Why Is Everyone So Tired?

It is growing continuously concerning that nowadays most youths or teenagers are just tired. We have gone from children full of hopes and dreams to zombies who just want to make it to the end of the week. I mean, there are a couple million things we can blame for this, but really, it all circles back to us. I have read multiple pieces and listened to various talks on how our generation cannot stand boredom. That we need to be detached from the virtual and focus on reality. But honestly, there’s more to this.

If you expect me to come here and blame social media for all our problems like every average Joe, well, you might as well stop here. Obviously, it is a reel issue, real that is, but we cannot blame everything on a couple million guys trying to make a living by entertaining, educating, and inspiring others. An honest question would be, how is a video of me bungee jumping affecting you, a person I have never met? Why I choose not to blame social media for this is because it is not going anywhere. The internet has death frustrated because it can’t take virtual lives. Everything is immortalized on the internet. Everyone is either trying to be remembered for something or hiding under their own skin, watching others ‘live’. There are obviously more ways to group people, I’m just trying to make a point. So no, the internet is not a problem; it’s just there when you need it. Dare I call that convenience?

Everyone is going through something that only they would understand. But there is an escape. There is that one thing you do that makes you feel like you are in control. The one activity that makes life a little worthwhile when everything gets hard. This escape varies from person to person, but the thing is, it is exactly what it sounds like: an escape. It is a gap in reality where for a second you stop worrying about everything else and just let go. As wonderful as that sounds, you cannot live your escape. When the escape becomes how you go about your day every day, you start to live your life like a fugitive. What do I mean by this exactly? If your escape, for example, is reading a book or doomscrolling, this needs to be a controlled activity. You cannot do these activities all day. I mean you can, but you get my point. The reason for this is that the escape is your reset button. An activity that is meant to relax you now and then. If you are chronically doing these activities, the escape becomes a prison. So in your attempt to escape, you are all caught up. Then you do not have enough time to do other important things, and at the end of the day, you are tired not because it’s been a long day, but because you tried to escape reality and it moved on without you. Freedom is the way we earn slavery. If you choose right, you might be a happy slave but never free. The point is, do not turn your escape into a habit. Nobody lives in paradise, and when the sanctuary becomes the residence, it loses its power to restore.

If there is no escape, what’s the point? I do not know the answer to that, but I do know that the option to close all tabs on our life’s desktop is nonexistent. You just keep on adding tabs. That is the next thing. Our generation is full of life. We feel that we can do anything and everything. But here is how we go around adding tabs. You pick up a habit, something you want to be good at, but then someone has already done that. Instead of being inspired, you just feel overwhelmed, like you will never be good enough. You therefore pick up another activity. You feel you will never be good at animation, so you try coding? Before you know it, you are in a loop of picking up and dropping habits. You are not closing old tabs; you are just creating new ones. I mean if the goal is to be a Jack or Jackline of all trades, you are not even that. At the end of the day, you find you have not participated in any trade. In fact, you are making countless losses. For a skill to develop, you invest time and resources, and you get soft or hard skills as a payout. If you never go beyond the basics in this transaction, we cannot call you a trader, just a spendthrift. For money, that’s okay, I think, but playing spendthrift with your time. That is genuinely a dangerous way to live. In my opinion, you will never be good enough. However, if you take away the enough and just focus on being good, you might have more luck. Enough is relative, and there is always someone better. So stop starting things every time. I know the connotation might be bad, but it’s time you settled. Too many tabs are a distraction and may lead to a crash. So just find your tab and work on it without comparing yourself to anyone. You will find that you are less tired because you are not constantly starting things and losing progress. Experts are not born, and if they are, effort is the rebirth.

Well, so I start something new, but nowadays, things are just hard for some reason. I find it true. My next words are a bit contradictory, but bear with me. The reason everything is so hard is that there is no challenge. As you make out what that means for you, let me explain myself. These days, everything is at fingertips away, literally all you need to do is type. There are solutions to write about anything. On your way to thinking, your keyboard just smiles at you, and you just look up what your brain would probably have thought about easily. I am not an expert, but I think when your brain wing-mans your love life with Google and ChatGPT, it starts to feel worthless. When this happens, you will find that a completely normal task, literally the bare minimum, will be hard for you to see through. The brain just got tired of the situationship and decided to give you your space. You therefore sit for thirty minutes working on something, and it feels like the end of the world. If that is okay with you, that is fine, but if you want a change, be a trouble seeker. Look for ways to challenge yourself and don’t friendzone your brain. For me, it’s writing; I have to sit somewhere in a dimly lit corner so my writing can be the brightest thing in the room. Find a challenge and let the frustrations improve your days. At the end of the day, you will be tired, but the fatigue will be worth it, and the average evening conversation won’t be I am tired, and I don’t know why.

Yeah, sure, seeking a challenge sounds great, but we cannot ignore the fact that the amount of pressure on the young generation nowadays is off the charts. Whether these are personal goals we have or just parents and the community reminding you they exist, the weight on our shoulders sometimes is damaging. The sad truth is, people will always have expectations. I mean, I don’t know you, and I somehow expect you will get to this part of my writing. I do not know why we are wired to just want things from others. It is normally great to be on the expectant end, but when the tables turn, somehow it all seems unfair, like why would the tables be upside down? However, this is the reality of the matter, and that is not likely to change. There are those of us who would throw hands, not fighting, but just say no to it all and run away. Others just crack under this pressure, and the few who make it despite it all stand at the finish line, wondering how much of it was worth it. My honest opinion about this is to have your own expectations. What would you ask of yourself in this life? Live for your own purpose. I know everyone is different, and sometimes it is really hard to live for yourself. But have at least one expectation of yourself. Expectations won’t go away, but always meeting those of others will make you feel like you are living a borrowed life. This will inevitably have you staring at the ceiling at midnight, overthinking the meaning of life. At the end of the day, you need to remember it is your life; in fact, it is your life all day, every day.

There is obviously so much we can discuss under this, but I know the attention span is kind of a luxury. I will therefore see if I can write part two and maybe start a series. All in all, my word is not law, but if you actively look for ways to better yourself, you will not be tired. I might not know it all, but maybe it is the current version of you that you are tired of. Therefore, being tired is just your way of asking for an upgrade. Humanity believes in you.