Millennial career coach Andrea Misir describes millennials as extremely hardworking since they have to make up for the societal shortcomings that previous generations have left them.
"We are hungry and just trying to make up for lost time to meet older types of "adulthood milestones" like buying a home and having kids due to the economic turmoil that has delayed that. We got out of that feeling quite blasé and just trying to do the best we can given these circumstances."
Indeed, many millennials feel like they're running behind in life and are pressured to achieve certain benchmarks, like having a successful career or a stable relationship.
This has been confirmed by research, as a 2022 survey for Relate found that 77% of 25-39-year-olds and 83% of 16-24-year-olds feel pressured to reach traditional life milestones. It also revealed that ‘milestone anxiety’ is a topic that increasingly comes up in therapy sessions.
However, Misir strongly believes that millennials aren't struggling to achieve traditional milestones because they're lazy or immature (the oldest millennials are in their 40s already).
"We may not have reached those milestones older generations have gotten before when they were our age, but not because of a lack of trying. If anything, we're working even harder."
Besides, they're facing their own unique challenges that are holding them back. "Sandwiched between two generations of people that need to take a step back and people that need to step forward, we're definitely in a tug-of-war. We're faced with picking up the slack for older generations that need to retire and get their affairs in order versus the younger generation that is going through even worse growing pains," Misir explains.
Although millennials can feel like they're not doing their best, they have significantly contributed to society. "Our generation definitely ushered in the Internet age, we started online communities. We also started prioritizing self-care and family over career as more millennials are involved parents and will not sacrifice their livelihoods over a company that can easily replace them," Misir says.
Some millennials are feeling extra anxious because the youngest ones are approaching their thirties, which is a big milestone in people's lives.
However, there are ways to mitigate the anxiety or fear of turning a certain milestone age. Clinical psychotherapist Dr. Jo Gee suggests that instead of mourning the years that have gone by, they should try to reflect on them and see the positives. “Looking back over our 20s can have a cathartic effect,” she explained. “Analyse your strengths, increased resilience, and the things you’ve learnt over the past decade.”
