“Social media exposes younger folks to extra issues directly and creates excessive expectations to attain sure milestones by a selected age” – equivalent to ending college, beginning a profession, assembly a companion and proudly owning a house.
Those that examine Gen Z describe them as pushed, sensible, very social, assured and real looking. For some who are suffering from psychological well being points, this has meant taking issues into their very own palms to assist themselves – and others.
We meet two Gen Z advocates who’re recovering from psychological well being issues and are exhibiting others learn how to open up about their troubles and discover the assistance they want.
She says: “If [high achievement] is the usual, I ought to be reaching it on a regular basis, and a giant a part of that turns into burnout. Hong Kong children undergo that loads. How will you even have time to replicate on how you are feeling for those who’re going from faculty to tuition to … your exercise after which dwelling?”
In 2020, whereas Gan was in 12 months 11, she attended a youth psychological well being symposium. There, she met college students sharing how their colleges approached the difficulty – and realised her faculty lacked student-led psychological well being initiatives.
College counsellors had been obtainable for college students, however many felt approaching them for assist was too formal, and didn’t wish to be stigmatised. Speaking to friends, Gan realised, was a extra snug and accessible first step.
This impressed Gan to develop Peace of Thoughts, a student-powered psychological well being advocacy group. Collaborating with the coed council, it organised a psychological well being week to get folks speaking.
“We needed to encourage the dialog round psychological well being, not simply by means of posters, but additionally by letting folks know what assets they may entry at college for assist,” she says.
Peace of Thoughts established an lively social media presence, utilizing Instagram infographics to explain learn how to obtain work-life stability, deal with tutorial burnout, perceive intergenerational trauma, and extra.
The group makes psychological well being phrases extra accessible and fewer daunting, encouraging college students to hunt assist with out feeling stigmatised.
“For private help, positively look to your friends, as a result of they’re actually going by means of the very same factor,” Gan says. “Perhaps you vocalising [your need for support] is beginning the dialog.”
Eu’s turning level got here when she moved to Southern California within the US in her teenagers. There, she discovered the help she wanted and started remedy at 18. From there, her journey to restoration gained momentum.
“It was actually cool as a result of a pair hundred folks got here again and had been like ‘woah, we missed you’,” she says.
Whereas social media can exacerbate the signs of psychological sickness, particularly amongst Gen Z, Eu’s platform presents a refreshing tackle utilizing it for good.
Her content material has advanced right into a wellness and accountability diary, with pleasing photographs, how-tos, and lengthy captions describing matters she mentioned in remedy and points she was working by means of. She has a podcast, additionally, on Instagram, as solidaritypod.
Her constructive messaging has resonated with over 130,000 folks on Instagram, and her social media web page has grown right into a group of its personal, with followers sending help and encouragement.
Balancing her psychological well being, social media presence, and tutorial pursuits is a continuing problem. Eu emphasises the significance of prioritising time and pursuits.
Chopping out TV reveals and specializing in studying has allowed her to create content material that displays what she has discovered about psychological well being and private well-being.
“My largest piece of recommendation is simply to speak extra, with your pals and together with your group,” Eu says. “Having extra conversations together with your friends, that’s the method of destigmatising [mental illness]. We thrive on connection, we thrive on group.”
Gan and Eu’s tales each underscore the facility of group and resilience in addressing psychological well being challenges. Their efforts encourage hope for a future the place psychological well being is prioritised and looking for assistance is normalised.