Gen Zer Claims She Hasn't Recovered Financially Since 2020 — 'I Don’t Know A Person My Age That’s Doing Well'
Her concerns are valid, but perspective is everything.
Romanchini | Shutterstock A Gen Zer bitterly took to Reddit to vent about her frustrations navigating life at 23 years old after experiencing a pandemic that derailed her life goals in 2020.
The woman claimed she still hasn’t recovered financially since 2020 and will likely continue to have a hard time rebuilding her life.
In the r/GenZ forum, the woman said she initially planned to attend college when she was 18, which was right around the time the pandemic hit.
She said that because of these circumstances, in addition to having parents who didn’t guide her in the right direction, she ended up not going to college. Based on the tone and delivery of her post, it’s clear she feels she hasn’t been able to grow past the setbacks she experienced during 2020.
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“The millennials sure didn’t … recover from the financial crash in 2008, so what does that say for us? We probably won't recover,” she wrote in her post. “A lot of my friends straight up DIDN’T GET stimulus money, and it spiraled them into financial ruin at like 19/20/21 years old.”
“I honestly don’t know a person my age that’s actually doing well unless they still live with family,” she added. “And pretty much everyone knows that social media is full of lies about what people our age are doing or should have.”
The age of 18 is a pivotal moment when adolescents begin thinking about their goals and making decisions for their futures. It’s the time teenagers transition out of their younger selves and flourish into more independent, mature young adults. Jennifer Woods, MD, medical director of adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital Colorado, told Parents that at 18, young adults have one foot in the door of adulthood and one still in childhood, and they need help and guidance to find their way. She explained, "There may also be a struggle as they feel independent in many situations but may still be financially tied to parents to support education, housing, insurance, and more."
The pandemic was a challenging time for everyone, regardless of age, but it particularly discouraged Gen Zers in their late teens and early 20s from having the space to explore their identities. We may have collectively moved past the shift we all experienced in 2020, but many Gen Zers still feel stuck in the same confused mental states they were in four years ago.
Gen Zers have certainly experienced a turbulent last four years, which has made it difficult for them to build success.
While the woman’s feelings and frustrations are certainly valid, many Reddit users suggested her post came from a place of self-pity and helplessness. Some claimed her perspective seemed clouded by her struggles rather than focused on finding solutions.
“I didn’t get to have a happy childhood, I didn’t get to have fun teen years, and now I’m facing the possibility that I won’t get to enjoy my 20s either,” the woman wrote.
It’s no secret that Gen Zers, currently in their early 20s, are struggling more than any other age group. They have experienced significant moments in history at such a pivotal time in their lives.
So many young individuals are dealing with a myriad of struggles that are worse than ever before, such as rising housing costs and inflation, finding jobs, and facing astronomical student debt, all while having little to no idea who they are and what they desire because a significant period of their life was spent in isolation.
It can all feel like too much to grasp, hence the woman’s defeated and pessimistic perspective. She is valid to feel helplessly fed up with the state of the economy and society, as many others her age do, but this mindset will only continue to make her feel stuck and unhappy.
Reddit users offered the woman advice and encouraged her to take action and shift her perspective.
Some Reddit users related to the woman’s anxiety, agreeing that we live in a totally different world than the one we were born into.
“I think they probably just feel mentally stuck at the age they were when the pandemic started and haven’t really processed the time passing, so it’s hard to stomach where you’re at,” someone commented on her post. “That’s how I feel, at least. I’ll be 34 in two months and am honestly ready to have a meltdown over it. It’s hard trying to cope with the trauma of the past four years in a world that’s pretending nothing ever happened.”
Others affirmed that it’s OK to feel lost in your 20s, as it’s your first taste of the real world, and the real world is not easy to adapt to. However, they also asserted that the woman will need to shift her perspective, take accountability, and evaluate her options if she wants to make the most out of her experience.
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“You can either wallow in your self-pity or actually do something. It isn’t gonna be easy, but there are options,” a 24-year-old commented. “My life got messed up by the whole pandemic thing too. I’m in a [lot of] debt, I’ve been unemployed, and college fell apart for me. I could spend time wallowing in how sucky my life is, but that isn’t going to do me any good. As others have said, 23 isn’t old. You can still go back to college.”
In essence, life is going to be filled with struggles no matter what. When everything feels so out of our control, all we can do is build a life around our circumstances, be present, follow our intuition, and practice gratitude.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.