Empathy for our young adult friends and children is in order. Imagine being them and trying to:

• cultivate a sense of purpose
• find a job that contributes to the common good, pays a livable wage, and comes with medical benefits
• find an affordable place of your own to live
• afford a car or other forms of reliable transportation
• get out of debt
• save some money each month
• develop the self discipline and knowledge to smartly invest for future expenses
• find a caring, loving, compatible partner with whom to be intimate
• decide whether to marry and have children
• decide whether to commit to a faith community, if so, finding a compelling one
• contend with friends and acquaintances inauthentic, curated selves on-line
• create a close circle of friends who aren’t so overwhelmed with all above that they have the energy and desire to spend time together
• worry about growing social inequities and the fate of the natural world
• cultivate the discipline to eat well, exercise, and maintain decent physical health
• manage your anxieties about all of the above and maintain good mental health

In the context of a global pandemic about which so much is unknown. How bad will it get? When will it end? How should we “reopen”? What exactly will the “new normal” be?

This pandemic presents unique challenges to many twenty somethings, whom for whatever reasons, already struggle with anxiety, depression, and related mental health challenges.

Extra patience and kindness with our young adult friends and children are in order.