Recent Harvard research indicates that many young adults are deeply troubled. The report identifies stress points and offers remedies. If you are one of those young adults, know that life can be much brighter.
Harvard found that 36% of young adults in the survey reported having anxiety; 29% of reported depression. “I just wish I was able to calm down literally ever,” one respondent wrote. “I always feel on edge, everything scares me…If I could just find some way to calm down a little it would work miracles.”
What drives this agitated state of mind? Respondents said they lack meaning or purpose. One said, “I don’t know what to do with my life.” They feel like their lives matter to no one in a world that is unraveling. They add to that toxic mix the stresses of finances and achievement.
The report suggests remedies – serving others, developing durable relationships, and valuing life as more than the sum of your achievements. One respondent said, “I would really like to have some sort of meaning from working towards a cause that betters humanity. I see the world falling apart, and I’d like to do something about it.”
What is my place in the world, and how can I make sense of it are fair questions. But will any cause suffice to give your life more meaning? Is “doing something about it” a type of self-medication for which any chosen ingredient from the virtue signaling apothecary will do? Something’s missing here.
What’s missing is a connection. Consider Jacob’s experience. He had a dream about a ladder connecting earth and heaven. Upon waking up he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” He then made a vow saying, “If God will be with me…then the Lord will be my God” (Gen. 28). Connecting to God changes your outlook. He is near to you, even if you do not know it. God is doing something about a falling-apart world, and you can join in.
Perhaps the best remedy for discontentment is community. Connecting to God by faith means you are a member of a people who “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). God forms that community to serve others, develop durable relationships, and value the life of each member.
Harvard has identified a troubling trend, but there’s hope! You can find deep meaning and purpose in life. You can find your place in the world. Connect to God and join the community of faith that embraces the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is salve for a troubled soul.