Can the current generation of youngsters be called the ‘therapy generation’? Well, yes, since most of the people these days have started visiting mental health counsellors in schools, colleges, and workplaces, or maybe their personal therapists. But what can be the reason behind it? Why are people having so much anxiety, stress these days? There can be various reasons behind it.
Preeti Singh, a sr. consultant clinical psychology and psychotherapy, says, “The young generation these days wants quick results for a lot of things, including their relationships. The work they do usually has a timeline of targets, that by 25-26 they should achieve so much and so on. Having a constant comparison while they are in the middle of doing all this does not help either.” Preeti thinks that another reason can be that people are losing time with their family and turning into isolated individuals. So people are starting to deal with their problems, especially when they are alone.
Thankfully, people are now more open to talking about their mental illness. Nandini Agarwal started her sessions when she was in 12th standard and went under a lot of stress due to multiples factors, apart from her studies. She went for therapy to build a healthy coping mechanism that would help her focus more on studies. “I had a lot of sessions and each one was different. Mostly, immediately after therapy, you don't feel good. You feel like you have too much to think about. It's not until much later that you start feeling better,” she recalls.
Not everyone has it easy, however. Priyanka, a college student says that initially, it was difficult for her and her parents to get accustomed to the fact that she needed therapy sessions “Initially I used to be very uncomfortable opening up to a completely new individual, but soon I accepted the reality. It was a fruitful relationship and I used to feel light having someone to talk to. I began going there because I used to feel like that I had no one else to talk to, but my therapist made me realise certain things which I would not have realised without her.”
Speaking about the ways one can overcome stress and anxiety, Preeti says, “Firstly everyone should understand they are not the only one going through all this and stop pathologising what they are feeling and experiencing. We also take some decisions when we are very emotional and we should give ourself some time to do that.” She believes that people should include some activities that they like but it should add up to one’s perspective. “The whole mantra should be to go easy on yourself and talk out our feelings. Visiting a therapist is normal these days,” she concludes.
Garima Garg, another counsellor, talks about the situation to overcome stress and says, “We can do so by looking after our emotions and feelings, acknowledging our vulnerabilities, exploring our fears and difficulties and taking interest in our mental life and externally sharing our lives’ difficult aspects with trustworthy and reliable friends and family members.”
