When it comes to asking for life advice, we tend to ask the older generations. After all, they’re the ones with more years to count, more experiences to draw from, more lessons to have learned from (we hope). But, it turns out, we may have been overlooking some pretty stellar lessons from the younger generation, and it’s time that we (Millennials) listened.
When Yubo, the social media app that facilitates friendships, surveyed 16,000 13–25-year-olds across the UK, they made some fascinating discoveries about the way that Generation Z views the relationships in their lives.
In surprisingly good news, it turns out that more than a fifth value their relationship with themselves more than of a romantic partner. 21% of respondents cited the former as “the most important” relationship, while only 16.5% marked a romantic relationship as such.
To paraphrase the feminist activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, partner relationships “can be a source of joy and love and mutual support” and of course, we think they’re wonderful. But it’s encouraging to see that the younger generation is focusing on themselves more than the pursuit of another.
More candid, though unsurprising, is the fact that over two fifths (43.2%) of Gen Z responders said that loving themselves is “still a work in progress”, and that’s something that we all can relate to. For all our #SelfCareSundays, our green teas and attempts at yoga, our phone-free evenings, daily affirmations and journaling, we can still hold onto some negative feelings about ourselves or feel those social pressures. But just like Gen Z says, it’s all about keeping the work in progress and the eyes on the prize.
So, how does Gen Z practice self-care?
Well, they take it back to basics.
It’s all about getting active, getting rest and getting together. 36.6% said that they work out, 36% said that they try to get more sleep and 35.6% said that they try to spend more time with their family and friends. They’re not re-inventing the wheel here, and it serves as nice reminder to us Millennials that self-care can come in simple, little acts.
When it comes to connecting with friends, or even looking for inspirational videos with self-care tips, Yubo provides the perfect space. It’s a place where people can socialise virtually, centred around real-time, ‘one-to-few’ conversations. It allows for authentic interactions and genuine friendships, all across a platform that enables you to learn about the world and about yourself.