As someone who deals with anxiety I sometimes wonder if this is to blame for the wave of anxiety and depression that we've seen in recent decades, as well as the rampant personal insecurity (across the entire political spectrum, despite what some would tell you). And whether those might be partly to blame for our ongoing political meltdown, as people lash out against others in order to fortify their own identities, because they don't feel enough confidence and stability in them otherwise.
This is exactly what I'm going through in my life. A couple of family members have anxiety, which causes us to avoid getting out of our comfort zones and pushing ourselves. And I'm finding that over time my own anxiety increases too. I think a big part of that is because I'm losing my own experience at seeing myself be resilient and handle situations.
And I worry a lot about how this generation raises its kids. We're told that you always need to support your kids so that nothing tears their self esteem down. But I think in the process we've lost giving them the chance to build their esteem up. They don't get many experiences they can look on where they say, "Yeah, I really rose to the occasion and did this difficult thing."
