In her viral TEDx Houston talk, clinical researcher Dr. Brené Brown said, “We are the most in-debt, obese, addicted, and medicated adult cohort in U.S.history.”
Clearly, this isn’t working for many – if not most – of us.
I don’t think it’s going to get any better until we dig into what’s making us so miserable.
I have spent a few months thinking about it, and interviewing people for The Depression Discussions, and I have come up with the following Top 10 reasons why we’re more depressed than ever.
- Change is unsettling, and the rate of change keeps increasing.
- Personal white space is critical yet scarce.
- Social media is amazing, and also triggering.
- Instant gratification kills fulfillment and is numbing.
- Employment paradigms have shifted permanently.
- Retirement won’t be an option for many.
- Smartphones own us and are addictive and isolating.
- Loose connections don’t replace personal relationships.
- Happiness is the wrong goal.
- Busywork is bad – but good work is the gift.
My next major body of work will be around exploring each of these reasons more in depth. I hope you’ll come along with me.