When sensitivity turns into pain: anxiety, emptiness, and identity crisis
Here’s the crucial point: the same inner openness can become light or suffering.
When they don’t understand what’s happening to them, this generation may experience:
Anxiety without a “logical” cause.
A feeling of not belonging.
Emptiness even when they have “everything they need to be okay.”
Depression linked to a lack of meaning.
Spiritual exhaustion, as if they’re disconnected from themselves.
Many parents try to “fix” this quickly: normalize it, demand results, minimize emotions, push them toward a standard life. But sometimes what they need isn’t pressure, but understanding and support.
It’s not rebellion: it’s spiritual hunger.
A common characteristic is a hunger for truth. They don’t want to repeat empty phrases. They can’t sustain meaningless rituals. They don’t accept easy answers to profound questions.
That’s why they explore:
Depth psychology and therapy.
Alternative spiritualities.
Eastern philosophies.
Mysticism and symbolism.
Contemplative practices.
It’s not always a loss of faith. Often it’s a search for a more mature, conscious, and lived faith. A faith that can coexist with questions without breaking down.
The clash with the digital age: too much information, too little silence. This generation has learned to live at a fast pace:
They process information quickly.
They adapt quickly.
They are constantly informed.
But the soul doesn’t function at digital speed. The excess of stimuli robs them of something essential: silence, contemplation, presence. And without these spaces, anxiety grows, the mind becomes exhausted, and life becomes noisy from within.
That’s why many are returning to simplicity: nature, pauses, breathing, slow routines, partial disconnection. It’s not a fad: it’s an inner need.
The Shadow: What We Repress Grows Stronger
Another key theme is the “shadow”: everything a person denies or represses about themselves (anger, doubts, desire, insecurity, fear, contradictions). If it’s hidden for years, it doesn’t disappear: it becomes internal pressure.
This generation tends to be less tolerant of repression. They seek authenticity. They want to integrate, not hide. And that can be uncomfortable for rigid families, but it can also be an opportunity: a healthier spirituality doesn’t require permanent masks.
How to Accompany Them Without Losing Them: Your Role as a Parent
Your role isn’t to choose their path or control their destiny. Your role is to be a safe space while they become who they are.
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