“If your heart is not peaceful, you won’t be able to bring peace to others.”
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — In a world riddled with political uncertainty and climate change concerns, younger generations are growing increasingly nihilistic.
“It’s kind of this torrent of bad news, especially with queer and trans folks,” Aaron Pelchat, a South Kingstown-based therapist, said. “Their perception of the world is increasingly negative.”
President Donald Trump’s executive orders range from roll-backs on environmental protections to bans on gender-affirming care for individuals under 19 years old.
A person’s feelings of purpose, fulfillment and well-being depend on their outlook on, or framing of, the world, according to Pelchat. Recent political, economic and climate changes can cultivate feelings of futility.
In lieu of working toward bigger, longer-term goals, individuals are reaching out for instant gratification, according to Pelchat. These moments – scrolling TikTok, picking up a vape or cigarette or having a drink– demonstrate a reliance on immediate relief to combat feelings of hopelessness.
“[Imagine thoughts like] ‘I’m going to go to that party tonight, but I’m not going to focus on long term goals, because I can’t see the long term, because everything is so bad,’” Pelchat said.
Part of what Pelchat does as a therapist is to help people look at their thoughts through a different lens, with the goal of increasing motivation. In his view, individuals need something to keep them going; they need motivators to make changes in their lives.
Psychologist Abraham Maslow placed transcendence, or this idea of finding meaning and purpose in life, at the top of his hierarchy of needs – above physiological, esteem or safety requirements. Transcendence is reached after an individual surpasses a state of self-actualization, or personal and moral growth.
To achieve transcendence, people first need to have a basis of mindfulness about the world, according to Clinical Psychologist and yoga therapist Jorge Armesto. His background in Vietnamese Zen Buddhism leads to an emphasis on meditation, mindfulness and connection in his practice.
“I don’t need to tell you what’s happening in this country,” Armesto said. “If you are a Republican, if you are a Democrat – there’s a lot of ‘you’re bad and I’m bad.’ And that’s not going to get us where we need to go. It’s about understanding how we can make the world a better place.”
Mindfulness is about bringing a sense of awareness to the present moment, creating peace at an individual level, according to Armesto. The practice requires curiosity and care.
“We need to start with ourselves,” Armesto said. “If your heart is not peaceful, you won’t be able to bring peace to others.”
Meditation is important, and it is more than just sitting with one’s thoughts, according to Armesto. Mindfulness and walking meditations focus on noticing thoughts, feelings and sensations as they come.
“When you start observing, you realize that your mind is often thinking about the future and worrying or ruminating about the past, and either of those things are sources of distress,” Armesto said.
Mindfulness helps with overall well-being, increases self-compassion and decreases anxiety, according to Armesto. It can also reduce one’s capacity, or urge, to take risks.
Gen-Z and millennials who are experiencing more hopelessness and nihilism can use therapeutic approaches geared toward finding meaning in life, according to Pelchat. Exercises that emphasize living in the present moment, such as mindfulness, gratitude and journaling, can help individuals externalize what they are feeling. Writing down goals at the beginning of the day can increase motivation.
To make changes to one’s mindset or outlook on life, they need positive and negative motivators, according to Pelchat.
“We need sticks poking us in the butt, but also we need the carrot on the stick to keep us motivated and looking forward,” Pelchat said.
There are eight sectors to mental wellness, according to Pelchat. Referencing Bill Hettler’s wheel of wellness model, which was founded in the late 1970s, Pelchat said wellbeing is more than finding connection and purpose. It encompasses physical safety, financial status and environmental wellness.
Fostering safety in one’s body and environment is one of Pelchat’s areas of expertise. He specializes in trans and queer communities and works with clients from all areas of the wellness wheel.
While Rhode Island is a blue state, Pelchat sees clients that feel still unsafe living as LGBTQIA+ or a person of color.
“If you know where your body is, what your body is feeling, then you can take actions to change it,” Pelchat said. “If I know my body is in Hopkinton and I’m scared shitless because I’m a trans person, I’m going to respond a lot differently than if I am at youth pride up in Providence. The way I will walk through the world will be different.”
The experience of being a queer teenager, or a teenager who is Black or brown, varies widely depending on the area of Rhode Island where they live, according to Pelchat.
Students at Chariho Regional High School in Richmond have completely different experiences than at South Kingstown High School in Wakefield, and receive different levels of care and support, according to Pelchat. For students wanting to transition or report instances of racism, they might not receive resources at the town level and end up going to the internet for help.
Queer and trans people and Black and brown people are finding places to engage in activism and positivity and social support online that they can’t get, especially individuals living in rural areas, according to Pelchat.
More than just students are using social media to find community and inspiration, according to Pelchat. Youth Pride Rhode Island, a nonprofit dedicated to meeting the needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals under 24, formed a Discord chat for online support groups.
Social media, when used with balance and media literacy, can be a conduit for activism, positivism and social support, according to Pelchat. Teenagers and young adults, searching for connection and understanding, can lean into the positive aspects of the internet, like humor.
There are also negative sides to social media, according to Pelchat. “Rotting” and “scrolling” in bed – as an immediate release and coping mechanism – can lead to spirals and detrimental algorithms.
Looking at a phone screen all day makes individuals less present, according to Armesto. In his experiences as founder of True Love Sangha, Armesto has seen people become addicted to their phones and become detached from real life. His teachings hope to remedy this.
“One practice is as simple as ‘I’m going to take a full mindful in-breath and out-breath, notice my body here now before I check that email,’ and it starts to create a little pause,” Armesto said. “When we practice the pause, we slowly start moving from reacting to responding, and that gives us so much more space in our lives.”
Regardless of political sides, Armesto perceives individuals to have chronic stress. Mindfulness’ goal is to improve wellbeing and invite a new perspective.
“With mindfulness, we invite the pause and observe the stress,” Armesto said. “It’s not like we don’t have the stress, but then it gives us a little bit more room to be with it, rather than to be fused with it and run with it.
Editor’s note: Ellie Sennhenn is Editor-in-Chief of The Good Five Cent Cigar, URI’s student newspaper.
