How Much Anxiety Is Too Much and How Can Millennials Cope With The Struggle?

Millennials are reportedly under more stress than previous generations, according to recent studies. The National Institute of Mental Health estimated that approximately thirty percent of people between the ages of eighteen and twenty-nine suffer from anxiety. When compared to older acquaintances reports, millennials are also more likely to experience higher degrees of loneliness and social isolation, which leads to an increased risk of self-harm, obsessive behaviors, substance abuse and eating disorders. Here is what went wrong with today’s generation and a proposition on how to fix it.

A Generation Of Overprotected Individuals

According to experts, millennials are a generation of people who have never actually learned how to cope with stress, because they were shielded from it for the majority of their upbringing. Dr. Peter Gray of Boston College stated that a significant contributing factor is that Millennials were raised by over-protective parents who shielded them from adult-free playtime. It is arguable that with parents always around to break up fights, preventing their kids from getting hurt, and interfering with social environments, children of this generation were not properly taught how to become successful adults.

Being Stressed Is An Important Part Of Growth And Development

Dr. Karen Cassiday, the president-elect of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, believes that stress is a part of growing. She says, “So many millennials have been raised with the idea that it’s bad to be stressed—that normal events, like final exams, someone not using the proper term for your sexual orientation, roommate issues, or breakups are all too stressful and can’t possibly be conceived of as anything other than the end of the world." The result is a generation of individuals who have never been made to determine how to get through hard times on their own.

An Abundance Of “Safe Spaces”

Millennials have had an excess of “safe spaces” to run to whenever uncomfortable feelings strike. Doctor Cassiday suggests that every possible emotional slight - such as a new college campus - for a Millennial causes a hypersensitivity to protecting oneself, instead of rising to the challenge and overcoming obstacles. She states, “Anytime you improperly give people the message that they’re fragile and can only live and grow in very specific environments, it makes them feel ill-equipped to handle the regular rough and tumble of life.”

Decreased Opportunities For Stress

Children and young adults who have been raised without stressors are denied the same opportunities to learn and grow through play and exploration - which is an important part of developing the skills needed for problem-solving and coping mechanisms. The result is an increased risk of stress when “scary” opportunities arise. Instead of rising to the occasion and becoming energized when anxiety stirs, millennials tend to collapse under the weight and pass up their chance to grow.

The Physical Effects Of Stress

According to Dr. Scott Rauch of Harvard Medical School, anxiety boils down to one's innate response to fear. On a physiological level, it is a hormonal and psychological shift that threatens a person’s thoughts. A person’s pupils dilate, their heart beat increases, and blood flows away from the digestive tract to their extremities with the intention of combating whatever unpleasant factor is threatening. Millenials who have not been allowed to experience these feelings are not well equipped to control them.

Stress Begins In The Brain

The stress response occurs in the amygdala, which is a small, almond-shaped part of the brain that initiates the signals transmitted throughout the nervous system. The frontal cortex and the hippocampus tell the brain the difference between safe and dangerous situations to prevent a person from getting all worked up over nothing. However, stress causes the amygdala to send out signals whether a dangerous threat is present or not. Therefore, any stress becomes a form of punishment that leads to feelings of trauma when anxiety occurs.

How Much Stress Is Too Much?

Anxiety is a reaction to stress. Some stress is necessary to motivate a person in the direction they need to go, such as studying and preparing for a final exam. When stress becomes chronic, it starts to get in the way of normal life such as attending work and school. Chronic stress can lead to panic disorders, social anxiety and certain phobias that increase the urge to flee or retract from anything that causes unwanted feelings. When stress gets to this point, it is important to seek medical attention.

Medications And Stress

The good news is that many evidence-based medications are available to help cope with the anxiety that becomes unmanageable, including when stress prevents sleep or gets in the way of social, professional or personal life. Prescriptions will need to be managed by a mental healthcare provider and are most effective when taken in combination with talk therapy to help reduce negative emotions by learning managing techniques. It may also help to seek out the help of a trusted person, such as a school advisor, mentor or friend.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is another trusted and evidence-based method used to treat anxiety. It focuses on mental exercises that retrain the brain the react to stressful situations with less fear. At the same time, behavioral therapies are taught to allow individuals to experience situations they have been avoiding while under the supervision of a professional to walk them through helpful responses. Cognitive-behavioral therapy ultimately reteaches the brain and body how to deal with stress through exposure methods that many millennials were not taught during their youth.

Other Methods Of Treatment

For those who cannot afford therapy or medications, Dr. Cassiday recommends using self-help books or apps, such as Self-Help Anxiety Management for iOS and Android users. Another helpful technique is using mindfulness-based stress reduction, which focuses on breathing and meditation techniques to reduce stress and cope with fears. Mindfulness asks the person to practice living in the moment and deal with feelings of anxiety that are plaguing them instead of hiding or fleeing from these emotions.

The Takeaway

Stress does not have to be a bad thing, as it is an important part of the developmental process and can even be quite beneficial. Learning how to cope with stress and anxiety is imperative to performing well in adulthood. Parents help their children overcome problems later in life by allowing them to figure out stressful situations without interference. Millenials can seek the help they need by reaching to a therapist or using mindfulness practices to channel their stress in a healthy manner.