Someone on X (formerly Twitter) recently joked that Chinua Achebe should have waited a few more decades before writing ‘Things Fall Apart’.
Looking around today, it is hard to disagree.
If things were not falling apart before, they are now. Gas is ₦2,300 per kg, food prices keep rising, and even moving around comes with anxiety.
We are still told to have ‘renewed hope’?
Nigerians will survive. We always do. Whether we’re okay is another story.
We are surrounded by young people who look fine and turn everything into a joke. There is a meme for every national crisis. There is a new way to make pain feel consumable. Nigerians have mastered the art of laughing through things that should never be funny.
Beneath that humour sits a sad reality. Many young people are tired in ways that are not always visible. There is the pressure of school, the weight of economic uncertainty, and the constant stream of bad news.
The Map of Escape
Nigerians find coping mechanisms. Some are good. Some are just a time bomb waiting to happen. Coping tools are not the issue. The issue is when they become the only response to discomfort.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression and anxiety remain the top causes of illness for young people.
In high-stress environments with little support (like Nigeria), the signs show up in daily habits long before any diagnosis.
Humour is our first tool.
Nigerians can joke through anything. That is genius.
It is also camouflage. The joke arrives fast, and the feeling never gets a word in.
Performing okay is not the same as being okay. Sometimes, the funniest person is hurting the most. Humour helps us survive, yet it can also hide what’s hurting.
Scrolling is next.
The phone appears the second we feel anything. Platforms were built for that exact moment. Doomscrolling increases anxiety.
It ruins sleep.
It keeps stress high.
The mind is not built for non-stop distress.
Validation seeking follows the same pattern. When the world feels cold, being seen online feels warm. However, likes and validation don’t fill the void in the end.
There’s also a rise in substance abuse. Many youths now turn to drugs to numb out or disconnect from reality. Alcohol, pills, anything that quiets the noise. They create distance from what we feel, but the feelings never leave.
Ways to Stay Grounded
Healthy coping does not remove discomfort. It creates space for discomfort to be processed.
Some of the ways that actually help:
- Talk to someone you trust. Carrying things alone does not make them lighter, so don’t isolate yourself.
- Limit your exposure to distressing news. Staying informed does not require being consumed. Stay connected, but learn when to disconnect.
- Step away from constant online noise and let the mind settle. Silence is where clarity surfaces.
- Engage in fruitful activities.
- Seek professional support when things grow heavier than usual.
- Protect your sleep (tired brains spiral more)
- Set proper boundaries to keep you and your associations in check.
- Try a creative release (draw, sing, cook, write, freestyle. Make something when you feel like you’re falling apart. Creation fights chaos.) e.t.c
It’s important to know which healthy coping mechanisms work for you.
Resilience is real, and so is Fatigue
Many young people are not struggling because they are weak.
They are struggling because they are exposed to pressure without enough space to process it.
Young Nigerians have learned to adapt quickly, to continue despite difficulty, to find light moments in heavy situations.
However, resilience does not cancel out fatigue. Both can co-exist at the same time.
The challenge is not to dismantle coping mechanisms because everyone has them.
It is recognising when coping turns into avoidance.
Young Nigerians are carrying a great deal at once. None of this makes anyone less.
It only explains why so many different forms of coping have emerged.
The more honest question is if the ways of coping are helping us stay grounded or harming us?
If this feels familiar, do not carry it alone.
Check on the funny friend.
Share this with them.
We do hope you find healthy ways to live and thrive.
by Mosimiloluwa D.K