Millennials are constantly labeled as unproductive, stressed out and anxious. Why single out millennial's for having the same common qualities as everyone else?
I am a stressed out, unproductive and anxious millennial
First, I want to start this all off by introducing myself. Hi, I'm Halle, and I am the Client Loyalty and Marketing Manager at Extended DISC. I also happen to be a millennial. The other day I was scrolling through LinkedIn, and I came across a Forbes article: ‘8 Habits That Make Millennials Stressed, Anxious And Unproductive’. Of course, as a millennial, I was intrigued. I read the article to learn what it had to say.
The article stated some of the obvious reasons for anxiety. The reasons included a tough job market and student debt. Owing money and trying to find a job is an obvious stressor for anyone, right?
However, I found myself rolling my eyes at two of the reasons they said caused millennial's stress and anxiety. They cited poor sleeping habits and skipping meals. Why are these two reasons being singled out to only cause stress for the millennial generation? Yes, if I’m tired, then I feel unproductive. Again, wouldn’t that cause stress for all generations? Also, when I don’t have enough to eat, I can get ‘hangry’ (a combination of angry and hungry). I may appear stressed, grumpy, or anxious. Stating these two reasons as the main causes for stress in millennials only makes us look bad. We stay up all night and skip our breakfast so we are more stressed than others. Read the sarcasm.
Self-awareness helps me avoid being stressed and helps me manage my time
When I am feeling stressed, there are usually are a number of factors that cause me to feel the way I do. Sometimes, I even have trouble pinpointing the exact cause of my stress and anxiety. Since working with Extended DISC, I find identifying my stressors became easier after I discovered our 'Stress & Time Management' report. One of the many perks of using DISC reports is that they can be customized and tailored to your needs. DISC reports can be relevant to specific job roles like healthcare or sales, and lifestyle like stress, time management.
Other generations, such as the baby boomers, may think 'adulting' is a major cause of stress for millennials. However, there are many common causes of stress across all generations. DISC tools offer content that can impact your daily life and how you choose to go about behaving in certain situations. Not only does DISC initiate effective communication and teamwork, but it also can do more. It helps people understand what their signs of stress are, what works to alleviate stress, and how to better manage their time. (See image for Extended DISC analysis of stress).
I keep finding article topics that pigeonhole the millennial generation as unmotivated, unproductive and other negative adjectives. DISC reports can help pinpoint how millennials manage their time, what causes them stress, or what methods work best in alleviating that stress. Using DISC reports can help transform behavior and understanding of others, regardless of the generation. It's time to stop boxing in millennials and to see individual's as unique, no matter the generation.
