Understanding existential crisis and ways to overcome this.
EXISTENTIAL CRISIS – This involves deep questioning about the purpose of one’s life and here’s how to overcome this.
“When we’re navigating big changes or profound losses, it’s common to start asking questions about where you are in life. You look at what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. And you may have profound feelings of dissatisfaction about where you are in life,” says psychologist Susan Albers.
Have you ever experienced this where it seems like everything is overwhelming? You question life’s meaning and don’t know its purpose, which makes you unsettling. It brings you struggling feelings and you question, “What do I truly value?”
According to Dr. Albers, this is an emotional response to change and also, the anxious feelings about the future during this phase in your life. There are several things that can trigger this and in some cases, they are major life changes, aging, trauma or loss, accomplishments, and lack of fulfillment.
Oftentimes, it occurs during major life events, such as:
- Career or job change
- Death of a loved one
- Diagnosis of a serious or life-threatening illness
- Entering a significant age category, such as 40, 50, or 65
- Experiencing a tragic or traumatic experience2
- Having children
- Marriage or divorce
If a person is in this phase of his or her life, he or she may suffer from:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Isolation from friends and loved ones
- Lack of motivation and energy
- Loneliness
- Obsessive worry
How to overcome this?
Living with existential dread is hard, but there are a lot of things that you can do about it. For one, adjust your mindset. Instead of taking this as something bad, you may divert your point of view and see these big changes in a positive way such as adding to your growth and happiness.
If you’re suffering from this and you feel disconnected from people around you, reestablish that connection. Talking to someone as you deal with these emotions is essential. There are also other ways to positively deal with this crisis such as writing it down, seeking support, and doing meditation.
What can you say about this? Let us know in the comments!