Here we are at the start of another school year. Many new experiences lie ahead – opportunities for new relationships, new skills, new understanding. Sound exciting? Definitely. But, I also know that being a student is not always easy.
Many people may say that “kids today have it too easy”, and point to the fact that we live in a much more prosperous society than ever before. They look at the incredible progress there has been in many areas – technology, medicine, travel, communication, gender equality, living standards, working conditions – and see the greater access there is to information and to education.
So, they figure that life should be easier, and that people should be feeling less stressed and more satisfied. Well, unfortunately, it hasn’t worked that way. Instead, we have what has been called a “paradox of progress” – life looks better but people feel worse. Students are no exception. For example, rates of mental health problems are highest in older teens and young adults, requests for personal counselling at University Counselling centres have skyrocketed, and large numbers of students are feeling anxious and overwhelmed.
What’s going on? Are young people not as tough as they used to be, less mature, or less motivated to do well? I don’t think so. I think that life has become more challenging. Some examples:
Modern technology and social media has made life complicated. Despite the many advantages they have provided, these modern developments have also resulted in some very negative effects (e.g., stealing our time, impacting our self-esteem, disrupting out sleep).
We don’t always know where to turn to for help. University and college students are more often away from their traditional sources of security, and may not have the strong social ties that they need when times get tough. Especially with the recent pandemic, most people have had to cope with much greater social isolation.
We feel like we don’t have enough time. Although we have more time saving devices, we seem to have less time. Any time saved is quickly filled – there is a pressure to accomplish more and more.
We have lots and lots of choices in life. There has been a huge increase in the choices we have in our lives, and, although this may sound like a good thing, research shows that too many choices can lead to what psychologists have called “choice overload” – a difficulty in making a choice when there are too many options available. Choice overload leads to difficulty making decisions, regret about decisions that are made, and self-blame for decisions that don’t work out.
Figuring out what our goals are is not always easy. Given the complexity of the world we live in, it may be harder now than in the past to figure out what our goals in life are, what values we hold, or how we can go about finding meaning, and a sense of direction and purpose in life.
At times, life can be tough and we may not have all the tools to figure out how to cope. So what can we do to meet these challenges, and to decrease our stress levels? In this blog, I will discuss what psychology can teach us about the science of happiness, about constructive ways of coping with stress, about self-management, about effective goals setting, about self-esteem and self- compassion, and much, much more. This blog is for YOU, and for anyone who feels, at times, that they are having trouble staying on top of the pressures that are a common part of life. Stay tuned and I will happily share with you the useful knowledge and tips that I have gathered in my work in the field of psychology.
Take care and be good to yourselves, Rhonda Gilby
