By Noor AlKhars
The younger generation, also known as ‘Gen Z’, are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to openly talking about topics formerly labeled as taboo by the previous generation, specifically in the Arab world, in hopes to set boundaries and eliminate the lack of empathy when discussing topics related to mental health. In a post-apocalyptic world, people are now more in touch with their emotions than ever; consequently, it has become the norm for people to seek out professional help, which eventually opened the realm of ‘therapy speak’ on social media. The phenomenon has established a new vocabulary for the masses.
As more mental health vocabulary became mainstream, people found describing their emotions in more concrete terms, much easier than before. Furthermore, terms such as ‘gaslighting’ has sparked such controversy within the older generation, as terminology has shed the light on the problematic aspects older generations have been dabbling into when approaching their mental well-being and life in general. The reason why having a word for everything has sparked such uproar amongst the older generation is because they are keen on the idea that suffering is simply a part of life and labeling everything has made this generation prone to weakness.
Nonetheless, having terms for every emotion has enhanced the mental well-being of teens and children immensely. Primarily, people are often scared of what they do not understand, and when it comes to the previous generations, those who have been through the most life-altering changes and lived through so much history, whether it be famine or cultural revolutions, it is truly astonishing how they were raised to never talk or fully process their emotions in a healthy manner. As a result, those same people now find it hard to understand how young adolescents waste no time in verbally expressing how someone made them feel.
Unquestionably, terminology helps one comprehend certain topics, which is why it should be considered an important factor these days, as it reduces ambiguity and increases transparency in conversations as well as discussions, allowing people to communicate more efficiently. When asked about how certain terms or phrases has helped this generation to break certain generational cycles within their own families and how it positively affected the family dynamic within the household, 24-year-old Maryam states: "I have struggled with anxiety my entire life and it was significantly bad when I was a kid.
Growing up, there were no words in the Arabic language that could help set a visual of what it felt like. Therefore, my inability to describe my emotions has created a wedge between my relationship with my family as a lot of resentment was lingering due to the fact that I could not articulate my emotions clearly. "However, with the rise of social media, that eventually allowed people to stop mirroring each other and start speaking their truths. Having a term for everything validated a lot of the dense emotions I was carrying within me. It helped truly encapsulate the depth of my emotions, which significantly improved my relationship with my mother, as she now understands exactly how much of it I was feeling”.
Another girl, Fatemah, seconds Maryam’s statement by expressing how "being aware of mental health now in my early twenties is mostly impacted by learning the terminology. As a child, part of the torture was because I did not understand what was happening and most importantly why it was happening.” It is safe to say that as a generation we have come a long way in terms of feeling comfortable and safe with being vocal about our emotions and struggles; however, we still have a long way to go as some still find it hard to break this generational cycle.