Growing up between two generations in our current world has always been an educational yet pressure-driven experience – something most millennials can relate to.
I had the opportunity to play outside as a kid. Enjoying the safety of simply riding my bicycle and playing under the sun till the street lights would come on. But I also had the privilege of having technology make its world debut with cellphones and tablets being launched while I was still young.
As a millennial, we had two worlds that we were exposed to, holding on to tradition, whilst still ‘moving with the times’.
With this said, two sides exist. The side of us that honours the traditions of how we were raised – the mannerisms, the respect for culture, the discipline, all of it – a side that will always represent an undying need to please our parents, guardians & family members who raised us.
On the other hand, our technological and very ‘woke’ side feels as if this life we live is ours, telling us that we decide what we want and how we want it.
So what do we do with it all? Being a millennial and having these two ‘life’ experiences places unspoken pressure on us to be successful for both sides.
Our parents want us to go to university, get a degree whilst the inner creative in us wants to freelance, travel the world and fund that through being an Instagram blogger.
Millenials can all relate to the feeling that the generations before us don’t always understand that the world has changed and will continue to change creating pressures on us in having to constantly explain our dreams and desires. These are the exact pressures that are causing us to be overwhelmed all the time, filled with anxiety and mental health stresses all while we’re just trying to figure out our twenties.
It’s time we start speaking out about how we really feel. How the pressure of success really is just this idea that at a certain age you have to have it all together. To be honest I don’t really know what that even means, “having it all together?‘.
What I will say is that talking to people about these pressures definitely makes you realise that you are not alone. And most likely this probably doesn’t only affect those aged 25 – 35 but people who are older or even younger. Creating a safe space for your peers to just be who they are is important so let’s try doing better, communicating and truly just living our own truth.
It starts with me, it starts with you.
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