Systems Worsen Our Mental Health

Capitalism and colonialism makes our mental health worse.

Capitalism breeds anxiety through constant pressure. It convinces us we are only worthy as our productivity, and perfectionism is glorified; you are praised if you never rest, shamed if you “fall behind”. Even introductions in America revolve around professions: when we hear “What do you do?”, it translates to “Who are you?”, and our sense of identity shrinks to our career and achievements. When young children are asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” already communicates to the child that their identity is tied to their career choices and their “doing”, instead of simply “being”. Children learn at a very young age the gradual pressure being built on the dominant narratives of what society imposes onto them already.

Immigrants and refugees live under constant suspicion as well: “Do you belong here?” Anxiety is survival under systemic racism, not irrational. Racial profiling, surveillance, and stereotyping make people of the global majority hypervigilant.

Depression usually comes from isolation and feeling as if life has no deeper meaning. Typically in western societies, cities are designed to keep us distant. Long commutes, car dependency, and expensive housing means less community and social time. Instead of seeing friends, we sit in traffic. Instead of family dinners, we eat fast food alone. Loneliness becomes normalized, while collective traditions fade. American cities in particular lack “third spaces”, or public spaces where people convene beyond the first space (home) or second space (second). Such third spaces are usually casual, convenient, inviting and comfortable spaces which include outdoor cafes, public squares, and open park spaces to name a few, where people gather to convene.

I remember years spent waking early, battling the two hour commute to work, then repeating this cycle on my way home. The “8 hour workday” is a lie: if we factor in the time preparing for work and commuting hours, we easily work 11 to 12 hour days most days of the work. This limits opportunities to rest and spend time with loved ones. Capitalism strips us away from rest and play, convincing us that exhaustion is a personal failure instead of systemic design. We become imprisoned to our full time jobs, and for many of us, for the sake of retaining health insurance. Capitalism’s function is to keep us working and providing labor, not to heal.

Within capitalism, nothing is free. Almost every interaction is tied to profit. Friendliness in stores is often scripted to sell you something; free services eventually have a “catch”, data mining, ads and subscription fees. Big corporations own nearly everything, reducing trust in daily life. The constant sense of “there’s a catch” fuels anxiety and disconnection further.

Colonialism taught us that showing emotion is weakness. Immigrant families carried this forward as “strength” as means of survival. Silence, perfectionism, and overachievement replace vulnerability and healing.

Anxiety and depression are not just individual flaws, they’re logical responses to impossible systems:

• Cities designed for isolation
• Workplaces that glorify burnout/ self exploitation
• A culture where every introduction = your profession
• Every service has a catch, every kindness has a price tag
• Big corporations own everything, so we feel small and powerless
• We internalize this as personal failure, instead of naming systemic harm

A Shift

More and more people are growing aware of these realities, and are making efforts to combat this oppressive lifestyle. More people are intentionally creating more open spaces for community building, more employees are advocating for more life-work balance, either pushing for more hybrid days, or shortening work weeks altogether. Some businesses and services are becoming more donation-based to steer away from sticker shock. More people are building community gardens and growing their own food towards less dependency on big corporations, as well as divesting from them. More importantly, more people are beginning to connect these dots, recognizing how capitalism and colonialism have a bigger impact on our lives than we realize. This alone is empowering so we can create the small everyday changes we need to take back our power.

References

• Micheline Maalouf (Trauma Psychotherapist)