Anxiety Nation

It’s 3 a.m. Your heart’s racing, your mind won’t shut off, and you’ve refreshed your inbox five times in case something urgent came in—despite being off the clock. You tell yourself to relax. But relaxation feels like a distant memory.

You're not alone. You're living in Anxiety Nation, and the borders are wide open.

The Silent Pandemic

According to the World Health Organization, global anxiety rates have skyrocketed by 25% since the COVID-19 pandemic began. But this crisis didn’t start in 2020. It’s been building for years, quietly settling into our lives—through our phones, our jobs, and our culture of constant comparison.

A 2023 Pew Research Center study found that 74% of Americans aged 18–35 report feeling “overwhelmed or unable to cope” at least once a week. Meanwhile, prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications rose by more than 30% over the last decade in the U.S. alone.

So what’s really making us sick?

Digital Overload and the Attention Economy

In 2019, author and technologist Cal Newport warned, “Your phone is not a tool; it’s a slot machine in your pocket.” Every ping triggers a dopamine hit, reinforcing compulsive behavior. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok are designed to keep users scrolling, comparing, and craving more—of everything.

Social media isn’t just stealing our time—it’s stealing our peace. Clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour explains that constant connectivity has created "an always-on culture of hyper-awareness," leaving little room for emotional decompression.

And the irony? Even while we scroll for escape, we’re feeding the very system that’s draining us.

The Pressure to Perform

In a 2022 interview with The Guardian, singer Adele opened up about her battle with anxiety during the pandemic:

“My anxiety was so terrible… it was a lot of work just to not feel like I was about to die all the time."

She’s not the only celebrity to speak out. Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles famously withdrew from multiple events in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, citing her mental health. “I have to put myself first,” she said—sparking a national conversation about high-functioning anxiety, performance pressure, and the illusion of strength.

In the modern world, rest is radical. Admitting burnout feels like failure. The grind never stops, even when our bodies beg us to.

Local Lives, Global Stress

Even in smaller towns and rural areas, anxiety is no longer rare.

In a quiet café in Vermont, small business owner Jessica M. shared:

“I used to think anxiety was just something people in big cities talked about. But now, even here, we’re living paycheck to paycheck, doomscrolling at night, and trying to homeschool kids during flu season. It’s a pressure cooker.”

Local therapists report that demand for counseling in many rural areas has doubled in the last five years. Unfortunately, many communities still lack adequate access to care.

The Cost of Constant Comparison

One of the cruelest aspects of modern anxiety is its source: comparison masquerading as connection.

On Instagram, someone’s vacation in Bali. On LinkedIn, someone’s promotion. On TikTok, a stranger’s “perfect” morning routine. Meanwhile, we’re struggling to get out of bed.

The American Psychological Association highlights that the fear of not keeping up—whether with peers, influencers, or strangers—has become a top driver of anxiety among Gen Z and millennials.

As author Brené Brown puts it:

“We live in a culture of never enough: never good enough, never thin enough, never successful enough."

Healing in a Broken System

What does it mean to get better in a world that keeps making us sick?

Mental health professionals urge people to reclaim boundaries: fewer screens, more walks, less multitasking, more sleep. But these individual actions, while helpful, are band-aids on a systemic wound.

“Anxiety is often a rational response to a very irrational world,” says Dr. Gabor Maté, trauma expert and author of The Myth of Normal. “Healing isn’t about suppressing anxiety—it’s about listening to what it’s trying to tell us.”

Perhaps we’re not “broken.” Perhaps the systems we’re forced to live in—capitalism without pause, productivity without purpose, connection without depth—are the real problem.

A Call for Collective Change

The truth is: we cannot meditate our way out of a toxic culture. Self-care is essential, but so is systemic care—healthcare access, living wages, paid time off, real social safety nets.

It’s time to treat anxiety not just as a personal issue but a public health emergency born from modern life.

As we scroll, schedule, and strive through the chaos, maybe we need to pause and ask: Who profits when we're always anxious?

And more importantly: What would it take to feel well—not just for a moment, but for a lifetime?