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People admit the one thing that Boomers really got right and some folks are uncomfortable

"You have to force yourself to do things that are difficult and uncomfortable."

via Yerling Villalobos/Unsplash

A Baby Boomer has some thoughts on emotional resilience.

An overarching Baby Boomer stereotype is that they have a problem with the younger generations, especially Millennials because they were coddled growing up and lack the determination to do hard things.

Many believe that when helicopter parents shelter kids from discomfort, they never develop the emotional resilience that it takes to succeed on their own. Some may even attribute this to the increase in mental illness.

A writer on X, who goes by Katie, recently admitted that Boomers who believe facing discomfort has a significant benefit may be right. Her post has been seen over 4 million times.

“My boomer-est opinion is that you have to force yourself to do things that are difficult and uncomfortable and you have to do it often, while you’re young and your brain is still flexible." Yes, even if you are (functionally) mentally ill,” Katie wrote. “Buying groceries can be uncomfortable. going to school/work can be uncomfortable. Socializing can be uncomfortable. The more you do it, the less uncomfortable it will be. If you can do these things (I know that there is a % of the population that isn’t), you have to do them often.”

“I’ve never come back to a piece of life advice more than this one,” she continued before quoting Virgil Thompson. “Try a thing you haven't done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not.”

Many people agreed with Katie’s Boomer-adjacent thoughts on building emotional resilience.

Some folks are on the fence.

Others disagreed with Katie’s point, saying that the idea that we can all “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” is ableist and erases the struggles that people with anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses have.

So, what does the research say?

Dr. Simon Sherry, a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University, says that coddling has caused real problems for the younger generations. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep kids safe, but we must recognize there are unintended consequences in our current approach of excessive caution and vigilance. Instead, we must teach our youth to face anxiety, take risks, and overcome fears,” Dr. Sherry told CTV News. "We need to get control of this societal problem before it causes further damage for future generations.”

When it comes to confronting uncomfortable situations, Dr. Launa Marques, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Former President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, says avoiding discomfort can make anxiety even worse.

“Psychological avoidance isn’t about the actions we take or don’t take, but the intentions behind them,” she told The Washington Post. “If our actions aim to squash discomfort hastily, then we’re probably avoiding. For each of my clients, avoidance became a crutch, initially tempering their anxiety but progressively amplifying it. Psychological avoidance, rather than alleviating anxiety disorders, can exacerbate them.

Obviously, everyone’s situation is different and people who are experiencing mental health issues should consult their therapists to determine the best course of action to overcome their challenges.


This article originally appeared last year.

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Pop Culture

Gen Z, Gen X and millennials share their 'boomer' complaints, proving old folks can be right

We all have an inner boomer that comes out from time to time.

via Tim Doefler/Unsplash

Boomers weren't wrong about everything.

Baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) have been taking a lot of heat over the past few years from younger generations who think that their me-first mentality helped create a world where the climate is getting warmer, the rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and people born in the ‘40s and ‘50s still rule the modern workplace.

Boomers are also super frustrating because many can’t figure out modern technology, and the younger folks have to explain it until they are blue in the face.

Of course, these are all generational stereotypes that many baby boomers would reject. But they will probably stand up and cheer when they read a list of tweets inspired by X user @FvreignLL, who asked, “What is the most boomer complaint you have?” The post was embraced by younger people and received over 123 million views.


Even though boomers are in the hot seat these days, just about everyone can agree that they’re right about many things that get under younger people’s skin, too. One of the recurring themes of the post was that people can’t stand the fact that we are overly dependent on technology, and often, instead of making things more accessible, it makes them more frustrating.

Here are 15 of the best ‘boomer complaints’ that younger people have, too.

People had a lot of thoughts on the state of customer service in 2024.



They also can’t stand the idea that technology has complicated things unnecessarily.



Technology has also made people super annoying. What's the point in paying $13 for a movie and scrolling through your phone in the theater the whole time?



We’ve also created a world that isn’t exactly kid-friendly.



And, what happened to adults?



Whatever happened to paying for something once and then owning it? Or being able to own physical media so that you don’t have to pay every time you watch your favorite movie?



Also, when did we all decide that almost every chip has to be kettle-cooked and made for people with cobalt teeth? Enjoying a snack shouldn't result in a $5,000 dental bill.



Remember when coffee was a quarter? Boomers do. These days, it's common to spend $6 or $7 on a cup of Joe.



Most importantly, young people also have a real problem with you standing on their finely manicured lawn.



This rundown shouldn't just lead one to believe that boomers are the cranky generation. When their time comes, Gen Xers, millennials and Gen Z will be right behind them, complaining about "kids these days" and why things were so much better "in my day." But hopefully, they'll be a bit better at using technology.


This article originally appeared on 7.11.24

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Health

Gen Xer explains sense of 'impending doom' that seems to define the Millennial generation

Somebody finally put it into words and a lot of Millenials are feeling seen.

via Engin Akyurt/Unsplash

A woman looks to the ground in dispair.

At the end of his YouTube video “Does Anyone Else Feel Like Everything Has Changed?” self-development influencer Stephen Antonioni makes a rather haunting observation: "In many ways, the world is a better place than it was yesterday, just judging by objective measures. But I can't help share the feeling that something is off and perhaps terribly so. And therefore, I have to ask the question: Does anyone else feel like everything has changed?"

The most popular comment on the video, which was liked over 28,000 times was written by a YouTuber named Tracy Smith. Even though, at 57, she’s a Gen Xer, her thoughts have resonated with thousands of Millenials.

“I am 57. Not only does it feel like ‘something wicked this way comes’ but there is also this feeling that the whole world is holding its breath. Almost as though we are all waiting for some catalyst or sign or event that puts an end to this feeling of being put on hold,” Smith wrote. “This vague, unexplained unease we feel. Something terrible lurking just out of our field of vision but we all feel it closing in. I cannot count the number of people who have told me they wish that whatever is going to happen would just get on with it. That this waiting for the thing in the darkness is unbearable.”

The comment was shared on Reddit’s Millenials subforum, where many said it perfectly expressed how they feel about the future.

"I have never had someone put into words so accurately a feeling I didn't even realize I was having. I am wondering if any of you feel this way? Like, I realized for the last few years I have been feeling like this. I don't always think about it, but if I stop and think about this this feeling is always there in the background," RedHeadRedeemed wrote.

"The current socioeconomic situation in the US is unsustainable. Something is going to give, and relatively soon," NCRaineman replied. "I turned 21 and graduated college right around 9/11,” Seasonpositive6771 wrote. “My entire adult life has been a sense that the world is untrustworthy and unsafe to a certain degree."

Millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, have lived through a unique set of circumstances. Most were children when 9-11 happened, and many were just starting out as adults when the Great Recession hit. Once the world recovered from that financial catastrophe came the politically turbulent late ‘10s and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Millennials have also experienced a technological revolution with the advent of the Internet, social media, and smartphones and have lived under the specter of climate change.

The world can also seem more dangerous to Millenials because they’ve lived in an era where fear-mongering on the news and social media is rampant and can easily present a very skewed version of the world.

Even though the years that Millenials have been alive are among the safest in American history, it’s hard to feel that way when we are exposed to so many disturbing images in the media.

Even though many Millenials look towards the future with a sense of dread, for some perspective, previous generations have had it much worse.

"Relocate to 1915 and see how the punches can keep coming for real. Try WWI where daddy is killed or f**ked up in combat when you are a child. Then the depression beginning in’ 29 then WWII takes your kid. No wonder previous generations are rough they got it honest and did what they could to not ever be broke again. They did not comprehend the damage they were doing. They had been through hell and just wanted to be ok like everyone else," InfamousOccasion wrote.

One of the commenters noted that this feeling of dread may stem from a form of collective PTSD caused by the pandemic. The American Psychological Association agrees, saying people are still healing from the 3-year ordeal that killed millions.

“The COVID-19 pandemic created a collective experience among Americans. While the early-pandemic lockdowns may seem like the distant past, the aftermath remains,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, APA’s chief executive officer. “We cannot ignore the fact that we have been significantly changed by the loss of more than one million Americans, as well as the shift in our workplaces, school systems, and culture at large. To move toward posttraumatic growth, we must first identify and understand the psychological wounds that remain,” said Evans.

If the first step in recovering from the pandemic is recognizing the remaining psychological wounds, understanding Millenials’ sense of “impending doom” could be a key to collective healing.

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Family

Mom shocked after daughter says popular Millennial names like Ashley are for ‘old’ people

Is Ashley the new Margret?

via CiaoAmberC/TikTok used with permission.

Amber Cimotti realizes she has an "old people" name.

You can’t turn back the hands of time and so it’s impossible to avoid being labeled “old” by younger generations, no matter how hard you try. For many of us, our names are tied to the times when we were born and can start to sound really dated, no matter how fashionable they were at one point.

TikTokker Amber Cimotti found this out the hard way when her daughter noted that she has an “old” person's name.

“My daughter told me the name Ashley or Amanda — or my name is Amber — are like old people names and I never thought about it this way,” Amber explained in a video with over 3 million views.

“She's like, ‘Yeah, my teacher's names are like Miss Erica, Miss Samantha, there's Amandas and Ashleys, and she's like, ‘Those are just old people's names.’ Whereas young people names like my daughter is Scarlett, there's Charlotte, there's Olivia, there's Penelopes, there's Isabellas, there's Bellas, there's Ellas, those are young people names,” she continued.

@ciaoamberc

#momlife #millennial #millennialsoftiktok #parenting

The mom realized what was once young and hip is now just a big red flag that screams “Millenial” to the younger kids.

“So basically, ‘Ashley’ is always going to be my friend from elementary, so it just seems like a kid name to me but it's not. Ashley, Amanda, Amber — all of these names are like basically the new Margaret or Barbara,” she continued.

"If you got a shout-out in Mambo Number 5, congrats you now have a granny name lol," Christina commented, making a reference that most Gen Zers will never get, but Millenials and Gen Xers know instinctively.

Sorry, Ashleys, but the facts don’t lie, according to Mama Natural, Ashley was the 3rd most popular name for American babies between 1991 and 1996. In 2021, it was ranked 154.

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