Is modern life making me anxious?

It’s hard out there. And getting more so….

We work long-hours, are overloaded by social media and pressures to consume, to earn more and to spend more. We are disconnected from nature and from ourselves, with no time to really feel or to heal when we get sick. We’re juggling work, family, and everything else.

It’s no wonder that we are overwhelmed and feel unable to cope.

But instead of turning your mental health against yourself, seeing it as some kind of personal failure.

Let’s name the real villain here.

It’s modern life. Not you.

I like to call what you might be experiencing ‘Generalised Modern Life Disorder’.

It turns up all over the place. When we’re parenting, when we’re going through menopause, when we’re at the end of our lives. Everywhere our normal reactions to the intense pressures of modern life are being pathologised and medicated.

Yes, some of us are more susceptible to feeling anxious than others, usually because of our own early life experiences. Sometimes we’ve inherited that tendency because of our parents’ and grandparents’ life experiences.

And yes, there is absolutely a time and a place for medication.

And yes, anxiety existed in the old days too (just not in anywhere near the same proportions).

I just want to acknowledge that the feelings you’re experiencing, the generalised feelings of overwhelm, stress, anxiety, diss-ease, are not your fault.

So give yourself a break.

Be kind to yourself.

And don’t feel ashamed if you’re struggling.

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Photo by Peng LIU