Imelda Santos Caleon recently highlighted that the stress experienced by students often stems more from a desire to meet the expectations of those important to them than from a simple fear of failure. This observation touches on broader concerns about youth mental health, which remains a significant issue despite increased access to treatment for depression and anxiety since the 1990s.

Mental health experts note that the underlying challenge is the weight young people place on certain achievements—be it academic results, employment, relationships, or social standing. While these aspects are generally positive, difficulties arise when they become the sole foundation of an individual’s identity. This reliance on external achievements can intensify pressure rather than alleviate it.

Broadening the traditional markers of success to include areas such as sports, the arts, community service, or personal passions has been advocated as a way to create more opportunities for accomplishment. However, this approach may inadvertently increase the number of potential points of failure, shifting stress rather than reducing it.

From the perspective of gerontology, older adults offer insight into coping mechanisms that younger generations have yet to fully acquire. During the COVID-19 pandemic, despite facing a higher health risk, older people reported lower levels of psychological distress compared to younger individuals. This phenomenon is partly attributed to time and experience—years spent navigating loss and adversity provide a deeper understanding of life’s uncertainties and foster resilience.

Unlike older adults, younger people often have not encountered such life lessons. They tend to measure their identities through immediate comparisons with peers and personal achievements, creating a narrow narrative that struggles to support the complexities of life. The value that stabilizes an individual, experts say, is worth that is given unconditionally—being appreciated before accomplishing anything and still valued after setbacks.

This fundamental sense of worth plays a critical role in mental well-being and is an element that families, schools, and communities either successfully provide or fail to impart. The challenge remains to create environments where young people are recognized and supported in ways that extend beyond measurable achievements, thereby helping them bear the inherent pressures of life with greater steadiness.