEO Howard Schultz. Fuelled by an endless competition of keeping up with the Joneses, seeking instant external validation, and facing harsh comparisons on social media, it induces inadequacy.
Hyper-competition
A 2024 Crown Counseling report highlighted that over 55% of freshmen experience burnout. It stems from our desire to showcase the “jack of all trades”. Academic excellence becomes the baseline, spanning all the way to athletics, arts, oration, and passion projects. With grade chasing, poor engagement levels in schools, and a glaring lack of positive reinforcement in homes, this race against time keeps the glass half empty.
Consumerism
The culmination of conspicuous consumption and attentional capture heralded the rise of fast fashion, retail therapy, and hate posting for viral marketing. Brands are being driven by exhibitionism, not quality. Bought Balenciaga’s $4000 ‘Tape Bracelet’? It looks exactly what it sounds like. Instead of our personal graces, lifestyle products announce who we are and offer lifestyle solutions to our social and emotional needs. Use our deodorant and attract the ladies. Whatever happened to good old manners? Buy our swanky gadget (with planned obsolescence) because your book is obsolete. Cloakroom Communities trump lasting friendships. Consumeristic tendencies prompt debt traps, anxiety, clutter, and insecurity, depleting quality of life.
The loss of leisure and decay of metacognition
It is now routine to see adolescents wearing an apathetic expression. A 2020 Journal of Adolescent Health study found that 91-98% teens experienced boredom, arising from the reduced value for leisure. As we accelerate in the pursuit of rankings, followership, or promotions, we erode precious time and space for quiet contemplation. Parents and teachers dread the 3 words “I am bored” and go to great lengths to keep children running on the hamster wheel of productivity, stumbling from one class to another, without time for reflection and ideation.
Countermeasures
Idealism: values over material things.
Buddha’s Middle Path embraces detachment from possessions for genuine happiness and serenity. The Stoics upheld that focusing on the external instead of within, dispels our power. Awareness of our consumption patterns will help us think long term and nudge us to save and invest. To free ourselves of consumeristic tendencies, detach from material traps that disrupt meaningful connections. Gratitude practices emphasise the positive aspects of life and recognise the soft power of healthy relationships. Savouring lived experiences and keeping sight of our goals and values, cements connection and presence.
Family connection
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” is an ancient African proverb. A 2022 CNN study reported that strong family connections correlate with children flourishing in life. Simple things like playing and dining together, discussing the day, and welcoming general chatter support emotional security, rapport, and psychological well-being.
Sports
Sports provide an accessible way to enhance physical and mental health by boosting endorphins, leading to mood improvement and anxiety mitigation. Team sports hone the ability to look out for others and deal with loss together. A 2020 Health.gov report observed higher self-esteem, resilience, and reduced risky behaviours in young athletes.
Journaling
Reflective writing elevates self-awareness and advances critical thinking, leading to demonstrated academic and extracurricular performance. A 2022 Frontiers in Psychology study establishes how it boosts mental health and homework organisation in 69% of students. Equally important for adults, it cements observation and self-examination, helping to respond in a timely and thoughtful manner.
Time in nature
A 2024 University of Glasgow study determined that time outdoors lowers psychiatric risks and refines mental health. Explore the outdoors as a family to push the reset button. Naturally creating the conditions for a digital detox, it helps connect with one’s inner self.
Sherry Turkle observed, “We are forever elsewhere” - present only in person, but absent in spirit. Let us not trade presence for presentation and human connection for scrolling, as our children will pay the price. Life is a marathon, not a 100-metre dash.
(The writer is a Human Capital Strategist and Educator, meaning she invests in humans like blue chip stocks and teaches them how not to crash the market.)
