Americans are living through the toughest housing market in a generation and, for some young people, the quintessential dream of owning a home is slipping away.

Mortgage rates surged in recent years, hitting the highest levels in more than two decades last fall.

While rates have come down slightly since then, home prices remain painfully elevated and a limited inventory of housing is still failing to keep up with demand.

Such conditions mean that housing has become woefully unaffordable.

It’s still a tough time to be hunting for a home, but it’s even worse for young, first-time buyers who need to save up for a down payment and build up their credit score.

The situation isn’t a whole lot better for renters, with rents barely comingdown from record highs and half of tenants in that market saying they can’t even afford their payments.

The uneasiness over America’s affordability crisis is captured clearly in surveys and polls, but data that outlines the sentiment specifically among young people is limited.

CNN spoke with some young Americans about their thoughts on the current state of the US housing market and their plans for the future.

Surviving is the priority, not saving for a down payment or even having kids.  (CNN)

You’ve heard of the footlong hot dog.

Are you emtionally and physically prepared for the footlong cookie?

10 days ago, Subway introduced the footlong chocolate chip cookie.

Today, they are sold out and had to remove it from the menu until it can regroup.

Further proof that chocolate is the preferred food in America!

If the cookies are not available today, when?

Do you agree that our lives have become complicated?

Most of us use credit cards and the Internet.

Our credit cards are constantly being attacked .

The Internet is constantly gaining more personal information about us.

If you have children of school age, they may be exposed to harmful information.

Yes, there are benefits derived from the Internet, but there is a downside.

A recent report found that 50% of Americans are anxious.

Are there ways you can simplify your life?

I recommend it!

If not today, when?

Have you ever been told, “You have a gift?”

Here are some indicators of an intellectually gifted person:

  Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers.

  Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age.

  Strong sense of curiosity.

  Enthusiastic about unique interests and topics.

  Quirky or mature sense of humor.

There are, however, many kinds of gifts.

Perhaps your gift is in music, sports, public speaking, art, writing or one of many other pursuits.

Two questions:

Have you identified your greatest gift?

Are you using your greatest gift?

If not today, when?

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Friendship is a two way street.

Each person must take the initiative.

Like all human relationships, it may also require patience & forgiveness on occasion.

That said, there is nothing more precious than a friendship that endures the years.

To grow old together while sharing the transitions of aging is a tonic for both.

Friendship is like fine wine, It gets better.

Why do I choose this topic?

Because each of us has a fear or fears that we have carried around all our lives.

There may be some fears that are not worth overcoming.

But, there are others that are preventing you from doing something important.

Make a list of the pros & cons of facing one of your fears.

After evaluating the do’s & don’ts, is it still worth doing?

How do you rid yourself of a fear?

Only answer: Go out and do the very thing you are afraid of.

You will experience a great relief.

Facing a nagging fear is a very satisfying act of self-liberation!

If not today, when?

Diet companies or wellness influencers might suggest individuals should feel bad for falling off the wagon, but nutrition science is clear:

“It’s not your fault,” said registered dietitian Shana Minei Spence, who writes The Nutrition Tea newsletter.

Many people are unlikely to stick with a diet not because of some personal failing but simply “because we are human,” she added.

When we put a lot of focus and effort into not eating something, Markey said, our brains spend a lot of time thinking about that off-limits food.

This makes us even more likely to be drawn to that very thing.

The phenomenon, known in psychology as “ironic processing,” explains why the more control we try to place over food, the more it can end up controlling us.

The pressure around January resolutions leads many people to set unrealistic goals from the start, something Spence has observed:

“Instead of making small little changes, we want to completely revamp how we eat, and this has what’s called a forbidden fruit effect.” (CNN)

I chose the above point-of-view for your consideration.

My parents never said, “I love you” to us.

It just wasn’t done in those days.

We all knew our parents loved us unconditionally.

They put their love of us into deeds, not words.

How about you?

Do you tell your spouse and kids, “I Love You”?

It is not good enough to say, “My spouse/kids know I love them.”

If it is difficult for you to say it out loud, practice ahead of time.

The more you say it, the more natural it becomes.

Don’t use the excuses of the past. Your loved ones need to hear it from you.

If you are lucky, you may hear those words come back to you!

The lady who cleans your house.

The guy who packs your groceries.

The man who takes payment for your carwash.

The gal loading the shelves at the drug store.

The bus boys at the restaurant.

The person at the post office window.

The stock person in the department store.

Those people are worthy of your notice and appreciation!

If not today, when?

Tired of sitting at that desk all day long?

Turns out it’s not good for your health, either, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

People who predominantly sit at work have a 34% higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.

To counteract the increased risk, individuals who sit a lot at work would have to engage in an additional 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day.

The simplest form of exercise is uninterrupted walking.

This would reduce the risk to that of individuals who do not predominantly sit, researchers estimated. (CNN)

Do this simple form of exercise!

If not today, when?