Young adults today are struggling to navigate a range of significant life choices that can often feel larger than life. From decisions about careers and relationships to discovering their personal identity or choosing the right college, this crucial transition phase between adolescence and adulthood is often marked by stress, confusion, and uncertainty.
The pressure to succeed professionally and personally weighs heavily on young adults, and this burden leads to self-doubt, impacting both mental and emotional health.
Whether they’re feeling lost during the college application process, navigating a new relationship, or wrestling with self-identity, the challenges young adults face are not uncommon. During this crucial phase in a young adult’s life, it’s essential for them to find foundational help and support.
Why Young Adults Are Struggling
Young adults often struggle to maintain positive mental health, make tough career decisions, and efficiently cope with ever-increasing pressure to succeed. Newport Institute has coined this tricky transitional phase from adolescence to adulthood as a “quarter-life crisis.” According to the Newport Institute, 75% of adults aged 25-33 have experienced a quarter-life crisis stemming from mental health issues, career or academic uncertainties, and relationship or social pressures.
Studies report that young adults face steep headwinds related to the following challenges:
- Feelings of anxiety and depression
- Feelings of loneliness, isolation, and uncertainty about their future
- Feeling overwhelmed by the thought of obtaining financial independence, finding fulfilling work, and maintaining healthy work-life balance and social relationships–these feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy are often magnified by the prevalence of social media use.
These challenges concern many parents and healthcare professionals, highlighting the need to provide appropriate support for young adults navigating this critical period.
5 Signs Your Young Adult May Be Struggling
Change can be stressful, and not all stress is bad. But if your child is overwhelmed by emotions and coping strategies are not helping, it may be time to seek professional help. If you observe any of the following patterns over a few weeks, consider talking to a therapist or mental health professional for further guidance.
1. Withdrawal and Isolation
Choosing to isolate yourself, whether it be physically or emotionally, is often a sign of deeper mental health problems like depression and anxiety. Withdrawal might look like abruptly canceling plans, being non-responsive to calls or texts, or avoiding family and friends.
2. Frequent Mood Swings
While it’s natural to feel sad sometimes, sudden and intense changes in mood without any clear stimulus can indicate that a young adult is struggling to cope with deep-seated feelings of inadequacy or self-worth.
3. Changes in Sleep Patterns
Whether it’s insomnia or sleeping too much, any substantial change in sleeping patterns could indicate that your child is experiencing high levels of stress or depression that are making it difficult to sleep. Psychology Today asserts that sleep disturbances are closely linked to emotional health, so keep a sharp eye out if your child is not sleeping well.
4. Sudden Changes in Appetite or Weight
Changes in eating habits can also be a sign of emotional distress. A sudden shift in appetite might indicate that a young adult is using food to cope with emotional difficulties. Your child may use food to process difficult emotions, or they may stop eating altogether as a way to exert some control over an environment that seems completely out of their control.
5. Increased Substance Use
Unfortunately, it is common for young adults to turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with stress or emotional pain. Psychology Today states that “risky behaviors, such as heavy alcohol use, use of illegal drugs, sex with acquaintances or relative strangers, and drunk driving peak during the 18-25 year-old age group.” They attribute the rise in risky behavior to the fact that this age group tends to keep “switching college majors, moving into and out of their families’ homes, changing jobs, and moving in and out of relationships.”
6. Expressions of Hopelessness or Worthlessness
If your child begins to express feelings of hopelessness, saying things like “nothing matters” or “I can’t do anything right,” this is a serious red flag. Such thoughts indicate that your child is struggling to find purpose or value in life, a cause for deep concern.
How to Support Young Adults During Difficult Life Choices
For starters, develop a foundation of trust based on open communication. The key to supporting your child during this critical transition is to offer support and guidance while honoring their autonomy.
It’s not easy, but following these simple communication tips will help you build a supportive relationship:
- Refrain from being critical.
- Don’t be too quick to offer advice; simply listen.
- Try active listening, restating your child’s words so they feel heard and validated.
- Acknowledge their feelings – this can reduce feelings of anxiety and isolation.
- Encourage them to talk openly about their goals and challenges–this verbal processing will help clarify thoughts.
- Express that feeling uncertain and overwhelmed is okay–they don’t need all the answers right now.
- Give emotional support rather than solutions–it’s okay for your child to make decisions at their own pace.
- Have frequent check-ins and talk openly about mental health–normalizing conversations about stress, anxiety, and emotional well-being will help them feel that they are not alone as they strive to make difficult life choices.
When you use any of these strategies, you prioritize empathy, patience, grace, and ongoing communication without judgment. More than anything, this will help your child feel more confident as they face the complexities of adulthood.
RELATED: Choosing the Right Program For Your Struggling Young Adult
Frequently Asked Questions About Young Adults Struggling
What are the most common issues young adults struggle with?
Young adults frequently face career uncertainty, relationship challenges, financial pressures, self-identity confusion, and mental health concerns like anxiety and depression, all compounded by social expectations and social media.
How do I know if my young adult is struggling with mental health?
Common warning signs include physical or emotional withdrawal, mood swings, changes in sleep patterns, appetite, or weight, substance abuse, and increased feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.
Why are so many young adults struggling with life choices today?
Young adults are simply overwhelmed by an increasingly complex world. Social and economic instability, pressure to make the perfect career choices, and managing relationships outside of the stable influence of home impact motivation and emotional well-being.
What are the signs that a young adult is struggling with the transition to adulthood?
The following signs could indicate that your child is struggling to transition to adulthood: shirking responsibilities, decision fatigue, abnormal anxiety about the future, and difficulty managing work, educational, or relationship responsibilities.
How can I support a young adult who is feeling lost or unmotivated?
Encourage open communication. Trust and verbal processing without judgment will normalize the struggle and help your child feel more confident. Prioritize empathy and active listening over offering solutions.
How can adventure therapy help young adults struggling with mental health?
Adventure therapy can develop emotional resilience, bring clarity and focus to life’s challenges, and improve problem-solving skills.
How can a program like Pure Life Adventure support young adults struggling with life choices?
Pure Life Adventure blends cultural immersion and adventure to foster personal growth, self-confidence, and mental clarity.
How Pure Life Adventure Can Help Your Young Adult Thrive
If your young adult is struggling with a “quarter-life crisis” that is impacting their social and emotional well-being, Pure Life Adventure can help. Our Pure Life Adventure program offers a structured, therapeutic approach through adventure therapy, traditional therapy, cultural immersion, and life skills training.
Our participants experience personal growth, increased self-confidence and grit, and mental clarity that defines future goals and aspirations. This experience leaves deep roots, and our participants often experience lasting change.
If you need help guiding your young adult through tough life transitions, building life success plans, or improving mental health, contact us today! We offer free consultations and would be honored to be a part of your young adult’s journey.