Millennials might be their biggest enemies, as competition among peers drives their anxiety levels higher. To say that they can’t handle that competition, however, would dismiss the reality of millennials in the workforce.
Recommended Stories
Emerson Csorba, writing for the Harvard Business Review, interviewed millennials to find how “the ruthlessness of this comparison” has dominated millennial concerns.
“False representations of achievement on social networking platforms, the sharing of stories of hypersuccessful millennials, and the rise in choices and options that millennials have in building their careers,” Csorba wrote, drive the current millennial state of mind.
When their friends are getting a promotion, traveling the globe, or succeeding, their self-esteem takes a hit. Their parents send them crazy achievements of millennials who have started a tech company and earn more than the annual GDP of island nations. Then, they have so many options and possibilities for a career, but little idea of what they want to do. It’s difficult to unplug and step out of that circle of anxiety.
That, however, places too much blame on millennials. The chatter might be louder because it’s so accessible, but generations before millennials faced peer pressure and economic confusion. Ruthless comparisons are facts of life in any society.
Millennials, given their situation, have faced their challenges and shown great levels of success. They’re launching businesses, graduating from college at higher rates than any other generation, and managing debt without reducing their standard of living. Competitive anxiety might be more extreme than it was for their parents, but millennials are thriving.
Focusing on ruthless comparison also ignores what could be a greater cause of millennial anxiety. Their economic futures are more uncertain than it’s been in decades. Student debt, rising rental prices in productive cities, and the pressure to succeed are heavy. Helicopter parenting only intensified those feelings. Grumpy baby boomers project their anxieties about America onto millennials and deride them, but millennials have only inherited the world. They didn’t design it.
They’ve been able to deal with their position in 2016, and have done admirably. That’s one reason why condescension from their elders gets ridiculed so easily. Millennials aren’t waiting for someone to give them everything they want. Despite the stereotypes, they’ve taken action to improve their lives and have a voice in political debates. Less anxiety could help them feel less pressured, but it’s a fact of life.
One solution proposed by Csorba to combat comparison? Solitude.
“Millennials should therefore view solitude — time spent contemplating important questions related to one’s work and life — as an investment in their own well-being,” he wrote.
Ignore friends and chain letters from relatives for a while. Think on what one values. It won’t offer an escape from competition and a difficult world, but it could provide clarity and perspective.
