In a country where the majority of the population is below the age group of 30, it becomes extremely important to focus on the general well-being of the Physical and Mental Health of the Youth. All necessary steps and policies have to be implemented for the overall growth and development of the Youth.
However, the reality is, constant change in the trends of society has made the present youth
extremely vulnerable to unnecessary academic, social, and peer pressure, cyberbullying, etc leading to the development of depression, irritation, hopelessness, anxiety, and other Mental Illness.
Unfortunately, lack of awareness, lack of facilities, or the stigma that surrounds Mental Health,
has led to most of these cases going undetected and untreated making the youth take extreme
steps of self-harm, suicide, or use of drugs and alcohol, etc.
One of the most common issues that we face as psychologists, is the negative
impact of social media on the self-esteem and self-confidence of the youth and the rise of body
Consciousness.
While social media can be beneficial in many ways, it has also led to constant comparison and judgment of our self-worth based on the number of likes and comments for a post. Further, it has made the youth extremely body conscious. Every day thousands of rupees are spent on Cosmetics, Accessories; and hours in the Gym. The obsession to address the physical nature of our bodies has led to various business houses exploiting the youth and keeping crores of revenue. However, we don’t see the same level of focus or interest in Mental Health which is extremely important to lead a better productive life.
Another major problem that the youth face today is work-life stress. With the growing demands of the world and prioritizing materialism, competition has made young adults today strive to excel at work, and in doing so, they tend to compromise on other life aspects. Overworking and pressurizing themselves has made this demographic prone to unhealthy habits affecting both their mental and physical health. We see many youngsters facing Job Burnout before reaching the age of 30. Too much stress and juggling between work and other aspects of life is making a person less creative, productive, and unhappy.
Along with these, many issues like anxiety or mood disorders are not common in the present world. It becomes important to be rightly informed of the psychological concerns that one may face or one may see their near and dear face. The right kind of help is always available for any of such concerns and the youth now takes charge of making sure mental health is an equal priority to physical health.
