For many teens, moderation is a foreign term. A term that exists solely in the deepest cavities of their minds, and only as a goal, not a reality. Much alike the adult figures before them, they believe that more is always better, or at least subconsciously push themselves to do more than they are capable. More advanced courses, more preparatory courses, more leadership roles, more volunteer roles, more extracurriculars, but less time for self-discovery during these crucial years of identity development. Instead of focusing on stability and positive mental states that can be forged through the moderation of activities and schedules, they jeopardize their mental health by prescribing to the extremes that our society glamorizes and giving into …show more content…
They do not see how since 2012 our demographic has grown drastically more anxious and depressed as a whole (Schrobsdorff), and they do not see the issue of teens like 16-year-old blogger Morgan Levy sitting in hospital beds with caffeine dependences and low blood sugar; this has all been normalized (Levy). In fact, if you walk around Eastview complaining about your sleep deprivation you’ll likely be received with laughter, “oh, I only got two hours of sleep, thank God for coffee”. But this is a highly dangerous mentality to have. According to the National Sleep Foundation, only approximately 15% of high school students receive the proper 8 hours of sleep every night (“Teens and Sleep”). By saying this statistic, we are stating that the other approximately 85% of high school students are at risk of heightened aggressive and/or inappropriate behavior towards family and friends, a lower physical health that is more susceptible to illness, and a limited ability to learn, listen, concentrate, and solve problems, all because the students don't have time for balance. Every day teens are risking not only their mental health, but their physical health, for the grades of their dreams. But our generation of extremes only sees this as the price you pay for success. In fact, Madeline Levine, founder of Challenge Success, a Stanford University-affiliated …show more content…
Currently, in our society, there remains a stigma against free time and moderation, a stigma where if you aren’t constantly doing something then you’re lazy, uninspired, and purposeless. Rather than viewing moderation as the strength that it is, our society only sees a weakness in its place. And, quite honestly, there is little that we can do to change that. But still we can counter the stigmas within ourselves, dismantling our own ideals of extremities. Adapting to lifestyles of moderation, slowly we can begin to accept living intentionally for self-care and self-improvement, even countering previous experiences with mental illnesses. While it may have been a highly specific study, Clemson University researchers found that upon savoring positive life experiences, soldiers could easily buffer negative mental health symptoms, including the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression (Sytin). Assuming this could be applied to the general public, and not only war heroes, it is inferred that individuals facing such mental health complications would be able counter negativity in a healthy way, without the assistance of stimuli and other valuable objects of consumerism. This allows ourselves to build identities of self-reliance and strength, only focusing on our own potential, which can be positive on a long-term scale. But once we realize our potential comes the upkeep. As Ferris Jabr stresses