Over the years, I’ve noticed that I
have been seeing more and more people in their 20’s and 30’s who are dealing with identity crises, anxiety, and/or depression. It’s gotten me thinking…sometimes I feel like people around my age (in their 30’s) are part of an “In-Between Generation.” I may be using this term differently than other people have in the past, so let me explain…
How can one whole generation be termed “in-betweeners”? Well, in my opinion, we have thoroughly experienced two very different worlds. We lived have lived in a time when technology didn’t matter as much and we now live in a time where technology is everything. When we grew up, the Internet wasn’t really a thing yet. There was no Google and we used dictionaries and encyclopaedias to look up information. Social media came into play when we were already in our university years (or beyond) and our lives were not documented on the Internet for the world to see. Now, things are different and we have embraced that world too. We live by our phones and feel disconnected from the world if we aren’t checking our texts, email, or social media sites every few minutes. Google teaches us everything we need to know and we can get by with screens instead of paper. We are also more restless, impulsive, and pressured than in the past.
So, you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about this. Who really cares that there is a demographic that has experienced both sides of the coin to the fullest degree? Well, I’ve been wondering if there is a link between all of those lost, anxious, and depressed individuals that are walking into my office and this idea of an “in-between generation.” Seeing as we grew up and developed in a slower paced and less technological world, could anxiety, depression and identity issues be the price we pay for adaptation? Or are they more so a product of our fast paced, pressure driven society? Or, to give another option, is all of this completely random and I just happen to draw a lot of similar people into my office? Any of those are possible, I’ll admit.
What are your thoughts on this observation of mine? Do you find yourself caught in an in-between generation? I know I certainly do – there are definitely moments when I yearn for the simplicity of my youth and I’m annoyed by how quickly everything needs to move now.
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