Why Gen Stress is worried about everything
JEMIMA Grimmer is struggling to work out how she can live an enjoyable life, with so much to worry about in the world.
The 16-year-old is among the 54 per cent of young Australians found in an exclusive survey by youth mental health support provider Reachout found 54 per cent to be moderately to extremely stressed about the future.
One in five teenagers said they had sought mental health support because they were so worried. Almost two in five said their worries began before the age of 16 and
as young as 14.
Ms Grimmer, a year 11 student from Sydney, said she started seeing a therapist last year due to growing anxiety about the future.
At the time she was also stressed out about missing some of what she believed to be the best years of her life due to the lockdowns.
“In the short term I’m very stressed about school,” she said.
“I’m nearing the HSC. In the long term I’ve got more broader concerns such as the environment and climate change.”
Ms Grimmer also said she was worried about housing affordability and now the war
in Ukraine. She said there were so many “insane” things happening in the world “blissful ignorance had been taken away from young people as a result”.
“I’m trying to work out how I can live a life that is fun and enjoyable,” she said.
University student Azhaan Haq, 20, who also lives in Sydney and was a youth ambassador for Reachout, said he gets stressed when he thinks about the next five to 10 years of his life and felt unprepared for the future, compared with his friends.
The study of more than 1000 Aussie teens aged 16-21, found the most common causes of feeling stressed
about the future were study and exam pressures (39 per cent), being able to afford the lifestyle they wanted (30 per cent), being able to survive financially (29.5 per cent), building a career in their chosen field (28 per cent) and their mental and physical health (28 per cent).
Reachout’s head of service delivery Jackie Hallen said the new findings show stress about the future was affecting the wellbeing of big numbers of young people in Australia and that the issue was on the rise due to Covid.
“Almost 60 per cent of young people in the survey told us that they feel more stressed about the future because of the pandemic,” she said, adding young people had become more concerned about financial security.
Ms Grimmer said she had become more disciplined with her social media because she found being “hyper informed” was too overwhelming.
“I try to self-regulate,” she said. “It is very easy to spend hours and hours on social media and we don’t get anything out of it.”
Reachout offers support for both young people and parents.
READ HOW AUSSIES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY COVID IN OUR SPECIAL FEATURE IN TODAY’S WEEKEND MAGAZINE