Embracing Authenticity: A Mental Health Journey for Millennials and Gen Z

The Pressure to Conform

How many times have you questioned your true desires? From career choices to personal appearances, there's an unspoken rulebook that many, including myself at times, feel pressured to follow. For my fellow Millennials and Gen Z, this can be particularly challenging as we navigate a world that's constantly changing yet stubbornly rigid in its expectations.

The Impact on Mental Health

• Anxiety and Depression: The pressure to conform can lead to significant mental health challenges. Anxiety and depression often stem from the fear of not meeting societal standards or disappointing others. Social anxiety has skyrocketed and something I see in many of my clients. Can I blame them? Absolutely not, because guess what, I also catch myself experiencing social anxiety.

• Identity Crisis: Struggling to fit into predefined molds can cause an identity crisis, where individuals are unsure of who they truly are outside societal expectations. I utilize narrative therapy with my clients that are struggling with their identity. We breakdown where the stories that make us who we are, who did they come from? Do we want to keep them? Do they still define us? Do we throw them away since they don’t fit who we are anymore? Can we be grateful for where they’ve brought us?

• Burnout: Constantly trying to meet external demands can lead to burnout, characterized by emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. This one can creep up on you. One moment you’re tackling 20 projects at a time, and then burnout smacks you with no remorse. Then we beat ourselves up for not being superheroes. Creating more anxiety and depression. See the cycle here?

The Power of Authenticity

Embracing authenticity is about aligning your actions and decisions with your true self, values, and beliefs. It's about being honest with yourself and others, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Benefits of Being Authentic

• Improved Mental Health: Being true to yourself can significantly reduce stress and anxiety, leading to better overall mental health. It takes so much pressure off of yourself to just be you. It takes courage though. It’s a big decision to legit follow your heart, your soul, your desires, your dreams.

• Stronger Relationships: Authenticity fosters deeper and more meaningful connections with others, as relationships are built on honesty and mutual respect. Imagine when you're with your friends or family members and you don’t feel social anxiety creeping up. You feel love and respect. Huh, imagine that.

• Increased Resilience: Knowing and accepting yourself builds resilience, helping you to navigate challenges with a stronger sense of self. We are all so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. I genuinely wonder why we do that to ourselves. Why aren’t we proud of how far we’ve made it? Why aren’t we more excited about the changes that are happening in our generation? We’ve been putting in the work y’all. It’s time to embrace it.

Practical Steps to Embrace Authenticity

1. Self-Reflection:

   • Take time to understand your values, beliefs, and passions. Journaling or meditative practices can help in this self-discovery process. The hardest thing we can do is begin to look at ourselves. And I mean really look at everything that makes us who we are. When you begin to look at all the unique things that make us who we are we being to love ourselves a little at a time.

2. Set Boundaries:

   • Learn to say no to things that don't align with your true self. Setting boundaries is crucial for maintaining your mental health and well-being. Boundaries are for behaviors, not for people. Someone will probably get upset when you implement a boundary but that’s because the behavior you usually reciprocate isn’t being reciprocated anymore. The people that acknowledge the boundary and try to change their behavior, keep those around. The ones that try to gaslight you and talk crap on your boundaries, get rid of them. They aren’t authentic.

3. Surround Yourself with Support:

   • Build a support system of friends, family, or communities that accept and celebrate your authentic self. Positive reinforcement from a supportive network can empower you to stay true to yourself. Sometimes we aren’t born into the best support system. For my clients that have found their own community they acknoweldge that it sucks sometimes, but we can’t force people to change. We can’t force people to hold our values. We can love people from a distance because it’s healthier for everyone that way. All this to say, choose the people who choose you.

4. Seek Professional Help:

   • Therapy or counseling can provide a safe space to explore your identity and cope with the challenges of being authentic in a conformist world. Hi, hello. Going to therapy should be treated like check-ups at the doctor. Try it out. See if you like it. You don’t have to stick with one therapist. Try it out until you find the best therapist that fits you. We won’t take it personal. The good therapists want you to find the best care possible. It’s all about you in therapy. It might be the first place you start feeling your authentic self. Wink wink.

5. Practice Self-Compassion:

   • Be kind to yourself. Understand that the journey to authenticity is ongoing and it's okay to make mistakes and learn along the way. Dude, you’re a human. You aren’t perfect. Your lessons in life happened for a reason. Our human experience really is a gift. We have to stop letting people tell us it isn’t. They’ve ran the circus enough. I think it’s our turn to take the reigns.

   Conclusion

   Being authentically you in a world that often pushes for conformity is a courageous act. For Millennials and Gen Z, this journey is intertwined with our mental health. By embracing authenticity, setting boundaries, and seeking support, it's possible to thrive mentally and emotionally. Remember, the world needs your true self, not a masked version. Stay authentic, and take care of your mental health as you navigate this journey.

   Further Reading and Resources

   • Books: "The Gifts of Imperfection" & “Daring Greatly” by Brené Brown

   • Podcasts:

     • "Unlocking Us" by Brené Brown

     • “How to Build Real Confidence: 7 Truths to Unlock Your Authentic Self” by Mel Robbins

-Alyssa Rochon, MFT-Intern, Reiki Master