Countless countries are recording a constantly rising number of citizens experiencing stress and anxiety. In my opinion, the causes for this are rooted in the amount of workload and unrealistic expectations. The stress levels of an average person can be mitigated by work life balance, and learning
The impossible amount of work people are expected to tackle daily is enormous. Since the competition among the employees is strong, people sacrifice their psychological needs in order to keep their job. Thus, it is incredibly important to know our limits and establish a balance between work and personal life. This can be done by finding a hobby and spending our free time taking care of ourselves. Moreover, this helps develop a strong personality, which is essential for becoming self-confident. While the amount of work responsibilities may not diminish, a high-quality rest is indispensable to leading a calmer life.
Another reason may be expectations that we put on ourselves that are impossible to achieve. Typical examples are beauty standards or certain ideas of a perfect life that we see on social media daily. Trying to achieve something that we cannot control, such as looks, creates insecurities which are a typical cause for anxiety and depression, especially concerning young girls. To eradicate this problem, psychological discussions in schools or workplace may be beneficial. Furthermore, creating content that depicts a more realistic approach to life on social media would help ordinary people realise that it is completely normal to struggle.
To sum up, taking care of our mental health without internalizing set norms helps us feel comfortable in our own skin. Moreover, finding a passion that we can fill leisure time with develops a balance indispensable to dealing with trying moments in our lives.