I’m Fed Up of Hearing ‘We Didn’t Have Mental Health Problems in My Day’

You’ve heard it, haven’t you? I can’t tell you how many times, as a counsellor, I have been told this, asking for my opinion on why so many people struggle these days, as if it’s a new phenomenon.

“We didn’t have all this anxiety back then.” And every time, I can’t help but feel it’s dismissive… minimising… like struggle today somehow isn’t valid.

But here’s the truth:

Mental health didn’t suddenly appear. It just stopped being hidden. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 8 people globally live with a mental health condition, and in the UK, it’s 1 in 4 each year. So no, this generation didn’t invent mental health problems. They just talk about them.

Previous generations were often taught to:

• Get on with it

• Keep it private

• Push it down

But silence doesn’t mean it wasn’t there. And life today isn’t the same, people are navigating different challenges:

·  Both parents working just to keep things afloat

·  The cost of living constantly rising, with little sense of security

·  Housing feeling out of reach or unstable

·  Job insecurity and pressure to always be “employable” with higher job turnover.

·  The expectation to be constantly productive (and feel guilty when you’re not)

·  Social media comparison, feeling behind in life, relationships, appearance, success

·  Being contactable 24/7 with no real switch-off

·  Blurred boundaries between work and home life

·  Information overload, bad news, global crises, everything all at once

·  Pressure to “have it all” (career, family, social life, self-care… and enjoy it)

·  Less community and more isolation, despite being more “connected”

·  Parenting without the same level of village/support

·  Increased awareness of mental health, but also pressure to understand and “fix” yourself

·  Fear of making the wrong life choices (career, relationships, finances)

·  Delayed milestones (buying a house, financial stability, settling down)

·  High expectations with fewer clear pathways to achieve them

·  The pressure to turn hobbies into productivity or income

·  Constant exposure to other people’s highlight reels

·  Navigating identity, purpose, and self-worth in a very public world

This list goes on…..

It’s not weakness. It’s a different world.

Are We Less Resilient… or Just Less Willing to Suffer Quietly?

There’s often a belief that younger generations are “less resilient.”

But what if resilience has simply changed?

For some, resilience used to mean:

• Enduring

• Not talking

• Carrying on no matter the cost

Now, resilience can look like:

• Setting boundaries

• Acknowledging when something isn’t okay

• Asking for help

That’s not weakness. That’s awareness.

The Double-Edged Sword of Awareness

Of course, increased awareness isn’t perfect.

We’re exposed to more conversations about mental health than ever before, and that can sometimes lead to:

• Over-identifying with symptoms

• Feeling overwhelmed by constant information

• Pressure to “heal” or understand ourselves perfectly

But even with that… awareness is still a step forward.

Because you can’t support something you refuse to see.

So Why Does This Conversation Still Feel So Difficult?

Because underneath comments like: “We didn’t have mental health problems in my day”…there’s often something deeper:

• A lack of understanding

• A different cultural experience

• Or even discomfort with emotions that were never allowed space before

And sometimes, it’s easier to dismiss something… than to revisit it. Maybe instead of asking: “Why is this generation struggling so much?” We could ask: “How many people before them were struggling, but had no space to say it?”

This isn’t about blaming one generation or defending another.

It’s about recognising that mental health has always been part of being human.

The difference now…is that more people are finally allowing it to be seen.

And that matters, so let's raise awareness and help people get the support they need rather than judgement they don't need.