Cheyenne's Blog – Uncertainties, asking better questions and making the world a better place with creative thinking

-Information overload and the meaning of therapists in the future-

(Why do I care?)

After researching the topics and my uncertainties, I decided to choose the one that is most important to me and also one of the most important topics that affects a large number of people in our modern society. I decided to look further and deeper into mental health and how the future will become considering therapists. Considering research questions like ‘’Will new inventions and information overload have an influence on our brain, and will the meaning of therapists change?’’ and ‘’How can we support society to manage the overwhelming modern world if they cannot afford a therapist by using more accessible tools?’’

From personal experience, I feel my concentration worsened over time bearing in mind more distractions increasingly came into my life and having to deal with information overload on a daily basis. I see myself being affected by this topic, realizing I am less focussed and realize how exhausted I am from too much information around me. Knowing this information won’t become any less and only more, makes me wonder if more people will need therapists in the future due to stress, anxiety, and burn out. Additionally, I have been surrounded by the topic seeing my generation being affected by poor mental health and being overwhelmed with information online and on social media, and for this reason, I care about this topic so much.

My generation (Gen Z) is mostly affected by mental health issues, which I can see in my own personal environment and when observing the generations I know: https://www.chconline.org/resourcelibrary/generation-z-reported-the-most-mental-health-problems/

Reasons for why my generation is especially so affected by it is inequality regarding income, loneliness (also influenced by Covid), superficial friendships due to social media, smartphone usage, and long screen times since the blue light of smartphones influences the brain’s production of melatonin and makes it harder to sleep, and finally, with less connection to nature in which we get to relax and meditate (noting there is a link between social media and depression). https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-gen-z-so-depressed-what-we-can-do-jenniferFurther reasons why this generation is most affected by it is also due to growing up and handling social inequalities, public health emergencies, climate crisis, and war. https://www.who.int/news/item/17-06-2022-who-highlights-urgent-need-to-transform-mental-health-and-mental-health-care

Has it been growing/increasing?

Information has definitely expanded, and information overload makes you think less clearly and makes your brain feel foggy. Making decisions also becomes much harder as a result of information overload. Additionally, information overload can lead to anxiety, feeling less motivated, and having the ability to think critically. Information overload can basically be compared to junk food for the head. https://medium.com/@tunikova/are-we-consuming-too-much-information-b68f62500089

With the attention span already shrunk, this leads to taking much longer for tasks you want to complete. Dedicating too much attention to too many things online, like checking your emails and watching a video also makes you perform mistakes and be less productive. https://www.fastcompany.com/3063407/information-overload-is-killing-your-attention-span-heres-how-to-fix-it

Another problem is that too much information makes humans more superficial, which is another consequence of too much information online. The combination of tone, images, and text turns people into living in a constant state of distraction and makes them check their phones uncontrollably. An instance is if you have a life-changing idea in your short-term memory and an email or message comes up on your phone and just like that it disappears. This results in that we, (especially the younger generation), never get the chance to properly learn, which is concerning for this generation’s future. If people keep the mindset that learning and advancing does not matter as much because you can google anything whenever you want, we will start to think like computers and humanity will be at risk.

All the information leads to losing memory overall, it makes people stressed, and it makes their mental health weaker. The overload can also provoke cortisol leading to worsened anxiety as well, which can then turn into burnout or severe depression.

Information Overload – Is it Really So Bad For Your Mental Health?

Again, this overload will not reduce, and therapists will be more required. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/denying-the-grave/202006/is-information-overload-hurting-mental-healthInformation overload does not only mean getting spammed and influenced by many articles, or having too much variety, but also focusing on several devices or sources at the same time, i.e. your laptop and phone, or the tv and your phone, which our brain can simply not deal with. All this weakens the brain power, therefore taking a break from technology would make you more creative. https://morrispsych.com/information-overload-memory-and-focus-are-at-risk/

How relevant is it to the rest of the world how is everyone feeling about it?

As mentioned, many people are affected by this topic, one out of five people in America feel overloaded by information.  https://morrispsych.com/information-overload-memory-and-focus-are-at-risk/

And one out of five Americans have to deal with mental health issues, but most people don’t go to therapy due to their lack of time, money, or access. Nevertheless, society is already working on solutions and taking steps into the future with apps like ‘Happy’ where you can receive emotional support and talk to someone trained, which is the basis of mental health. https://www.wellandgood.com/future-of-mental-health-technology-plus-factor/

Another reason why we need to find solutions for the future like this is the lack of therapists. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2021/10/mental-health-treatment-demand

In total there are 300 million people worldwide who are affected by depression and the World Health Organisation expects that by 2030 depression will be the largest healthcare burden. https://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/news/at-first-glance-the-future-of-mental-health-can-seem-disheartening-depression-is-currently-the-most-common-mental-disorder-with-300-million-people-affected-globally-the-world-health-organisation-e/

Applications, like apps, need to improve, and there need to be alternatives for the future in order to be prepared. Even though information overload is connected to technology, technology will be crucial and involved in order to create change in the future. Humans and machines will work in combination. Currently, younger generations have started to work with machines to support their mental health.  

Mental health in the past

Being aware of the fact that our ancestors had to live in worse conditions where homes were invaded, child labor existed, and being at high risk to get diseases, one might wonder why mental health issues became a bigger problem in the current times. The reason for this was that people had a more realistic view on life and didn’t expect to be happy all the time. They lived to survive and worked with self-soothing skills, instead of relying on pills. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-neurochemical-self/202103/how-did-our-ancestors-manage-anxiety

New forms of therapy

However, as mentioned before, people need to work on new ways to heal in the future. These new forms include hypnosis to relax and overcome fear and anxiety, as well as play and sand therapy, in which one can express their emotions by using objects.

https://www.insider.com/surprising-forms-of-therapy-2019-2

Further to this, new forms of therapy are creative arts therapy, such as drama, dancing, and painting. This can make people release anger and relax. This is especially good for people who can’t bring their feelings into words. https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/types-of-therapy/creative-therapy/

On top of that there is wilderness therapy, chess therapy to gain back focus and learn to concentrate, and finally play therapy in which you repeat memories with sculptures. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/types-of-therapy-alternative/

There are a few examples of organizations that already work towards a better future in healing and relaxation, such as ‘The Nap Ministry’, which believes rest is a form of resistance. They motivate people and try to get them away from the thought that resting is a negative action. Bearing in mind the modern world keeps reminding us that we need to work harder and better. https://www.instagram.com/thenapministry/?hl=de

The ‘School of Life’ is another organization I found through my research and their focus is healing and feeling fulfilled by offering and recommending certain books, apps, films, and other services such as therapeutic services, with the goal to feel more connected, less anxious, and confident. https://www.theschooloflife.com/about-us/

The future of therapy and healing

Looking forward into the future, there might be the possibility that AI replaces therapists. For now, people prefer to talk to a real person considering the empathy a human has, but society must expect a shift of robots to take over in certain positions in life. The benefits of this would be that robots are totally unbiased, people get a feeling of being more anonymous and they won’t have a bad day. This future is actually realistic considering that there is enough data and knowledge to create such a robot. This would also start to solve the solution of helping more people and navigating more patients in. Nevertheless, AI will not replace therapists for a long time, as people are still too unfamiliar with robots and most people still prefer to have a conversation with an actual professional. AI can begin to support and assist but won’t provide the warmth of a human being.

Will AI replace psychologists?

The more we learn about the human brain and integrate it into technology, the more we can make therapy more accessible. For instance, by using brain scans problems can be identified better and faster which would mean society would benefit from faster treatments too. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/future-psychiatry/

However as mentioned, there are introductions to new inventions, such as mental health apps, as many do not get the help they require in the UK and are on long waiting lists. https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2021/01/uk-s-mental-health-crisis-why-people-are-struggling-access-therapy

The start of an evolution is also happening with apps that are also more affordable than real therapy. Apps like ‘’Calm’’ and ‘’Headspace’’ cost around 70 USD a year, while therapists in the UK charge around 40 to 150 pounds a session.

These apps can support users in dealing with anxiety, depression and boost moods, however, they certainly do not replace a physical professional. The apps offer different techniques for different problems but are not recommended for people with uncontrollable and severe issues. Additionally, it is more accessible to a wider crowd and can be used at any time.

https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/best-mental-health-apps/

https://www.truthcounsellingnewcastle.co.uk/costs/how-much-does-therapy-cost-uk/

The downside of the apps is that they are not rigorously tested and may misunderstand you which could then provide false advice. The apps certainly don’t replace therapists, but will definitely play a role in the future, but this can take place in different forms, for instance supporting therapists to check in on their patients by recording their moods. This would be beneficial again for people who usually would not have access and would make the treatment faster. https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/therapies/the-future-of-mental-health-apps/

Conclusion

After having conversations with friends, I realized most still feel more comfortable talking to a real person and cannot see themselves talking to a robot, so there will probably be real therapists around for a long time until robots will come into the picture. They also mentioned they could see themselves using apps and would find that helpful, especially for people who could not afford them and had to be on long waiting lists. So, the opinions were not really mixed on this, no matter which demographic I inquired about.

Even though technology worsens our mental health, apps can support the future of mental health and are just a start into a future where people should feel more at ease and in which everyone should be able to get support in a way. Nevertheless, none should solely rely on the app, and what might be a more deliverable solution would be to provide mixed methods i.e. face to face and also app based which could deal with mild symptoms.

In our group tutorial session, we all discussed and shared our uncertainties together again and went into more detail. We delivered a presentation of either objects or mentioned certain circumstances we were unsure about. Some brought actual items from home to present and showcase their concerns, whereas others structured their topic on a presentation with images and notes. I was one of the people in the group who decided to present with my laptop, however, going forward I will try to either only show images while explaining what you can see or what I interpret, or only present verbally while showing objects in order to engage with my classmates better, to make it easier for the audience to follow and keep their interest in what I am explaining. This was advised by my tutor and in the upcoming weeks I will try to implement this into my presentation work. On top of that, I will use my own notes on paper instead of having anything written on the screen and hopefully with this, will be able to talk more freely and try to improvise, which will be crucial in my future career path(s). Finally, I realized in the session that some students had really similar situations of concern, even if this might apply to a country that is miles away from my hometown. Additionally, education was also mentioned by one of my classmates, just with a slightly different concern to mine, but also certain concerns came up, with which I would have not thought of, as they do not affect me as much, such as concerns about dating apps.

After discovering the meaning of uncertainty, what it meant to me, and also what most people in the world are uncertain about, I started to engage with more people about my chosen uncertainty (my BA certificate). I continued my conversation with an individual from Gen Y after I examined how Gen X felt about their certificate the week before. She finished her Bachelor’s degree as well as Master’s degree in the UK and mentioned a similar feeling I had in the beginning, which was a feeling of pride. On the other hand, she felt nervous about keeping up with high and continuously changing standards, as well as bringing a certain balance into her life at a certain age i.e. meaning being able to challenge herself and look after herself in terms of health and managing workload and duties altogether. Besides this, I started to narrow down my topics regarding uncertainty into the future of education, the future of mental health, and how the lifestyle of the modern society will affect modern society, and implying what impact this will have on our mind and brain, with considerations to new inventions and applications. I questioned whether this will additionally have an impact on therapists and will change the meaning of the job. Finally, having the uncertainty of being able to keep up with all these new designs and constructions, and acknowledging discoveries like cryptocurrency is an example of a new concept I am not too familiar with. The reason for choosing the uncertainty of education was due to many students feeling unprepared for the real job world, and generally the real world with life skills such as understanding taxes, finding a job, etc:  https://www.complex.com/style/2015/08/fashion-students-say-schools-arent-helping-them-find-jobs-after-graduation

The rationale for being unsure about the lifestyle of the modern society is due to the change of social behaviors since social media causes loneliness and often less real-life interactions: https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2020/does-social-media-make-us-more-or-less-lonely-depends-on-how-you-use-it.php

My third uncertainty that was put into my box was on mental health and how it will change and develop in the coming years, seeing that my generation (Gen Z) is mostly affected by it, as many events around the world happen that are out of their hands.

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/gen-z

This is also connected to the fact that this generation had to grow up with a global pandemic, social media harassment, and fewer job opportunities:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-is-gen-z-depressed#stigmas

Thinking about a topic like the future of education and the doubt of my BA certificate and if it will be enough, I would put this uncertainty in an envelope or folder, place it next to other important documents like my driver’s license, etc. and store it until it is needed.

I also started my research on the future of education and what it might look like, such as focusing more on online education and learning, having more freedom to work on your own skills, and working more practically. Further to this, I questioned if mentors could play a much bigger role and offer different kinds of learning material to students, which will also be more creative: https://www.eduauraa.com/blog/what-will-education-look-like-in-20-years

I started to explore this deeper and examined the German and UK school system, realizing that in Germany children are judged too early of what they are capable of, and what their future will look like: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/issues-german-education-system-indemy-student-channel?trk=pulse-article_more-articles_related-content-card , in comparison to the UK being competition focused and creating an uncomfortable feeling in the classroom leading to poor mental health: https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/the-uk-education-system-have-we-got-it-wrong/ . Taking this into account, it is questionable if these systems are ready for the future, especially in comparison to countries like Estonia which takes the stress of exams off of a young age, and leads to better mental health: https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/the-uk-education-system-have-we-got-it-wrong/ .

Taking all this into account, I understand the future requires different learning approaches for diverse children, and that it is necessary to prepare them for real-life situations, such as taxes, mortgages, etc. In addition to this, they also need to be provided with the chance to grow before they are being put in a box, and let them explore different skills such as hands-on skills, as well as creative skills equal to the already existing subjects. This will allow them to develop confidence and avoid them leaving school thinking they are not worthy enough or futile just because they were limited in exploring different elements of job opportunities.

During our group tutorial, we all were able to listen to our peers’ thoughts, ideas, and uncertainties. This included stories that were connected to their home country, arts, or experiences in their personal lives. Group members opening up so quickly made me realize the class is a safe space to be in without any judgment, which does not always come naturally in every environment. I also realized some students had many uncertainties too, just like me, which made me understand my classmates are just in the same position as me not always knowing necessarily what is right or wrong. Sharing our experiences and uncertainties definitely connected me better and quicker to my new class, in which any person might feel intimidated in the beginning while understanding how similar we all are at the end of the day, no matter in what part of the world we might have experienced it.

After presenting my uncertainties to the group and tutor on Monday the 23^rd of January, I questioned the fact about whether an actual physical box has to be presented the following week and found out this could be brought as support. At first, I felt uncertain about how this box with my uncertainties could look but came to the conclusion that my main uncertainty which is connected to education can come in a brown envelope, considering it is a BA certificate. Besides that, I got advised by my tutor that I could go deeper into the question and uncertainty of education and can break down and examine the future of education, as well as inspect how well-prepared the UK and Germany are for what is to come and compare those countries. Moreover, it could be interesting to determine what might be more effective and always give the reason why certain things are still in my box that I have decided on. The topics should be detailed, and symbols could be given in context as well. Lastly, I gained from the tutorial to read around the topic and get other people’s opinions on it in order to get various viewpoints around it, as well as there is always the possibility to work with photographs.

For my first tutorial with Sasha and the group, I started to create a presentation about the ‘Box of Uncertainties’ Part 1. I examined quotes and paintings of artists, as well as exact definitions to understand the term uncertain better. Additionally, I investigated what most people in the modern world are uncertain about, such as money, relationships, and health. I also compared this to how the term ‘uncertain’ actually meant to myself and came across thoughts like ‘underachieving’, ‘my future’, and ‘lack of confidence’.

I mostly concentrated on my BA degree in Fashion Marketing as this represented ‘uncertainty’ more personally to me and how I felt about it. To support and look into other perspectives I have contacted a classmate and one friend about their BA degree and feelings and came to the conclusion that both had slightly different opinions on it. Other than that, I also recorded extra uncertainties in my life, such as the lifestyle of modern society, information overload, and the impact on our minds and brain. I also asked myself if a degree I fulfill now will still be enough in the future, considering we live in such a fast-paced world, and if everyone and our brains will be able to keep up with new inventions and accelerated information.

Doing this task made me realize how many people feel the same about certain items they keep in their life, but at the same time also feel like it’s a necessity. The beginning of this task made me reflect not just on my past, but also on my future and where it will lead me. Finally, I also started to realize that I can begin to find the positive in the uncertain in life.

The challenges of the first week of this task were certainly to decide on my top uncertainties and present some that might feel relevant to my peers or at least a group of people, and not to make it too personal.

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