A generation besieged by an unknown force.

MY GENERATION

I grew up playing video games in the late '80s. Galaga was my favorite so I deliberately stop at rest areas on highways that had arcades. It was me aiming for a 100% hit rate at the Challenge Stage.

I was raised when technology was still nascent, social media was non-existent, and telephones were called 'telephones' connected by a cord attached to a wall. Not portable at all. Mealtime meant finishing your food while conversing with people.

A NEW ERA WAS BORN

Fast forward to the late 1990s, Netscape and AOL opened the door to data and information half a world away stored in a cloud (which I thought at that time were a bunch of nimbus clouds). Suddenly, everyone started having a pager then eventually a portable telephone called cell phones. Information from strangers exchanged everywhere. This certainly democratized dissemination of data but I started noticing that in subways, restaurants, or even strolls on the street communication with this cell phone hindered social interaction or reading a paperback. Everyone became addicted to gadgets which made me question how people do we survive without them.

18 - 24 yr olds, Generation Z, were born into this world unaware of and probably couldn't imagine the world lived just 2 decades prior. It was always nostalgic explaining to them how the 'older folks' navigated through life. But Covid-19 seemed to have affected them the most. Two reasons, I think. First, I have been in talk therapy and medication management for almost a decade now for an incurable mental illness. So I consider myself lucky that I learned how to understand why I am the way I am. I learned how to live with and manage depression, thoughts of suicide, and unexplained anger. I learned how important it is to be an advocate of mental health for the silent victims of the stigma. Second, Gen Z's were raised at a time when technology became means of communication. Tablets kept kids entertained and 'quiet' at home. SUVs have built-in mini TV screens to keep them occupied during long drives. Texts were how parents and children communicated with each other. How, then, can children verbalize their thoughts using complete sentences and not emojis?

Therein lies the problem. Everyone has an emotional trigger point that affects mental health. These triggers can play with the mind making you feel the walls cave in, trapped, alone and distressed. This is when physical interaction is needed. Don't ask, "How are you doing today?" Ask "How are you feeling today?" Big difference. Not learning how to succinctly describe your emotional state can lead you to a downward spiral of negativity. They become helpless then hopeless.

WHAT ARE THEY FEELING?

"In June 2020, the CDC released data that suggests one in four adults ages 18 to 24 have considered suicide. And according to the recently released Harvard Youth Poll of 2,513 Americans ages 18 to 29, 51% of young Americans said that at least several days in the previous two weeks they had felt down, depressed or hopeless."

These statistics are appalling and downright scary. Gen Z is the future who needs to feel gung-ho and excited about taking over the lead of shaping society's next evolution. They need emotional help, direction, and support not just from their social media friends (I'm being sarcastic) but from their parents who belong to my generation X just as we learned during our formative years to spend more time talking to people learning verbal communication and creating relationships. Talk to people to enhance awareness of others, perspectives and harness coping skills that help during times of duress. Covid may very well be the event that shapes the lives of Gen Z. They feel stressed because they never experienced such an emotional challenge before. They don't know how to completely explain and express themselves. They don't know that simply talking to someone about fear will help in so many ways. The condition could be episodic which is the better scenario. But this will take time and patience to learn.

It is everyone's responsibility to make sure our future is bright, not just for Gen Z but for Generation Alpha, children of the Millennials, and their children. To the young ones, put the phone down and have a conversation. You may be helping someone in your own shoes.