What Mental Health means to me: Aarna Sharda

Mental health is a topic that has increased in prominence over the last decade, it has become more relevant in discussions and we all now have access to the largest datapool possible just through our phones, yet despite the visibility and accessibility of knowledge, mental health still seems to come with a lot of stigma. As a teen that has grown up alongside the rise of technology, I believe the generation gap between children and parents is larger than ever, which only amplifies the challenges and risks associated with a changing technological and psychological landscape.

In my view, growing up in this era is like a double-edged sword as communication is enabled at our fingertips and any information can be found instantly, while this provides various valuable resources and knowledge it can also expose us to a barrage of unrealistic expectations and leads to unwarranted comparisons. It is no secret that social media platforms present a curated version of someone’s reality, and what we see is only a highlight reel, not the full picture. However, nowadays everyone’s constant exposure to these idealised highlight reels and successes can lead to falling into the social comparison trap. This phenomenon can lead to feelings of isolation and inadequacy, and is detrimental in the long run. Despite being the most digitally connected generation, statistics would argue that we are the loneliest, further proving alienation felt by many young people today.

The speed with which technology has advanced has widened generation gaps, the older generations did not grow up with phones or social media, and they may struggle to understand the very unique struggles faced my young people today. This mismatch in understanding can make it difficult to have open and honest conversations about mental health, increasing the stigma around it which is why I believe organisations like YANA are even more crucial, to help reduce this gap in knowledge and advance mental health awareness to the same heights as technology.

-Aarna Sharda