Generation Z: The Anxiety Generation?

Gen Z are labelled the Anxiety Generation for good reason.

As a life coach for Generation Z, the anxiety generation, I spend roughly 1000 hours a year face to face with Young Adults. We meet through Zoom world-wide. I mentor Young Adults who are not doing well in life. One of the main causes is Anxiety, followed by self-sabotage and failure to launch. One could easily believe that this is truly the anxiety generation.

What is fascinating about Generation Z is how extraordinary they are.

Gen Z’s are extraordinary in non-linear thinking, embracing new concepts (like Big Data).  and in caring about their peers (virtual or real-life).

Once they have gone through life coaching, Gen Z’s often find their way towards daily micro-successes. They learn how to assess what they do in their lives in a non-judgmental fashion. Most importantly, they learn how to breath and get back into their bodies. How to get  out of their heads. The Gen Z’s who do this find a great deal of their anxiety goes away permanently.

Blanket diagnosing of Gen Z’s with all forms of anxiety is happening on all fronts. Professionals, parents and the young adults themselves witness the effects of a person who feels unsafe in the world. Anxiety becomes their self-diagnosis. To have Gen Z’s understand the underlying issues requires a different way of looking at things.

So many Gen Z’s feel safer in the virtual world then in the real world.

They feel uncomfortable advocating for themselves in words and writing.  Tweeting is their gateway to communication. They would rather give in to the many self-soothing vices like video-gaming, social media and weed, then figure out how to communicate to the “others”.

When we never look down as we hammer things, it’s easy to blame the hammer for our bruised finger instead of the fact we never learned to really look at what is going on.

Self Diagnosing vs Professional Diagnosing of Anxiety

People who self-diagnose and those who have been given a diagnose of anxiety disorder need to realize one thing; you are greater than your labels. For those who self-diagnose or who have professional diagnoses of depression they share a truth. Both are suffering, need understanding and need to rise above perceived limitations.

Is Anxiety the New Cyberdonian Excuse?

I do not believe people use anxiety as an excuse for being stressed out. 95% of the Gen Z’s I mentor suffer from anxiety. It is no less debilitating if they have been professionally diagnosed or not.

My heart breaks when I see them suffering as they do. The thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that I have overcome my own crippling personal anxiety where I could not function, I could not get into a subway car, an elevator, a plane or even a car and I know that with the techniques a good life coach for young adults can provide Millennials, they can rise above these debilitating anxieties just as I did.

Unless you are in a person’s shoes…

you cannot know how hard anxiety can be to do battle with on a day-to-day basis. Every time Gen Z’s attempt to rise above their challenges they are performing quit acts of bravery. Victory is not the true measure of their bravery.

To those suffering with anxiety, I say to you: Have faith, seek out mentors, align with those who see you as more then your labels. I believe in Gen Z’s as the generation who will help this world get on track. Heaven knows we need it.

Know a young adult in need of mentoring? Check out www.MentoringYoungAdults.com

Interested in Mentoring Young Adults? Check out www.MentorsProfessionalWorkshop.com

Author: Ken_Rabow

Ken Rabow is the Mentor's Mentor for Troubled Teens, Young Adults and their Families