A Few Tips on Acknowledging and Tackling an Existential Crisis
Occasionally, as we’re going about our daily lives, the question “What is the significance of my life?” hits us like a tonne of bricks. Do I have a goal in life? What’s the point of this, you ask?
It’s normal for thoughts like these to come and go, but frequently they linger longer in our brains and fill us with hopelessness and other unpleasant emotions.
We are all becoming more conscious of the brutality, coldness, and dysfunction in our society, which makes us wonder about our morals and beliefs if we can affect change, which we have, and whether it is even feasible to foster goodness within such a dysfunctional societal structure.
What Does an Existential Crisis Look Like?
When life’s ambiguity or absurdity becomes too much to endure, we experience an existential crisis. The weight of it all pushes you into an abyss that is created and maintained by emotions like powerlessness, apathy for the world, a lack of delight in previously enjoyed activities, insomnia, and more.
Any of the following scenarios could indicate an existential crisis:
Existential dread: the fear of living a meaningless life.
Existential anxiety: the fear or worry that one must discover purpose in a seemingly meaningless world.
Existential depression: the type of depression brought on by the conviction that nothing you do matters.
Existential crises can be a symptom of a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, there is still disagreement over what causes what.
How to Tackle an Existential Crisis?
Existential crises are not a sign of a psychological problem.
In today’s world, it’s simple to feel unmotivated. Many of us believe that our efforts are futile and that there is no reason to be motivated. Fortunately, we all possess internal resources that can assist us in resolving existential crises in this manner. We make reference to the internal strategies that philosopher Philip Zapfee suggests can be used to deal with these emotions.
Anchoring
This is our capacity to become fixated on particular ideas in order to stave off sensations of dread and anxiety. We can tie ourselves to things like particular objectives, ideals, or connections. This enables us to give our life’s guiding ideals meaning.
As the name suggests, anchoring keeps us rooted and motivated in the face of an existential crisis.
Isolation
Even writing it out like that makes it sound terrible! But this is our capacity to dissociate from our frightening thoughts. We are able to pull back from depressing circumstances and consider what we’re going through.
Distraction
Distractions can be beneficial since they refocus our time and attention away from troubling existential ideas.
Sublimation
Sublimation is another technique for refocusing our energy, similar to a distraction. We can direct our attention away from our thoughts and onto the things that make us happy or provide us with purpose.
Sublimation can be as easy as focusing your attention on what is good in life or finding constructive ways to express your feelings, such as through the arts and literature.
Simultaneously, one can also look for certain tools within oneself to help in such circumstances. Examples of the same include :
Introspect
Reflection is a potent technique that enables us to evaluate a situation and determine our options for handling it. Understanding and evaluating your emotions via reflection can help you find strategies to control them and discover the purpose of your life.
Establishing Goals
One of the finest methods to give us a sense of direction and independence is to set goals. Consider something you’ve always desired to do.
Make a strategy for achieving your objectives. By giving oneself a purpose, no matter how minor, you can immediately battle the feeling of being aimless.
Discovering Hobbies
Distractions are an excellent method to get our minds off of bad ideas, as Zapfee hinted earlier. Give something you’re enthusiastic about all of your time and effort. If you don’t have a well-known pastime, consider anything you’ve ever wanted to attempt but never had the opportunity to.
Distractions are an excellent method to get our minds off of bad ideas, as Zapfee hinted earlier.
Talking to Someone
It’s difficult to deal with these ideas on your own, so give yourself some time and talk to a family member or someone you can trust about your worries.
By discussing our emotions, we give them meaning and keep them from overtaking us. The assistance of others can even get you through an existential crisis!
Conclusion
Although dealing with an existential crisis is difficult, hopefully, you are now better prepared than before.
