From SGIUSA, I'm Cassidy Bradford and this is bootability.

The weekly series where I talk with Buddhists from all walks of life about the power we each have to change our lives and the world around us.

I'm sure by now you've heard the claims that Gen Z is the anxious generation, or maybe the loneliest.

Yikes! Every new generation gets labels hurled at it. When I was in college, everyone was talking about how self-absorbed millennials were. So it was probably inevitable

that Gen Z would be getting the latest labels, but how true are they? We know from some recent

studies that many young people are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety.

A recent study by a health management firm found that 64% of their Gen Z respondents had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. A 23 study by the

American Psychological Association found that the COVID pandemic is having lasting impacts on the stress and worries of society,

and it's more prevalent in people aged 18 to 35. 50% of those young correspondents have a mental

health diagnosis. With these studies, it's clear that young people are worried about the future.

If you're at that age cohort, you're probably like, yeah, what's new?

Or maybe you're just exhausted by people calling you the most anxious generation, or maybe

both.

But being told you're stressed and anxious doesn't really help that much.

It's like being told, oh, just don't worry so much.

So that's where Buddhism comes in.

Today, we're going to be talking about how Buddhism

can support our mental health.

Bora Kolok, a psychotherapist in Brooklyn,

met up with me recently for an in-person conversation.

We also filmed the episode, so don't forget to check it out on our YouTube channel.

Bora struggled with depression for almost 15 years until encountering Buddhism.

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