Killing It In My Sixties

Is it just me, or is anxiety becoming increasingly out of control?  I am acutely aware of my own anxiety, and on the days that are especially challenging – it often feels like I need to go outside and scream at the top of my lungs just to offload some of the pressure.  I see it daily in almost every one I encounter too – kids, adults, even some dogs and cats!  The most concerning part is that it seems to be getting worse over the passage of time, rather than improving despite the increased awareness.  Mental health services are in higher demand; techniques, activities, articles, advice and are readily available to those in need.  It is troubling to realize that, with all that is available, the trend is increasing rather than improving. 

I have been reading everything I can get my hands on about the increasing anxiety in our world and found this article: “Heading into 2026, more than one in three Americans (38%) say they plan to make a mental health-related New Year’s resolution, according to new findings from the American Psychiatric Association’s Healthy Minds Poll. This is up 5% from last year. Younger adults are leading this trend, with those ages 18–34 (58%) significantly more likely to report planning a mental health resolution compared with older adults (32% of 45-64-year-olds; 11% of those 65 and over).” (American Psychiatric Association: More Americans Plan Mental Health Resolutions Heading Into 2026, January 2, 2026.)  So if you have been feeling it too – those are the current statistics from a very reliable source.

The research is showing that there are several factors at play: The backlash from COVID 19 shutdowns and isolation that ensued for our youth who were at various stages of critical social development, as well as being removed from a standard classroom environment, have literally derailed the progress and development of hundreds, if not thousands of our children.  Months and months of receiving instruction in their bedrooms using a small electronic tablet literally stopped social development in its tracks. And the large percentage of students who desperately needed face-to-face interaction and almost-constant human assistance, were left behind.  When schools slowly reopened – the kids were in masks all day, isolated from relationships, and teachers were struggling to continue with their known curriculum, having lost the progress of pre-pandemic times. The usual standards of measurement were no longer appropriate due to the loss of traditional learning.

Kids of all ages become incredibly comfortable with being at home, often in pajamas or lounge wear all day, isolated from playdates and social outings, being able to eat and snack to their hearts content without any schedule.  If they needed a break from their electronics, they could stop on their own schedule and play or watch tv – no real structure. Not to mention, the young people quickly learned how to hide and evade online participation by manipulating their computers.  Of course, schools needed to be much more flexible with outcomes during such an unprecedented change to the educational process. Grading standards were more forgiving and expectations were adjusted across the board.

Now we are asking these children who learned to adapt to a world with COVID restrictions for months and in some cases – years, to return to school and pick up right where they left off.  Not just the kids – we were all expected to just go back to living our pre-2020 life – almost as if nothing had changed. But – IT DID!!! Everything irreversibly altered for the foreseeable future.  The people whose social needs had been starved, plunged right back in with excitement and energy. But those whose natural inclination was towards solitude and very low stimulation, did not easily reemerge.  They had found comfort in the isolation and calmness of the COVID shutdown.  Some had dealt with their anxiety by walking for miles, or playing a musical instrument, maybe doing art or in many cases – learning and becoming an expert at online video games.

It is not surprising that a whole new addiction was born and nurtured by the pandemic. The attachment to our phones, iPads, laptops, Apple watches and various other electronic gaming increased by leaps and bounds. It is widely known that the algorithms for electronic gaming and devices are built on the same formulas that are used in gambling – a highly addictive activity for a large portion of the population.  So, it shouldn’t be surprising that kids get incredibly anxious when separated from their phones and devices during the school day. Their compulsion to scroll, post, search, and comment is an unmet visceral need going unsatisfied.  Intellectually we know, that we need to restrict the use of these devices – but what are we to do with the void?

Additionally, people are now viewing life through their smart phones and the reality they are seeing is horribly distorted. Add to that AI – images, articles, facts – pretty much everything imaginable is fed through AI, causing everything to come into question. Except that – people believe so much of it!  Who can tell what is real anymore? The momentum that these changes have gained is almost inconceivable.  Of course we are anxious! Are we falling behind everyone else? Is everyone else skinny and beautiful? Are we going to lose out jobs to AI? Are we no longer going to be able to afford to live in our homes?  Our immigrants are afraid to leave their homes and pretty soon we may see their homes invaded like the Gestapo methods of WWII.  You see it all online and on television.  The elderly are worried that Social Security will be wiped out, leaving them with nothing.  High school graduates are questioning the cost and need for a college education – what will there be for them when the time comes for them to start a career?

All the issues make one want to run away and hide from the world- and with each passing day it gets harder and harder to return to a normal life. Is it just me? Or do other people want to go back to 1990, when there were no electronics, no COVID, kids rode their bikes to school, they had fun playing outside and with their toys. I know we can’t go back – but I long for less anxious days and people.