This is a three part blog series.
Life can sometimes feel like an overwhelming journey, filled with unexpected turns and profound questions that shake our very foundations.
If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “What’s the point of it all?” or feeling a deep sense of uncertainty about your path, you’re not alone.
These moments of intense self-questioning, often accompanied by feelings of panic, are common human experiences, sometimes manifesting as a quarter-life crisis, a midlife crisis, or a broader existential crisis.
While unsettling, these periods can also be powerful catalysts for personal growth and a re-discovery of purpose.
Feeling lost or uncertain about your life’s direction can manifest in different ways, often categorized by age or the core questions being asked.
This three blog series explores what these crises are, how they affect us, and most importantly, how we can navigate them to emerge stronger and with greater clarity.
The Existential Crisis: Grappling with Life’s Big Questions
An existential crisis is a period of intense questioning about life’s fundamental purpose, meaning, or one’s role in the universe.
It involves grappling deeply with concepts like mortality, free will, or whether life holds inherent value.
This type of crisis feels profoundly philosophical and is tied to the human condition and existentialist thought.
Signs that you might be experiencing an existential crisis include:
- Persistent Questioning and obsessing over thoughts like “What’s the point of life?” or “Why am I here?”
- A feeling of Emptiness, where you feel detached from goals, relationships, or activities that once mattered
- Fear of Mortality or anxiety about death and the fleeting nature of existence
- Self-Doubt, leading you to question your identity, values, or life choices
- General feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or worthlessness, akin to symptoms of depression and anxiety
- You might feel disconnected from those around you and find it hard to keep up with daily life
These crises can be triggered by major life transitions like career changes, divorce, or the loss of a loved one, or by global events such as pandemics.
Unresolved depression and anxiety can also intensify these feelings.
Scripting Life’s three part life crises series: Existential, Quarter-Life and Mid-Life
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