The housing crisis in Lanzarote cannot be understood solely as a construction or economic problem. It is also an urgent mental health issue that few dare to address. It is not seen but felt, and it affects the entire population daily through two silent enemies: guilt and anxiety.
We all know situations of people who, despite working, cannot afford to rent, who abandon their dream of staying on the island because it is impossible for them to find a place, or couples who abandon the idea of having children because they cannot form a home. La Voz has documented different stories.
Different lives, a similar feeling
Each person, depending on their stage of life, may feel differently about this reality. Let's look at some examples where you might see yourself reflected.
If you are a young person who wants to become independent and build your future, not finding housing can mean seeing your life on hold. Feelings of lack of progress or inadequacy, remembering each month that you are making the daily effort to go to work, but you know that it is not enough for you. It wears you down and disappoints you.
If you are in your thirties, perhaps you are still living with your parents, perhaps sharing an apartment... something that, although you thought would be temporary, seems to be becoming the "new normal." Internal pressures arise, such as: "At my age, I should have this sorted out," "I've fallen behind." A strange anxiety that combines with involuntary comparison with friends or family. Shame and a dissatisfaction that seems difficult to appease appear.
If you live with your partner, uncertainty can creep into decisions that at other times were made freely. Not today. Having children, having the possibility of separating if things are not going well... all of this has become a more complex decision today. You end up "enduring" because there is nowhere else to go, as well as fear of the future, exhaustion, and arguments about money that can be mistaken for a lack of love. The conflict does not start in the relationship, but in the pressure it endures.
In families with children, sharing spaces without privacy can make it harder to rest, study, or find a moment of calm. Adults may feel guilty for not offering the stability they desire; children may notice the tension even if they don't understand the finances. Parents are worn out because their efforts do not guarantee security or stability.
The guilt that is not yours
Fear, sadness, anger, shame… all those emotions are natural, and almost all of them end up leading to the same thing: guilt and anxiety. "If I had tried harder," "at my age I should already have it figured out," "I'm not giving my children what they deserve."
That feeling is natural and sometimes leads us to not separate what is collective from what is personal. It leads us to feel weak and to be incapable of seeing that sharing an apartment, living at home with parents, etc., is not something that measures your personal worth or your maturity, but a collective problem that you should not assume solely as a personal failure. That would be unfair.
Guilt grows when we feel that everything depends on us, so it is advisable to separate what is controllable from what is not. You can organize your finances, find out about aid, or set aside a specific time to look for housing; you cannot guarantee that an affordable rental will appear.
Reducing that guilt begins with the tone with which we speak to ourselves. Instead of "I am a failure"; we must wrap ourselves in patience and personal compassion: "this is a complex situation where I am doing the best I can with what I have." That is not resignation, it is stopping punishing yourself while looking for solutions.
Also, stop falling into comparative traps with those who have other incomes, inherited housing, family support, or lived in other times, because that comparison feeds guilt without saying anything about your effort.
Finally, it is time to return responsibility where it belongs. Informing yourself, defending your rights, and participating in associations or neighborhood spaces are also ways to channel the energy of those emotions where it belongs. The general elections on November 29 offer an opportunity.
As a psychologist, one must understand that mental health is not something unique to the individual person, but rather something that has to do with assuming responsibility: both what corresponds to you for your life, and what corresponds to the people who make decisions that affect the life of the community. That is why we talk about the "state of well-being". Because there are also collective responsibilities that must be assumed. The suffering generated by the lack of housing can be accompanied, but it cannot replace decent housing. Lanzarote is an island of dreams, which in the present and near future seems to be careening towards a bad night. Wake up. Do not fall into guilt. Do not take on the burden that does not correspond to you and act where you must act.
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