Competition can be a positive force when it spurs us on to try harder and improve ourselves. However, when young people are put under too much pressure, it can result in lower achievement, self-esteem problems, and anxiety instead.
Some of the most common triggers for anxiety in young adults are linked to the competitive environment that surrounds them. Young adults in the UK are surrounded by pressure to compete and succeed in every area of their lives.
At school and university, young people are placed under increasing pressure to perform in exams. Schools and parents can over-emphasise the importance of exams or push young people into academic courses that don’t suit their interests or talents. The academic pressure on young people today is much more focused on exam results than on trying hard, maturing as a person and building skills. Since it is based on getting results, it also encourages comparisons with peers that can leave many young people feeling like failures.
Another common source of competitive anxiety in young adults relates to social media. Young people are constantly being exposed to the perfect, carefully curated lives that peers and celebrities are sharing online. No one can live up to these false images, so many young adults feel as if they are failing.
Although there isn’t much we can do as individuals to change the competitive environment around us, there are things that we can do to counteract and cope with this pressure.
Changing the way you think about competition and learning to compete in a healthy way can help with anxiety, but it is also important for young people to be aware that support is available. Talking to friends and family can help. You can also find support groups online or talk to a doctor if anxiety is affecting your health or wellbeing in any way.