Youth pursuing comfort with pets, plush toys and other relaxations

In addition to spending weekends in hotels to relieve stress, some young people have also been exploring new ways to relax, such as by watching short videos, and playing with pets, and plush toys.

Last year, a popular social platform Soul App carried out a survey among over 3,000 people born between the mid-1990s to around 2010, who are known in some parts of the world as Generation Z. It was found that more than half tend to escape from the stress of work by watching short videos, listening to music, and playing online games.

More than 58 percent preferred watching food-related short videos, followed by melodramatic short dramas and content involving cute pets, according to a report released by the app in September.

Short videos and television series may be defined as 'digital remedies' for young individuals, becoming their means of relieving stress and anxiety in work and life, the Wuhan Mental Health Center said in early March.

"This digital content, just like the plush toys from UK-headquartered toy company Jellycat, arouses wonderful memories and pure emotions, providing young people with a sense of familiarity and warmth," the center said.

It also compared the content to ibuprofen, a pain-relieving medicine, adding that "it also met the emotional needs of youngsters, allowing them to find their own havens in fast-paced life."

When watching videos, young people temporarily forget the troubles in their lives and immerse themselves in the plots, experiencing joy, sorrow, anger and happiness with the characters, it explained.

"The emotional resonance and sense of identification helps effectively relieve their stress and anxiety, allowing them to regain inner peace and strength after watching," it continued. "The videos can also be topics that young viewers discuss with each other, enhancing their feelings and connections."

In addition to relieving stress online, others choose to relax offline at weekends.

Zhou Wenjie, 29, who works for a community committee in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, heads to a cafe almost every weekend. There, she enjoys drinks and plays with dogs, according to the Taiyuan Evening News.

"A cup of coffee, a little dog by your side. Petting it gently and feeding it treats — a few such hours are truly healing," Zhou was quoted as saying.

Liang Shuli, a programmer in Taiyuan, has to deal with strings of code and numbers at work, which often leaves her feeling a great deal of pressure. Every few days after work, she goes to a pet experience shop to play with birds.

"There are parrots, all raised in a free-range manner, chirping away," she told the media. "Grab a handful of bird food, and immediately several of them fly over."

"Some parrots stand on my hand to eat, while some hop around on my shoulders. As their soft feathers touch my face, my worries and stress vanish in an instant," she said.

The health center supported offline stress-relief methods in a statement, emphasizing that people should not overly rely on digital remedies.

"Young people need to have better time management, and view digital content as a 'spice' rather than as a tool to escape reality," the center said, highlighting the importance of the young improving their ability to face challenges.

It suggested youth relieve stress by doing sports, traveling and socializing, as only in this way can they truly achieve personal growth and enhance their self-worth, it added.