The younger generation is significantly more likely than their predecessors to admit that they experience mental health problems. Today’s youth are aware of mental problems, but are still hesitant to reach out for professional help. The situation calls for improved mental health efforts, especially in the school environment, so important in shaping health-promoting behavior and preventing emotional problems among young people.
Insufficient support
Today’s adolescents and young adults, Generation Z (those born between 1995 and 2012), are open to talking about emotions and most often seek support from the family home. Unfortunately, the home support system does not always work well enough. Overruling young people’s emotions, downplaying reported problems does not solve them, and leads to feelings of loneliness and being misunderstood by parents. The crisis of trust in adults inhibits the use of not only loved ones, but also the resources of teachers and psychologists present in schools. All the more so because the belief still persists that one goes to a school psychologist as a consequence of negative behavior. There is a need to educate not only young people, but also parents to eliminate prejudices and reverse stereotypes about the use of psychological help at school. It is important to normalize the use of psychological help so that young people are not left alone with difficulties. Strengthening the role of the school psychologist can be done with the right tools to manage stress and anxiety symptoms in a way that is acceptable to young people. Promoting mental health with VR TierOne GO relaxation goggles helps reduce stigma, increases youth’s willingness to seek psychological help in the school environment.
Loneliness and isolation
Young people, who have unlimited access to extensive social contacts online, paradoxically suffer from loneliness. The digital world provides the opportunity to idealize one’s own image, the more it deviates from the real one, the greater the difficulty of building authentic relationships. Experiencing loneliness in life can result from an emphasis on individualism, superficial interactions with peers on social media and fear of rejection in the real world. Loneliness can result from a failure to receive empathy and support from those close to them. The inappropriate reaction of adults, hurtful opinions and lack of acceptance of expressed emotions leads to isolation of young people and creates the conviction that there are no people around to turn to. In counteracting the adverse consequences of loneliness, supportive environments and facilitating access to psychological help are important. Group relaxation classes with VR TierOne GO therapeutic videos can be encouraging and helpful in gradually reducing the stress of loneliness and isolation. A psychologist or educator equipped with a VR TierOne GO relaxation kit (goggles and tablet with control software) can conduct group relaxation classes at school. The shared virtual experience improves well-being, relieves tension associated with loneliness, and promotes the restoration of trust in adults.
Lack of motivation and hope
The generation of young people is in a reality that craves immediate success. The abbreviated content that reaches the young showcases accomplishments, and omits the crucial stage of effort. If gratification does not come immediately, the young lose interest and motivation. The culture of quick gratification does not encourage them to continue with activities that do not bring results immediately. The low level of physical reality activity used to be blamed on video games, which actually allow for quick successes in the digital space. Video games are part of today’s culture and cannot be seen as a bad thing, as they can be used for development. The WHO, the World Health Organization, in publishing international findings focused on teenagers’ use of social media and games, points out that 12% of teens are at risk of game addiction, but for many teens games remain a harmless and even beneficial form of entertainment. A threat to psychological well-being is the inability of young people to control being in the online world. An uncontrollable escape into the world of games may indicate a lack of hope, a sense of agency in the real world. The direction of adults is to give young people a solid foundation to live safely in the digital age, so that they can balance their offline and online activities. Today’s young people live in digital realities that are de facto the result of the achievements of previous generations. The adult environment should teach healthy use of digital resources. An example of how the virtual landscape can benefit and have an empowering effect on the psyche is evidenced by the use of VR goggles dedicated to relaxation. One of the secondary schools that uses VR TierOne GO virtual relaxation is the Ks. Kard. Stefan Wyszynski School Complex No. 1 in Tarnobrzeg.
Helplessness and low self-esteem
High levels of political, economic and climatic uncertainty are creating an inability and unwillingness to realize life’s milestones. Faced with a polycrisis, young people are pushing back hopes of making serious commitments. Young people are trying to realize themselves in the digital world, seeking confirmation of their worth in the recognition coming from the network. Achievements from the digital world do not always correspond to actual life resourcefulness. People are connected to the physical reality, so a low sense of agency in the real world is a serious problem. Youth’s helplessness is the result of low self-esteem fueled by hegemony, anxiety fueled by high pressure to succeed and the risk of rejection, and a deficit of coping skills in stressful situations. The widespread problem of cyberbullying can lead to serious psychological consequences, including a decline in the self-esteem of young people who exhibit high vulnerability and low resilience to stress. Young people value mental balance, but need guidance on how to manage their state of agitation. The ability to relax strengthens the psyche and helps build resilience (resilience, mental resilience), which is necessary to progressively cope with difficult moments. Virtual relaxation promotes the maintenance of young people’s potential and healthy facing of stressors that are bound to arise in the course of life.
Depression, stress and anxiety
Intense reality, the number of tasks and demands create pressure, and access to negative information raises the stress levels of young people. Anxiety in adolescence is most often about rejection and exclusion, and can manifest as both withdrawal and high levels of arousal. Anxiety and excessive stress can lead to school absenteeism, learning problems, peer difficulties and low self-esteem. Students who have low self-esteem are much more likely to suffer from depression and exhibit suicidal thoughts. Depression is dangerous to health and life, and looking broadly it dangerously undermines public welfare. Therefore, mental health prevention should not be neglected. It is advisable to take care of those who are not ill. Strengthening the psyche is important at any age, but acquiring the skills to deal with stress and anxiety during youth allows one to better cope with the challenges of life. Adequate early help to reduce the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression can avoid serious health problems in the long run. To support young people, it is worth using specific solutions tailored to today’s generation.
Compact VR TierOne GO virtual relaxation tool.