I often comment on how our next generations are subject to so much more anxiety than we faced as young parents or even college students. This feeling of course comes alongside a feeling of guilt, as we baby boomers lived selfishly and heedlessly without much concern for the past or the future, creating a world with so many runaway problems. Even before COVID, the forces of modernization, globalization and technology were challenging us to catch up in terms of our emotional development with the rapidly changing world. If I were to count the sleepless nights due to worry, I could be called a super anxious person myself! Now we know more and the TED Talk below is helpful for young parents today ( https://www.ted.com/talks/anne_marie_albano_how_to_raise_kids_who_can_overcome_anxiety).
Our societies feel like pressure cookers these days. The number of expectations we take on for ourselves, whether as students, entrepreneurs, professionals or young parents is incredible. If I were to calculate the student debt in my family alone, it would be quite an amount. And it’s not like it is specific to USA. My friend Ishrat Durrani was visiting and her daughter Noni was sharing how her 6-year-old has to write essays in Urdu and English at age 6 to get into the best prep school in Lahore, Pakistan! And I am sure this is a global phenomenon. It is our worship of material success, which requires educational excellence and prestige. And of course, it snowballs, as each generation has to outdo the previous generation. When this trend is interrupted, as it was in Middle America when manufacturing and its growth ceased, there is social unrest and reaction which politicians easily manipulate to pit groups against one another. Then there are all the anxieties about the environment, the economy, our corrupt food systems and climate dangers as a whole. Add to that any other personal or family anxiety such as a serious illness, and one would think that we as humans would just implode.
And yet we don’t. We are truly very resilient, and adapt to our new situations very quickly, most of the time. As we handle our anxieties, we turn to faith and prayer, spirituality and various rituals to calm the mind and soothe the soul. And if we cannot handle it on our own, we seek outside help, such as support groups or professional help, including medications if necessary. I personally find prayer, meditation and meditative walks are the best approaches that work for me. Each of us has to figure out our path to inner peace. The most important element is to be aware of one’s anxiety, embrace it and then act to manage it.
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