Nowadays, it is quite common for many young people to try to build a "perfect shell" for themselves. They "transform" themselves into successful, happy and admired people. However, living in a perfect shell makes young people wear a heavy mask, causing many consequences.
While many of her friends struggle to find jobs and work extra to make ends meet in the expensive city, Huynh Mai Linh (24 years old, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) is the opposite. Her life is characterized by luxury. On her personal page, Linh often makes people admire her with check-in photos at luxury cafes, trendy clothes and her achievements at work.
However, behind those sparkling images is Linh's discomfort. "I always feel like I have to maintain my image in front of everyone. Every time I post, I edit every little detail to make everything look perfect. But now, I feel exhausted because I always have to worry about what people think of me. Even when I fail, I don't dare share it with anyone," Linh said.
Linh admitted that there were times when she felt stressed because she felt like she was living in a cage of her own making. Despite achieving some success in her work, Linh always felt that she was not good enough and worried that she would be forgotten if she could not maintain her "halo".
Not only Linh, the pressure to create a perfect image is quite common with Gen Z. Social media today is like a "stage" where everyone competes to show the best version of themselves. But that also causes insecurity and fear of failure for many young people.
Frequently surfing social media, Dinh Hoang Nam, a third-year student (Tay Ho district, Hanoi), feels "falling behind" when he sees his friends posting photos of traveling abroad, winning scholarships or starting successful businesses. "I feel like everyone is better than me. There are times when I wonder why my life is not like theirs," Nam shared.
Nam admitted that to escape his feelings of inferiority, he tried to build an "ideal" image of himself by posting positive content. "I only post the best things, like photos of me smiling, moments of hanging out with friends. But in reality, there are days when I just lie at home, feeling tired and depressed."
The pressure to maintain a perfect facade not only puts many young people in a state of stress but also creates serious psychological problems. According to psychologists, Gen Z is living in a world where recognition from others is quantified by likes, comments and followers. When expectations are not met, they easily fall into feelings of low self-esteem and disorientation. This can lead to problems such as anxiety disorders, stress and even depression.
Faced with this issue, psychologists say that Gen Z needs to learn to accept their own imperfections. Instead of comparing, young people should focus on their own journey.
In addition, creating a safe space to share emotions is also very important. Recently, instead of posting glamorous images on social media, Linh has started trying to write a diary to express her feelings. She is learning to accept that she does not have to be good at everything, and that she can also fail, being true to herself makes her more confident, comfortable, and happy.
Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/nguoi-tre-kiet-suc-vi-vo-boc-hoan-hao-20241220202331837.htm
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