Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X & Boomers All Handle Stress Completely Differently
Julia Zavalishina | ShutterstockEveryone has their own unique way of handling stress, and a lot of that comes from the time period they grew up in. Boomers just aren’t going to respond to stressful situations the same way as Gen Z.
It makes sense that different generations react in different ways, but it does cause some conflict since everyone naturally thinks they’re doing it the best.
Each generation handles stress based on what they learned and what resources they’re used to.
Mental health care has changed a lot over the years. When boomers were young, stress was treated like something they just needed to push through. Younger generations now have more support when facing stress, which has changed the way they deal with it.
Boomers handle stress by trying to ignore it, which can have consequences.
The baby boomer generation is often praised for being really tough. They were taught to move through life with a grin-and-bear-it mindset, and they had to put up with the unspoken expectation that any kind of complaining was bad, even if it was valid.
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Therapist Lynn Zakeri, LCSW, explained that this didn’t have the desired effect. “Many boomers learned to tolerate distress rather than examine or address it, which worked externally but often came at an internal cost,” she said.
Boomers basically suppressed their emotions so they could keep up with the life they wanted to build for themselves and their families. Now, they’re struggling to undo the damage of so much stoicism. They’re actually experiencing depression at higher rates, and experts think a lifetime of stress is to blame.
Gen X brings their independent spirit to the way they respond to stressful situations.
The Gen X approach to dealing with stress is heavily influenced by their upbringing. Most of them had to take care of themselves between the time they left school and the time their parents got home from work, which gave them a strong sense of independence very early on.
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Becoming so self-reliant convinced many of them that they should be able to process any stress they feel on their own. There was still a strong stigma about mental health when they were young, so that combination made seeking any kind of outside help seem like a sign of weakness.
Unfortunately, Gen X has lived through a lot of challenges, especially related to the economy. Now that they're reaching their 50s, many of them are feeling the stress catch up with them, especially women. Still, they’re trying to deal with it on their own because it’s what they’re used to.
Millennials talk about their stress more but don’t always handle it effectively.
This generation is in a unique position because they’ve worked hard to break the long-standing mental health stigma. Millennials tend to talk more openly about their stress than previous generations and have no problem spreading helpful information.
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It would be easy to assume that millennials are more adept at handling stress because of that, but they really aren’t. They’re stressed about everything from their jobs to their families, and they turn to technology to deal with it.
Some of these habits, like listening to music, probably are making a difference. But others, like watching TV, aren’t healthy and are contributing to the problem they’re trying to fix. It’s kind of like millennials understand their stress better, but working through it makes them feel even worse.
Gen Z is under a lot of stress, but they’re addressing it more directly than anyone else.
There’s been a lot of criticism directed towards Gen Z for not handling stress well, but that’s a bit misleading. They are dealing with incredibly high levels of stress, but they’re also at the age when everyone tends to feel that way.
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Social media and unprecedented world events make things even more challenging. They aren’t just sitting around and hoping for the best, though. Gen Z tackles their stress head-on with healthy activities like exercise and spending time with loved ones. They’re also more likely to seek professional help when they need it.
Gen Z might be under more stress, but they aren’t bad at dealing with it. They talk about it much more freely than older generations do, which can sometimes give the impression that they aren’t coping well when they’re really just being more honest.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
