The Challenge of Young Adulthood: How Healthfully Striving Is One Solution
By Daryl CapuanoGeneral Education Advice“Young adults in the United States experience anxiety and depression twice as frequently as teenagers, according to a new nationally representative survey by Making Caring Common, a project of Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
Thirty-six percent of young adults — ages 18 to 25 — reported anxiety, compared with 18 percent of younger teenagers — ages 14 to 17 — while 29 percent felt depression, compared with 15 percent in the younger age group in the survey.”
My observation from working with young adults through the years: those who are healthfully striving are usually happy.
What does healthfully striving mean?
Building one’s life.
Engaging in worthwhile pursuits.
Making the most of one’s potential.
Each of the above provide partial answers.
Why has each radically declined?
Some factors are somewhat beyond the control of parents: social media and other distractions not only create so much diversion that teens and young adults can spend all day getting dopamine hits without healthfully striving and the shift from parent-boss to parent-friend model has created an over-correction that has inadvertently led to unhappiness of wide swaths of youth.
“We just want our children to be happy.”
Much like most parents, I whole-heartedly agree.
But… this has led to parents abdicating the job of guiding their children for what will lead to future happiness.
We do not want to push our children to do well has led to mass underachievement.
I see the results with those who drop out of college or are simply not ready for the work world because they skate through grade-inflated high school and college.
We work as partners with parents to help their children healthfully strive.
Our coaching services – helping holistically – have expanded dramatically since the pandemic. Students need not only tutors but also mentors, outside of their parents.
Do a quick search on the challenges facing mental health for young adults.
We can help.
CEO, The Learning Consultants and Connecticut’s top private education consultant
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