Not too long ago, I was at a conference for college administration folks. The general focus was on generation gaps and a lot of it was on millenials: AKA the unicorn generation. So named, because they do not handle disappointment well. They expect everything to go perfectly well, always rainbows and have freak outs when things do not go as planned. Now, seeing as I myself am a milennial.. I initially scoffed. This was absurd! Then, I thought about it. I don't handle disappointment well. I don't scream or make a scene, but I do go into a dark place. I also have dealt with depression and intense anxiety for as long as I can remember. Which I'd thought was an abnormal amount of both, which is why I sought help. Then I wondered... I am not alone. I am not the only human being with anxiety or depression.. so I began to think harder. IS it a generation thing? Are most milennials plagued by depression and anxiety as I am? I've watched tumblr posts for quite a while. And the amount of relatable posts on either of these topics really make me worry. Is this who we are? Are we defined by our social anxieties, our fear of the worst in people... are we all weighted by a sadness we cannot control? But why us? And is the next generation going to be the same.. or worse? Or better? I have an older sister, she has 13 years on me. I was with her at the conference and I noted she's right on the generation line, between Gen X and Y, so I asked her which she considered herself to be. And since the conference focused on Y, not much optimism was spent on us. (Sidenote: I feel like I'm talking about Pokemon) Of course she considered herself gen x, because why group herself with a bunch of socially awkward, internet obsessed kids. And when I said I felt more like gen x, than y. She laughed at me. I'd been struggling at the conference to the point of tears, because I was having to socialize with strangers. I compared myself to Rose in Titanic, I felt like I sat at meals, screaming at the top of my lungs, and no one bothered to look up. My sister knew this, she carried most of the conversation with our suite mates and the people we sat by at dinner. The point is, she thoroughly knew how hard it was for me, so she said, "you're a millenial. You'd rather look at your phone than talk to the person beside you." Which felt like a blow. I'd always been pinned as "shy, quiet." I can remember the note on my report card in kindergarten. I was ignoring people to keep from having to talk long before I ever had a phone to curve the awkward silence. But it is true. We are entirely plugged in. And part of me does believe our generation needs to learn to disconnect, but I'm not prepared to try and that's not even what I'm going for. I want to understand the connection between technology and anxiety. I want to understand why we, millenials, are the unicorns. What made most of us this way? What are we afraid of? The worst in people? Ourselves? Who are we supposed to fight? And what made so many of us like this?
turnnoffyourmind
izzy806
kaledo-art
areudirty
2087
pixelskylines
tangentwithtanner
theartofmadeline