Gen Z's stress toolkit

EXPERTS: REGRESSION RITUALS, SENSORY TOYS HELP MANAGE ANXIETY, OVERLOAD >>→ Doom-scrolling, plushies and weighted blankies replace green tea as calm hacks.

- Hein Kaiser

The last time anyone suckled on a pacifier was probably two decades ago, at a rave. And that was for entirely different reasons. Today, Gen Z's have turned to comfort all-sorts to manage stress, and it's not the usual bubble bath and green tea way of coping.

Try ASMR, whisper videos and cuddling plushies among the growing list of somewhat eccentric means that Gen Z's use to deal with the daily grind.

Psychologist and medical doctor Dr Jonathan Redelinghuys said these habits make sense because reality looks very different to newer generations than it did for anyone else that came before them.

"Gen Z lives with constant stimulation," he said. "They are trying to create small pockets of calm in a world that rarely slows down."

Annemarie Viviers of Heavenly Healing, who works with young adults in sensory and relaxation therapies, said their coping habits often reveal what they cannot put into words.

"Many of them are overwhelmed long before they realise it," she said. "They instinctively reach for something that soothes the nervous system."

The trend started in China and has spread across the Gen Z world.

Redelinghuys said using a pacifier is regressive and shows a need for simple and familiar comfort.