I really can’t define it better than the article itself did, thus: “George Miller Beard diagnosed ‘neurasthenia’ as an ailment caused by modern civilization’s taxing effect on the nervous system, with sufferers experiencing headaches, fatigue, depression, insomnia, and more.” Essentially, the core feeling is one of restlessness. On a wide scale, I do often feel restless about my life and what I’m going to do. On a smaller scale, I’ll often sit uncomfortably in front of the computer and try to decide which of many things I will do, or get up and pace around without any idea of what I meant to do when I got up. I definitely think the idea is very relevant, and I also think it’s a deeper, more complex problem than the handful of symptoms described in the article. The list of symptoms there almost reads like an infomercial (“do you feel lost, restless, or shiftless?” Then our product is for you!) but I can definitely see the basic idea in myself and others. More important is the cause, and how to get rid of it. Let’s try and figure that out, shall we?
The article says that “Neurasthenia is back for the same reason it plagued our forbearers; our expectations have not kept pace with changing technology and culture.” Think about that - we have so many things at our fingertips that were once impossible, and yet most teenagers and young adults only have the dated wisdom of their parents to rely on. So they’re told to go to university, get a degree in something useful enough to land a job and interesting enough to go to work on time. We’re living 20th-century style in the 21st century, and it isn’t working all that great. With all the wonderful things out there, from governments that ensure everyone is healthy to guaranteed internet access, we get bogged down by timeless “necessities” like working to pay for our food, our homes, etc. and trying to find a proper girl/boy to bring home to Ma and Pa so we can be happy. It’s not that those things are no longer necessary, but that there are options these days that fit a lot better with our new way of life than many of the dated systems still upheld by tradition. By holding onto these old expectations and trying to make them fit with a modern life, we end up feeling empty and restless, waiting to fit the ideal our parents had for themselves, which they passed on to us.
“It is the gap between our expectations about the world and how we really experience it that causes our modern 'neurasthenia.' New media and technology has seemingly brought the whole world just within our reach. But we can never seem to grasp it.” We expect the “real world” of our adulthood to be exactly as our parents told us it would be, so we’re looking for that when it no longer exists. The world we really live in requires a different kind of thinking from what we’ve been taught, and it’s very individual. No longer do we need to follow the crowd to be “successful.” Taking positive steps forward and never stagnating due to uncertainty will, eventually, lead us all to our own ways of life. When we eliminate the internal conflict between our burgeoning ideals and the expected way of life, restlessness will gradually disappear.
On the smaller scale, uncertainty is the only cause for feeling restless. “Our anxiousness comes from standing in the middle of a decision. We know we don’t really want to do something but we feel bad letting it go.” Maybe you were told to keep your options open, maybe you have a broad range of interests but no dedicated hobby. Either way, not being able to decide on what you want to do right this second is a problem when you’re spread too thin, and that’s something that happens a lot these days thanks to the power of the internet. It really is better to restrict your options some and hope it doesn’t come back to haunt you than to flounder in the middle of everything and tell yourself it’s the most efficient way to live. By focusing on the things you really like to do and forgetting about the things you “should” do or “should” experience, you’ll have more time and enjoy yourself more.
I wish it was a simple matter of 'do this, then do that’, to solve this problem. Unfortunately, thinking that everyone can follow the exact same route to success is part of what caused the problem in the first place. So I look forward to seeing your definition of success, or at the very least watching you work towards achieving it or discovering it. I’m still trying to reconcile my own ideals with the need to make money and maintain a roof over my head, but slowly and surely I’m pruning the unnecessary extremities of my life and focusing on the things that matter. I just have to figure out what all of those things are. I’ve got some, but it’s not perfect yet. And that’s just how life is!