Why Everything Feels So Hard Right Now — And What to Do About It
(Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2025)
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the same conversation with people in all corners of the workforce: they’re worried about the future. Not in a vague way, but in a very real, tangible, anxiety-inducing way.
The common thread? A deep concern that their economic security is slipping away.
Some of this fear is absolutely valid. But I also believe that a large portion of it is manufactured, or at the very least, amplified, by how we consume information today. Because unlike earlier decades, we’re now immersed in a 24/7 ecosystem of fear-based headlines, hot takes, and speculative predictions that leave very little room for nuance.
And it’s taking a toll.
A Look Back at How We Used to Navigate Economic Ups and Downs
When I was coming up in my career, we weren’t spared from economic hardship, but we were spared from the noise. We dealt with business challenges as they came. There was no social media magnifying every headline. No daily stream of “think pieces” dissecting every market dip. If something was truly dire, the president went on TV, addressed the nation, and we moved forward.
We didn’t have 500 voices shouting conflicting predictions at us. We had a few anchors, some solid reporting, and a culture that leaned into figuring things out rather than catastrophizing.
I genuinely believe this allowed us to keep building, without constantly second-guessing whether the sky was falling.
What I’m Hearing by Generation
When I speak with professionals now, the emotional climate is vastly different. Here’s what I’m hearing, broadly grouped by age:
1. Twenties to Forties
This group is perhaps the most anxious — and for good reason. Many of them entered the workforce in the wake of the 2008 recession or during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those were formative career years. And now, they’re constantly bombarded by articles saying things like “You’ll never afford a home,” “Your job is being replaced by AI,” or “Retirement is off the table.”
In reality, many of these headlines extrapolate from outlier data or present long-term trends as short-term certainties. But the effect is real: it creates paralysis and fear.
2. Late Forties to Fifties
This cohort often feels stuck. They’ve climbed the ladder, but now the next rung feels either unreachable or missing altogether. Corporate restructuring and flattening org charts have made mid-to-senior management positions harder to secure. There’s a narrative (and some truth) that leadership layers are being eliminated in favor of leaner, cheaper models.
That said, it’s not an absolute. Opportunities still exist, but they don’t always look the way they used to. And it’s easy to miss them when the loudest voices say, “You’re too expensive,” or “You’ve aged out of innovation.”
3. Sixties and Seventies
This group is working longer, not just because they have to, but because they can. Better health, longer life expectancy, and yes, financial necessity all play a part. But they’re still highly valuable and often deeply engaged.
Yet they, too, feel pressure. The world around them is moving fast. AI, automation, hybrid work. It can feel like you’re being asked to reinvent your toolkit every year just to stay relevant.
The AI Effect — and the Compression of Work Itself
There’s no denying the pace of change right now. Artificial Intelligence is accelerating a long-simmering trend: the compression of job layers.
According to McKinsey, up to 30% of hours worked in the U.S. economy could be automated by 2030, with middle management roles being among the most vulnerable. This doesn’t mean everyone’s losing their job tomorrow — but it does mean that work as we know it is shifting fast.
But again, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen disruption.
The Economic Ups and Downs That Shaped My Career
I went back and looked at the big economic cycles I worked through:
- 1981–1983: Recession and tight money market — right when I launched my business.
- 1990: Another recession.
- 2000: The dot-com bubble burst.
- 2008: Global financial crisis.
- 2020: Pandemic-induced shutdowns and market chaos.
Each of these events could have derailed my trajectory. But they didn’t. Not because I had a crystal ball, but because I didn’t spend my time consuming fear. I kept building. I kept showing up. I focused on the next step instead of staring into the storm.
In fact, through most of those periods, the internet was either nonexistent or in its infancy. Social media didn’t constantly remind me I should be panicking. So I didn’t. I just kept moving.
Looking back now, I realize that ignorance, in a strange way, was a form of resilience.
The Psychological Toll of Crisis Headlines
Fast forward to today, and it feels like everything is a crisis.
Every article, podcast, and TikTok seems to start with some version of:
“The [insert industry] is in trouble.”
“You’re being replaced.”
“Here’s what no one’s telling you.”
And it’s exhausting.
Just this week, I read a headline claiming there’s a crisis in California’s wine industry. When I dug into it, the article simply explained that the market had grown rapidly for two decades and was now facing natural corrections, lower demand, increased competition, overproduction. That’s not a crisis. That’s a cycle. And it was in the Wall Street Journal, not some fringe blog.
This kind of framing erodes our sense of control. It makes us feel like we’re constantly reacting to forces outside ourselves. It distracts from the real work of thinking, adapting, and leading.
So What Can You Actually Do?
We can’t fully tune out the world. Nor should we. But we can shift how we respond to it.
Here’s what I recommend:
1. Go
Keep doing great work. Stay curious. Push forward inside your organization. You’re not powerless. You’re not stuck, unless you believe you are.
2. Assess
Step back and evaluate your own situation. What’s actually happening around you? Are there patterns, not just problems? Where are the gaps you can fill?
3. Identify
If it’s time for a shift, whether in career, industry, or mindset, identify it. Map it out. Don’t just wish for something different. Define it.
4. Next
What’s the very next step you can take? Not the perfect one. Just the next one. Small forward motion compounds.
Final Thought
Yes, the world is changing fast. Yes, we’re living through disruption. But that doesn’t mean the sky is falling. It just means you’ll need to be more intentional about what you consume, how you interpret it, and what you choose to do next.
The people who thrive in uncertain times aren’t the ones who know everything. They’re the ones who keep moving anyway.