A deadly pandemic has been looming over us. This pandemic is not airborne. It does not directly affect our physical health, but no vaccine in the world can cure it. Everyone has experienced this illness in some shape or form; whether you are conscious of it or not is another story.
Unlike the generation before us, the topic of mental health is gaining increasing tractions from Millennials. Loneliness, burnout, anxiety, hyperactivity, body dysmorphia, substance abuse, and depression are some of the symptoms 18–34-year-olds experience every single day. Research has shown that self-oriented perfectionism is the driver of these symptoms among young adults. We are constantly bombarded by hundreds of pictures and videos of our friends and celebrities living their highs. We feel entitled that we too, should feel as amazing as the pictures we see every living moment of our lives. We live in denial when we feel bad, and we mask those feelings by taking a smiley selfie and posting a picture of our vacation and captioning it #throwbackthursday. This constant pressure to be “perfect”, to look happy is a denial of suffering. This is the pandemic of our generation.
Today, over half of the workforce is made up of millennials, and by 2025 this number will rise to 75%. COVID-19 has exacerbated our mental health conditions in ways we had never imagined. Without prior notice, we are forced to change the way we live entirely. Some may find social isolation extremely difficult, and some may actually enjoy it. Some of us are forced to lock ourselves away from our friends and family, while others are finding it difficult to spend 24 hours with our families. Zoom fatigue and a lack of clear division between work and life are some of the issues, which have exacerbated mental health conditions during the lockdown.
A study by Harvard Business Review has found that we are working more than we usually do at the office. 75% of employees are struggling to cope with loneliness during isolation, and over 50% are feeling more stressed and anxious. The World Health Organization estimates that the lack of productivity caused by depression and anxiety have cost the global economy up to US$1 trillion per year. This year, Millennial employment rate plunged by 16%. Those who are fortunate enough to be employed are either taking pay cuts or being robbed of their progressive career trajectory. Those who hold entry-level jobs are more susceptible to pay cuts and layoffs. Companies like WeWork and Lyft have decreased their workforce by over 20%.
Companies run by millennials have integrated remote working software and policies seamlessly. They have proven to experience a smoother working transition during the lockdown as opposed to more traditional companies. Tech-led companies like Facebook, Twitter and Airbnb have been supporting both their consumers and employees by rolling out flexible policies to help ease mental and physical difficulties. Facebook has been safeguarding their employees’ physical health by implementing a WFH system worldwide since March. They have banned all work-related travels and offline events until the unforeseeable future. They have also provided their employees with flexible working hours and an optional parental leave on Fridays.
For the past few months, I have been working as a consultant for Facebook through LoveFrankie, a Creative Agency for Social and Behavioural change based in Bangkok. I helped Facebook implement their digital literacy campaign as well as their current mental health campaign, Unknown Together. Unknown Together is an online campaign launched by LoveFrankie, the Knowing Mind, the United Nations, together with Facebook to promote mental health for the Thai community. The campaign seeks to help Thais Cope with the augmentation of mental health problems perpetuated by the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. We have launched over 100 pieces of content ranging from an influencer challenge to infographics to expert panel discussions. The response we got from both participants and volunteer facilitators was unbelievable, especially when we take into account the cultural context and its stigma surrounding mental health conversations. We had over 10million engagement, most of which are young adults. The campaign has proven that there is a massive appetite for open and honest conversations about mental health and its solutions.
Millennials’ interest in caring for their mental health should be taken as seriously as their interest in integrating new technologies to boost productivity within the company. Companies led by young entrepreneurs are offering free counseling sessions, meditation applications, yoga workshops, mandatory mental health leave days, a work-life balance and a flexible schedule to those who need it. Millennials are not asking for a cacao ceremony or a full-moon circle. We are asking for empathy and compassion during these dire times. We are trying our best to make it through this pandemic while also understanding our mental limitations.
It is more important than ever to take care of your mind as well as your body. To normalise mental health by speaking up and reaching out. To let your employers know when you need to take a day off to take care of your mental health as you would if you had food poisoning or the flu. To talk to human resources and request that counseling should be a part of your health insurance policy. We are in a pivotal moment in determining and restructuring how companies will continue to operate in the future. We have the freedom to express our thoughts and opinions more than ever, utilise that right and take care of your mental health.
Author: Emmy W. Boonsakulcharoen
Emmy is a documentary filmmaker and creative social impact consultant, based in Bangkok. She assists local and international NGOs and corporations in driving their social impact missions through creativity.
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