Generation Stressed Out: Amanda Bynes and the Illusion that We Have it All Together

Amanda Bynes isn’t an unfamiliar name to the pop culture scene. Over the past few years, the former Nickelodeon star’s reputation has plummeted in a downward spiral of DUIs, drug use, plastic surgery, and scandalous rumors, all of which has been eagerly soaked up by the public through social media.

The actress has received a lot of negative press throughout the course of her public breakdown, including plenty of insulting and vindictive responses towards her bizarre tweets.

As no official statement has been released, it still isn’t totally clear what happened to Amanda, but her outlandish behavior and current hospital confinement suggest that she is suffering from a severe mental illness, possibly PSTD.

Amanda isn’t the only one experiencing emotional and psychological stress. Although her case is quite extreme, I think we can all relate to the sometimes overwhelming burden of dealing with the many responsibilities that life throws as us.

So what exactly is stressing us out so much? Maybe an easier question to answer is what isn’t.

Millennials simply have too much crammed onto their plates: classes, homework, extracurriculars, jobs, internships, volunteering, not to mention maintaining a social life. On top of that, there are the worries of finances, landing a stable job, and relationships.

Additionally, our generation feels like they need to be good at everything in order to rise above other young adults in the extremely competitive workplace.

It often seems as though we have more things to be anxious about than not, and the pressure to stay on top of everything can be feel like too much to handle. No wonder we are the most stressed out generation.

All of this excess stress is leading to an increase in conditions such as depression, anxiety, and exhaustion among “Generation Y.” In fact, studies have shown that millennials are so overwhelmed that they are more forgetful than seniors.

We have access to more information and resources than ever, yet we are stressed out, worn out, and burnt out.

So what can we do to see a change in this discouraging trend? I think the first step is showing compassion towards one another. If we stop pretending that we have it all together and instead support each other through life’s struggles through encouragement and kindness, we can overcome the craziness of the pressure to be perfect.

So next time you’re tempted to mock Amanda Bynes, Miley Cyrus, or any one of the other celebrities we love to tear down, please think twice and remember that we all have our own struggles.

Featured photo credit: 4hdwallpapers.com

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.