Simple solutions
This October 10th was different.
October 10th has always been a special day because it’s my wife’s birthday. However, this year was unique. From the morning onward, reminders started pouring in from friends, colleagues, and others about World Mental Health Day 2024, which also falls on October 10th—specifically focused on mental health in the workplace. I began to wonder, “Is there a problem with my leadership style? Am I making life difficult for the people around me?” (I do have my own mental health challenge, which I’ve learned to live with, but I never thought I was making others miserable!)
Last night, I had a conversation with a young man working on a school project. His project was about developing a tool to address study-related stress among adolescents—a handheld device that provides visual reminders and is soft enough to use for stress relief.
Studies now clearly show that Gen Z has the highest prevalence of mental health challenges, particularly in higher socio-economic groups and nations.
The COVID-19 pandemic, the current state of the world, the culture of “I feel, therefore I am” (as Carl R. Trueman calls it, *the psychological man*), the uncertainty of tomorrow, social media-driven expectations, and the rapidly widening generation gaps are just some of the contributing factors. Even with the end of the pandemic, mental health challenges have not declined.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, these issues do not have easy solutions—Like in Inside Out 2, Joy bursting through anxiety by itself. Yes, short-term solutions can help us navigate through crises, but we need something far beyond quick fixes.
https://santhoshsramblings.blogspot.com/2024/10/inside-out.html
A compounding factor is the global epidemic of loneliness.
A recent article in *The New York Times*, "The Loneliness Epidemic," tackles this issue head-on. The article, titled "The Loneliness Epidemic is Hard to Cure”, argues that curing loneliness requires a change in perspective
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/magazine/loneliness-epidemic-cure.html
The article states, “The easiest way to respond to these dislocations, and to try to account for the loneliness they elicit is to wish them away — to try to jam the genie back in the bottle. …. a 'palpable nostalgia for old modes of closeness,' …. In that survey, subjects were asked if Americans today are lonelier than they were in decades past, and if so, why. ‘Previous generations,’ one respondent writes, ‘weren’t as self-centred and helped each other more.’ Another speaks of a time when individuals ‘lived in closer proximity’ and ‘relied on family members to a greater extent.’ A third adds, ‘It took a community to survive.’”
The article continues: “Squint and you can see it: a scenario in which today’s loneliness crisis is really a mass period of acclimatization. It’s a bridge, an evolutionary step, during which we make our peace with certain trade-offs and realities—that in 2024, we’re not all going to race to rejoin the local grange. That we’re not all going back to church, temple, or mosque. That our kids may grow up far from their grandparents, aunts, and uncles—far from the towns where we were raised. That the workplace will remain diffuse, tethered by Zoom meetings and the occasional in-person happy hour. We may often see friends more on FaceTime than we do in real life. And most important, that despite it all, we’ll find one another again.”
Leaving one wondering how and when we will find one another again.
I have always believed that complex problems have no simple solutions. But last night, something happened that challenged that belief. A family came over for dinner. We ate, laughed, teased each other, and prayed, and then they left. This morning, I received a message from one of them: “I came tired and drained, and now I feel energetic. Thank you so much for the refreshing evening.”
Maybe I’ve been wrong all along. Sometimes, simple solutions might just be the answer.
And the good book reminded me today...
“Don’t bother your head with braggarts or wish you could succeed like the wicked. (Do not compare)
Get insurance with God, do a good deed, settle down and stick to your last. (Get insurance with no small prints. Do good for others)
Keep company with God, and get in on the best. Open up before God and keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done. He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon. (Take life a bit lightly - Be connected to the right source)
Quiet down before God. (Speak to your heart and ask it to be quiet) Less is more, and more is less. (Be content - A little anxiety is okay to live with too 😊)
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