Gen Z & Millennials Are Changing Mental Health in 2025; Here’s Why It Matters to You

The conversation around mental health has been evolving fairly rapidly in the past decade. However, in 2025, one of the most concrete influences on this conversation has not been from the government or

social institutions, but more from the youth of today- millennials and Gen Zs. Youngsters are now redefining mental health by normalizing open discussions, demanding holistic well-being that goes beyond the absence of illness, prioritizing authentic self-care by digital detox and creative outlets, and expecting employers to provide robust mental health support. While for older generations, mental health in the workplace was something you managed quietly – keeping struggles private and showing up while carrying on, younger workers are not wired that way. They are more interested in openness and acknowledgment. “I often see social media posts and hear statements such as, ‘it’s high time I drew a boundary’ and ‘I’m quitting this job because it’s draining my mental health’, which are steps that we hardly ever saw previous generations take.” Shatakshi Sharma, counselling psychologist at Rocket Health, told Times Now. “Today’s generation has grown into a bunch of adults who want to stop doing things simply because of the 'social norm', and start taking action towards protecting their mental well-being,” she added.

Breaking the old rules

Experts believe that those from the Baby Boomer era experienced stress at work, and other issues like long hours, little sleep, and maybe even a “sink or swim” attitude from their bosses. For many, admitting exhaustion would have been a sign of weakness. However, for millennials and Gen Z, it is totally different. They are ambitious but know where to draw a line. “I often come across young adult clients who walk into sessions and use words like ‘intergenerational trauma’, ‘attachment styles', and ‘burnout’. Not only are they aware of what damages their mental health, but they also want to understand the roots of their issues, unlearn harmful patterns, and grow into a generation that creates more emotionally safe connections. Most importantly, they want to normalize these conversations and urge others to look after their minds the way they try to look after the rest of their bodies,” said Sharma.

Youngsters are normalising therapy

Unlike older generations, therapy is not something to be hushed about as much anymore. Gen Z and Millennial social media users have taken over the platform to use it as a means to rewrite the narrative that vulnerability equals weakness. Instead, openness is now being seen as a sign of courage. While social media can be saturated with misinformation, it has also given people the space to normalize their pain and build communities for mutual support. Most importantly, this is a generation that doesn’t shy away from standing up to systemic issues. The rise of voices against gender norms, sexuality, toxic workplaces, etc., is louder than ever. Mental health narratives have now gone beyond ‘self-care’ and become a part of much larger social change. Changing the narrative doesn’t mean that the youth always get it right. Oftentimes, the lines get blurred between emotional jargon and genuine distress. But the fact that there is more willingness to speak up than to silently endure emotional pain is a considerable win for the future of mental health. In doing so, not only are these generations trying to heal themselves, but they’re also attempting to create an emotionally safer environment for the generations to come- one where there is space for conversations, not silent shame.