Recently, an internet user asked a popular online community, “What is Gen Z not ready to hear?” Here are their honest confessions. Do you agree?
1. Mental Illness Isn’t Quirky
Being mentally ill isn’t quirky, but TikTok’ers are trying to make it trendy. The entire community around mental illness on social media is anti-recovery. People with disorders such as ADHD, anxiety, and depression don’t want mental illness to be glamorized.
Additionally, dismissing crummy behavior because you have “Such and such” is trending and terrible. Also, stop self-diagnosing. “Mental illness isn’t your fault, but it is your responsibility.”
2. One Day You’ll Be Outdated and Uncool
And it happens quicker than you think! I was recently discussing this with my husband. There was a time when I had all the new music and knew all the songs and artists. Now, I am clueless and outdated. It happens with fashion, too.
3. Your Choices Matter
You are not invincible. The choices you make today matter, especially regarding health. Enjoy your back and knees while they function without chronic pain. Take care of yourself.
4. You Don’t Know It All
You don’t know nearly as much as you think you do, and ten years from now, when you look back, you’re going to see it, too. It happens to everyone. Facebook memories remind me of how much maturity and growth I’ve experienced in the last decades.
It’s embarrassing reading some of my older statuses, the same way it’s embarrassing to reflect on some of my life choices. You do not know it all. “Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it” — George Orwell.
5. You Will Probably Never Be Famous
The likelihood of you becoming famous is slim. Still, Gen Z is obsessed with becoming influencers and going viral. From Instagram to TikTok challenges, Gen Z appears to have a false understanding that they will make it big online. For all who never accrue followers and success, it’s a self-esteem blow that may lead to mental health concerns.
6. It’s OK not to Be Opinionated
It’s OK to not be opinionated and to take time to form your opinion rather than make it right away. Taking the time to understand multiple viewpoints with active listening and reflecting on them before forming a concrete opinion is far more beneficial than making snap judgments. Snap judgments often lead to conforming to public opinion out of fear.
7. Sometimes You Have to Do Things in Life That You Don’t Want To
A hard truth in life is that you must do things that you don’t necessarily want to do. For example, work and pay taxes. But no one else will do it for you, so doing them yourself is important.
8. Not Everyone Agrees With You
You are in an echo chamber online, and not everybody agrees with you despite the algorithm feeding you things that make you believe they are. Also, finding your noise doesn’t mean it’s unique or correct. It’s more like there are enough people like you to give your warped perspective an unjustified sense of truth and importance.
9. Guard Yours and Your Children’s Privacy Online
Don’t post anything on the internet about other people who have not consented, and stop putting your entire life online. It is dangerous to put where you are and what you’re doing at all times on the internet. And it never goes away.
One day, something you may post may come back to haunt you. Think about all the people who have had images and videos resurface to destroy their character and integrity later in life.
10. Dealing With Confrontation and Discomfort Is a Necessary Life Skill
Dealing with confrontation and discomfort is a necessary life skill to be successful. Not everyone who makes you uncomfortable by disagreeing with you is a bully.
People disagree, and there will never be a time in your life when everyone agrees with you (except the online echo chamber). You need to handle and respect that truth effectively, or you’ll be caught up in your feelings and unable to handle difficult situations.
11. You’ve Been Brainwashed
I can’t put it any better than one user who states: “You’ve been brainwashed into spying on each other big brother style. All you need is your phone, and y’all record everything and upload it to the internet.
You’ve also been taught to see yourself as a brand or product rather than a person. Corporations exploit you to peddle their shady products, and you exploit vulnerable people for content and views.” To be fair, this is applicable to more than Gen Z.
12. One Day — You’ll Be the “Bad Guy”
There will be a time when the younger generations are blaming you for everything that is wrong in the world. “One day, the generations below you will condemn you for things you are doing and saying today that seem irrelevant. Judging people for doing things that seem immoral today but were socially acceptable previously will hit them in the face.”
20 Nostalgic TV Shows Gen X Tried To Watch That Just Don’t Cut It Today
An online Gen X forum member recently asked, “What TV shows have you tried to watch out of nostalgia, and it just doesn’t work anymore.” Here are their top-voted responses. Do you agree?
12 Things Younger People Love That Gen X and Boomers Do Not Understand
Is there anything that Zoomers love that you do not understand? You’ve got company. After someone polled an online community for examples of said things, here are THEIR top confessions.
15 Things Boomers Love To Do That Young People Don’t Understand
A recent online discussion about things boomers love to do that younger generations don’t understand had many interesting points. Here are some of the key takeaways. Do you agree?
20 Little Things Young People Aren’t Ready to Hear According to Boomers
Do you have anything that you don’t think the younger people of today are ready to hear but need to? You’re not alone. Numerous folks from the older generations gathered in an online forum to share these life truths.
20 Little Things That Are the Most Gen X Things Ever
Times have changed since I was a latchkey kid fending for myself and spending the majority of my life outdoors. Kids today have no idea about anything from my childhood today. After someone asked a Gen X forum, “What are the most Gen X things ever?” They responded with a nice trip down memory lane.
Elizabeth Ervin is the owner of Sober Healing. She is a freelance writer passionate about opioid recovery and has celebrated breaking free since 09-27-2013. She advocates for mental health awareness and encourages others to embrace healing, recovery, and Jesus.