Going to therapy and seeking professional help to overcome your emotional difficulties is one of the gifts that you can give yourself in your 20s. The twenties is the time when a lot of major transitions happen in our lives. People in their twenties, graduate, move out of their parent’s house, move to a different city, start working, slowly start becoming financially independent, move ahead with their romantic relationships, get married, and start planning a family. Even though this might not be the case for every single person, it’s true for the majority of the people in their twenties.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been life-changing in the sense that a lot of people went through a major paradigm shift. Major re-prioritization of goals and values occurred during this period. A lot of people also became very vocal about their emotional struggles and reached out for professional help. According to a report published by World Health Organization, the COVID-19 Pandemic has led to a 27.6% increase in cases of Major Depressive Disorders and a 25.6% increase in cases of Anxiety Disorders all over the world.
The LiveLaughLove Foundation in India published a study called “How India Perceives Mental Health” which is a follow-up to a study conducted in 2018. According to it, 92% of the respondents in 2021 said that they would seek mental health support if required as opposed to 54% in 2018.
Constantly Overworked Individuals
The Millenials and GenZs are becoming more vocal and aware of their mental health and are also seeking support as a form of prevention. A person in their 20s trying to figure out life can be very tricky in 2022. You’re constantly working on some of the other things. It’s a challenging task to balance between unlearning your old habits and patterns and replacing them with the new, healthier ones without being harsh on yourself.
It demands a lot of patience, multiple consistent, efforts, and a lot of support from yourself and others. It’s not just the mental health but we also have to figure out our practical life choices like managing finances, taking care of parents who are growing old and adjusting to the constantly changing norms related to socially acceptable ways of living the life.
Along with that, there are day to challenges like maintaining a healthy work-life balance, having a fixed sleep schedule, working on our dream projects, being available for our friends, so and so forth. It becomes quite challenging even to prioritize sometimes and it’s completely normal too.
How can we approach it better?
First and foremost, it’s extremely important to validate that whatever you’re doing is enough. There constantly seems to be this lingering self-doubt because of the social comparison that asks you always do more, grind, and hustle. But it is really important to understand what pace suits you the best. Something that works for person X might not work for you. Everyone’s starting point is different and everyone has a very different perspective to look at things.
People are shaped by their upbringing, genetics, early exposure, life experience, and ideas about the world. There is no perfect way that acts as a guide to living your 20s. It’s something that you have to figure out on your own. But certain things could make this process a little less lonely for you.
- Be gentle with yourself and forgive yourself often: Many times, people in their 20s go through a lot of self-doubt and criticism because of the constant peer pressure. It’s important to remind yourself that you did the best you could at a particular time in your life. The journey becomes easier when you befriend your feelings and work with them instead of working against them.
- Spend time with your feelings: Every feeling is valid. Feelings are data. They’re constantly trying to communicate something to us. Pay close attention to what they are trying to communicate.
- It’s okay to have low days: Bad days are going to come by default. Every day comes with a 24-hour validity so hang in there. Find something to hold on to on your low days. It could be a playlist, a person, your favorite ice cream, a movie, or just about anything that can help you get through the day.
- Find your comfort space: Whenever possible, move away from anything that makes you feel unsafe and uncomfortable. It does not mean that you should never embrace the discomfort. Discomfort can lead to breakthroughs as well. But it is of utmost importance to evaluate the cost that you’re paying for it. If it is not worth then you know what to do.
