Every generation believes the next one has it easier but resilience changes shape depending on the world people inherit.
How resilient you are might be something to do with the generation you were born into. Those who grew up in the 1980s were known as Generation X. Generally they had more independence earlier, less parental supervision and fewer digital safety nets.
Boredom definitely existed which would have led to more experimentation and problem solving. Compared to nowadays I definitely recall Gen X being a “deal with it” culture. Nowadays, everything is analysed, too much overthinking. It would be nice to strike a balance somewhere between X and Z!
There’s uncertainty in every generation. The cycle continuously repeats, yet Generation Z faces other kinds of pressures. Social pressure never really switches off and that leads to information overload. One could argue that, compared to Gen X, Gen Z had fewer opportunities to gradually build independence due to more structured childhoods and greater digital dependence. All in all it certainly gets us thinking about resilience and how best to cultivate it.
Short writing exercise
Thinking about resilience and all its strengths makes me wonder if resilient people ever cry, fail, doubt themselves, or ask for help.
And so, if resilience had a voice, what would it say?
Take 5 minutes to write a response.
If you enjoyed this writing exercise and would like to sign up to Building Resilience, this 4-week writing for wellbeing course opens in the WriteWell Community on the 1st June.
