Despite mental health being everywhere and its cost on overall well-being and social development, we have been guilty of dragging our feet, both in the sense of acknowledging the causes and facing the consequences of mental health problems, as well as a societal commitment to addressing them. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that worldwide governments spend less than 2% of their total health budget on mental health.

But there is hope that the tide may be turning in how we deal with mental health. And that hope resides in Generation Z (born during the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s). Generation Z have a different way of approaching well-being and mental health than other previous generations.

Unlike the previous generations, Generation Z are more confident and willing to acknowledge and activate the connection between well-being and mental health. Seeing mental health issues as a natural part of life, something to be faced head-on, like a physical illness, and in the face of them, balance is more likely to be restored: a fruitful solution that results from open and frank discussions with family and friends, sharing or accessing advice on social media. They are also more likely to be health-aware, engage in health-promoting activities and adopt a healthy lifestyle. And while Generation Z are also active healthy eaters, they seek solutions to the environmental impact of food production and more information on how food choice is linked to mental health.

On the work front, they are not shy to press employers for workloads and work-life balance that reduces stress, or to take mental health days to nurture(培养) well-being and prevent the oncoming of more serious mental health problems. Perhaps, because youths suffer disproportionately from mental health issues, they are more likely to be open and talk about them, as well as to seek help.

Historically, the private and public discussions around mental health have been limited, while Generation Z are more active in strengthening, protecting and restoring it. And this shift in the approach indicates well for how society faces mental health issues in the future, especially as Generation Z gain positions of economic and political power.