AI's Here—Now What? How to protect your mental health in the age of artificial intelligence
- Infinite Horizons Psychotherapy
- Apr 13
- 4 min read
It’s 2025, and suddenly, AI is everywhere.
Your feed is full of “10 ways to use ChatGPT to get ahead.” Professors are rewriting syllabi to catch AI-written essays. Your workplace is “experimenting with automation.” There’s a mix of awe, fear, and pressure in the air.
And if you’re a high-achieving young adult, the pressure hits different.
You’re already trying to navigate school or work, social expectations, a side hustle (or three), a never-ending to-do list, and the low-key existential dread of being alive during, well… all this.
So, let’s pause for a second. Because while AI is changing the way we live and work, we get to decide how it fits into our lives—and how we protect our mental health along the way.
AI and Mental Health
Let’s be real: burnout, hustle culture, and constant comparison have been around long before AI. Whether it was school, social media, work, or family expectations—young adults have long felt the pressure to be constantly doing, achieving, optimizing.
But AI has added a new twist.
Whether it’s TikTok's showing someone using AI to write their paper in 10 minutes or create a week’s worth of content in an hour, the vibe is clear: If you’re not using AI to optimize your life, are you even trying?
The tools that were meant to save time can quietly become new sources of pressure:
To be more productive
To work faster
To never take a break
To keep up with systems that never get tired, distracted, or burned out
So, even though the comparison isn’t new, comparing yourself to AI creates a different kind of perfectionism—one that says, “You should be able to do it all, effortlessly and efficiently. No excuses.”
The Pressure to Keep Up With AI
You’ve probably seen TikToks like:
“How I used ChatGPT to write my term paper in 20 minutes”, “this is how I got a job interview using AI to write my resume”, or “let AI plan your entire week for maximum productivity.”
Helpful? Absolutely but also overwhelming, especially if you’re already someone who struggles with perfectionism or imposter syndrome because it doesn’t just set the bar high—it makes it feel unreachable.
While these tools can save time, they can also trick us into believing that rest is only allowed once everything is done, perfect, and optimized (which, let’s be honest, never actually happens).
The obsession with productivity isn’t new, but AI can, in my opinion, amplify it. We’re in a culture that tells you your value is in your output. That every hour not spent working is time “wasted.” That if you're not doing 10 things at once, you’re falling behind.
But you’re not designed to operate like ChatGPT or other AI platforms. You’re designed to feel, to reflect, to grow—and to rest.
The human brain wasn’t built for 24/7 optimization. It was built for curiosity, connection, creativity, and yes, even boredom.
🛠️ Using AI For You, Not Against You
With all that said, I'm not saying that AI is inherently bad. When used intentionally, it can actually help us in many ways.
So how can we use these tools in ways that actually support us, not stress us out?
Think of AI as an assistant—not a replacement for your humanity. It’s not here to make you a robot. It’s here to help you create more space for what matters.
Here are a few real-life ways AI can support your mental health, reduce stress, and organize your life:
📅 Time & Schedule Management
Build a weekly routine around your classes, shifts, or energy levels
Break down big assignments into manageable steps
Generate reminders or calendar events for deadlines, workouts, or self-care
🥑 Lifestyle & Habits
Generate grocery lists or simple meal plans based on your budget
Plan workouts that match your mood or time constraints
Track habits like sleep, mood, or screen time in a way that’s non-judgy
💸 Money & Career Planning
Make a basic monthly budget
Help you with financial literacy by translating complicated financial terms into simple language
Draft scripts for job negotiation or awkward money convos
🎯 Clarity & Decision-Making
Help you weigh pros and cons
Turn vague goals into clear action steps
Suggest paths forward when you’re stuck or overwhelmed
Final Thoughts: You’re Still in Charge
AI can be a powerful tool—but it’s not a moral compass, a therapist, or a measure of your worth.
You get to choose how it fits into your life. You get to take what works and leave the rest. You get to be a whole, complicated, beautifully imperfect human. Because in a world that’s trying to automate everything, that is your superpower.
Need support navigating the pressure to “keep up” or be perfect? Therapy can help. At Infinite Horizons Psychotherapy, we work with high-achieving young adults who want to stop overthinking, stop burning out, and start feeling like themselves again. Let’s talk.
🔗 Book your free consultation today here: https://infinitehorizonspsychotherapy.janeapp.com
Are you curious about therapy but hesitant to book your consultation? That's totally okay. Here's an article on "10 things you should know before going to therapy" that you could read to prep yourself and learn more about what to expect.
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