Everyone goes through moments of doubt. Moments when the question of “what am I doing with my life?” feels more like a heavy weight than a fleeting thought. These times, often called existential crises, are not just about feeling lost or confused—they can be pivotal moments for personal growth. For example, a common existential crisis might occur when someone realizes their career path no longer aligns with their values, leading them to question their choices and seek a more fulfilling direction. If you’re feeling this way, you’re not alone. In fact, existential crises can be a unique opportunity to transform uncertainty into a deeper understanding of yourself and your purpose.
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Understanding an Existential Crisis
An existential crisis isn’t simply a bad day. It’s more like an intense period where deep questions about identity, meaning, and purpose come to the forefront. This can happen during big life changes—like moving, ending a relationship, losing a loved one, or even during positive changes like a new job or having a child. At its core, an existential crisis challenges how you see yourself and your role in the world.
This kind of crisis can feel incredibly disorienting because it raises the most fundamental of questions: What is the point of all this? Am I really on the right path? The feelings are heavy—like a mix of anxiety, fear, and even loneliness. It’s completely normal to feel a mix of frustration and longing for something more when these questions arise.
But these moments don’t have to lead you into despair. Instead, they can be harnessed as a catalyst for real change—an opportunity to remove old habits that don’t serve you anymore and build something new in their place.
The Emotional and Mental Toll of an Existential Crisis
Feeling like you’re losing your direction can bring about intense emotions: anxiety, sadness, even frustration. There’s also the mental toll of constantly weighing decisions, replaying past mistakes, and wondering if you’re making the right moves.
The emotions and thoughts might feel like they’re clouding your view, but they’re actually pointing you toward something important. This is where self-awareness comes in. The feeling of chaos might actually be highlighting where your energy is being drained—whether it’s work, people, or habits that aren’t serving you anymore.
One way to begin managing this inner chaos is by establishing moments of clarity. Small routines can help here. Structuring time for focused thinking or journaling even just for ten minutes a day can create a mental reset. For example, try a journaling prompt like: “What is one thing that brought me joy today, and why did it matter to me?” When the mind feels crowded, organizing your thoughts onto paper can often provide an unexpected sense of relief.
Practical Strategies for Finding Purpose
When you’re in the thick of an existential crisis, it’s important to recognize that the feeling of emptiness often stems from a disconnect between what you value and how you’re living. Before diving into specific strategies, it’s helpful to understand how these approaches can gradually reconnect you with your core values and create a sense of direction. Here are some strategies that can help you begin to realign yourself with what matters most.
1. Identify Core Values
The first step in navigating an existential crisis is to understand what’s important to you. Often, we fall into habits, careers, or relationships that aren’t in line with our core values—but it’s easy not to notice until a crisis hits. Take some time to reflect on what genuinely brings meaning into your life.
- Ask yourself: What are the moments in my life when I felt the most fulfilled? What was I doing, and why did it feel important?
- Write these down, and start identifying common threads—these are clues to what your core values are.
2. Set Small, Achievable Goals
Large questions about meaning can be overwhelming, so breaking them down into smaller goals can make them manageable. Instead of feeling like you need to answer, “What is the meaning of my life?”, focus on something tangible and immediate.
- If your work feels meaningless, start by setting a small goal of adding more of what you value into your day—even if it’s unrelated to your job. For example, if helping others is important to you, find a way to volunteer or mentor.
- These small changes may seem insignificant, but they have a compounding effect, gradually shifting you toward a life that feels more in alignment with your values.
3. Focus on Mental Energy Management
During a crisis, it’s easy to feel that your mental energy is constantly drained. To navigate this, prioritize managing your mental energy rather than trying to make drastic changes all at once. This is where concepts like managing your daily energy and creating small moments of focus come into play.
- Identify activities that consistently drain your energy and look for ways to minimize them.
- Carve out “focus times”—periods of the day where you minimize distractions and allow yourself to work on something deeply meaningful.
Embracing Behavioral Adjustments
An existential crisis often requires behavioral shifts—it’s not just about thinking differently, but also doing differently. Realigning your actions to match your values can be transformative.
1. Change Your Environment
Sometimes, the issue isn’t who you are but the systems and environments around you. Evaluate whether your current routine or environment serves your goals.
- Does your workspace motivate you, or does it drag you down?
- Are there ways to change the setting where you spend most of your time so that it fosters more positive habits?
These changes don’t have to be dramatic—sometimes, small tweaks like rearranging your space or changing how you schedule your day can make a huge difference.
2. Develop New Habits
The process of forming new habits that align with your desired path can be empowering. For example, someone who started with the small habit of writing down three things they were grateful for each day found that over time, it significantly improved their overall outlook and sense of well-being. Start by choosing a small habit that you know will lead to a more fulfilled state of being.
- If you find meaning in creativity, commit to drawing or writing for ten minutes each morning.
- If physical health is something you value but have been neglecting, start by walking every day for 15 minutes.
The key is consistency, even if the initial action feels small. It’s these small, consistent actions that build momentum and ultimately lead to more substantial changes.
Insights from Existential Philosophy
The idea of an existential crisis isn’t new. In fact, philosophers have been wrestling with these questions for centuries. Existentialism teaches us that the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty are not only normal but can be powerful drivers of personal growth.
- Embrace the Uncertainty: Existentialists argue that anxiety arises because we have freedom—the freedom to shape our lives and create our meaning. Though daunting, this also means you have the power to redefine your life as it unfolds.
- Live Authentically: Authenticity, in existential terms, is about being true to yourself—understanding your values and aligning your actions accordingly. It’s not about having all the answers but about committing to living in a way that genuinely feels right for you.
Moving from Crisis to Growth
When you’re deep in a crisis, it’s hard to imagine anything good coming from it. But these times can be a powerful turning point—an opportunity to grow in a way you may not have before.
- Reflect and Journal: Take some time to write about your thoughts and fears. Getting these thoughts out of your head and onto paper can provide new insights and help in identifying what’s most important.
- Create Milestones: Once you have an idea of what you want—whether that’s more connection, creativity, or freedom—break that desire down into actionable milestones. These milestones serve as markers of progress, helping you see that even small steps are meaningful.
- Connect with Others: Isolation can make an existential crisis much worse. Reaching out to friends, mentors, or even community groups can be a reminder that you’re not alone in your journey. Consider joining a group related to your interests, such as a hobby club or a support group, or seeking out online communities where you can connect with others facing similar challenges. The exchange of ideas and experiences can be incredibly affirming, reminding you that these feelings are part of being human.
Conclusion: The Crisis as an Opportunity
Ultimately, an existential crisis can be reframed as a vital pause—a moment where you stop, question, and have the opportunity to chart a new course. These moments aren’t about solving every problem at once but about understanding which direction feels right and taking one step at a time in that direction.
You don’t need to have all the answers today. The important part is embracing the journey—using the crisis as a way to realign yourself with what truly matters, and taking small steps toward a more intentional, meaningful life. Remember, it’s okay to not have everything figured out. The process of questioning is just as important as the answers you eventually discover.
