The first sign of an existential crisis is feeling lost. You feel that you are lost in someone else life and you wonder how you got there. Usually, this feeling of being lost comes as a result of something bad that has happened in your life that makes you question your entire life. The decisions that brought you here, clearly won’t take you further.
BREATHE. How are you feeling now? Are you feeling anxious, stressed or do you feel depressed? Pause for a moment and acknowledge your state of mind. Why are you feeling this way? Has someone made you feel unworthy or do they hurt you in some way? Or maybe you are mad at yourself for not achieving something? Maybe, you wanted something to do , but you’ve never had the courage to do so. For example, I was working for a multinational, staying overtime each day and dreaming, precisely having nightmares every night about wrong reports. while the world and including myself experiencing a global pandemic, I was dealing as well with a psychopath boss at work that made me exhausted. I have lost myself, without me noticing I experienced a harsh depression that was undiagnosed only later, at one point I had no way out only to quit without having a job in the middle of a pandemic. Remember, nobody has the right to make you feel unworthy and make sure you value your mental and psychical health while you trying to achieve greatness at work. As some one said, remember that “we work to live, not live to work”, remember you are more than your work.
The key to overcome your existential crisis is to look in within. What do you value? Do you value free time, family, money, love, friendships? Make a list with your priorities. You have no idea what are your life priories? No problem, start a list with makes you happy, calm, it could be a walk in a park, it could be drawing or listening to music. As Hector Garcia and Frances Miralles wrote in their book Ikigai (https://www.amazon.com/Ikigai-Japanese-Secret-Long-Happy/dp/0143130722)the secret to discovering your passions is looking at your childhood since a child is free from the adult imposed barriers and most of his time, he expresses what his heart really wants. As I look back on my childhood, I remember that really liked books and even wrote a poem, so it is no wonder that know I found that I enjoy writing as well. To be hones, reading helped me a lot through difficult times, I had access to wonderful books that helped me through my rough times. There are plenty of books that offer you advice on how to overcome anxiety, depression and also sorts of difficult times in your life. One book I recommend is the book written by Nicole LePera ( How to do the work); this book provides excellent tools in understating yourself.
All books essentially consider an existential crisis a wake up call, you were on pilot mode, not thinking what you were doing and now , you begin to feel. Yes, you may feel lost, angry, but the outcome, even though is discovered through a long journey will be extraordinary. As Viktor Frankl says in his book The Man’s Search for Meaning, people want meaning in their life, they want a purpose to live for; whether is small or big, it doesn’t matter, it can be as simple of providing for your family or it can be as complex as curing a disease. When I read this book, it made sense, we humans need purpose, money can bring happiness, but if we do not have purpose in life, we can feel lost. Also, it is good to question things, as author James Hollis ( book Finding meaning in the second half of life) says having a crisis is a good thing, since it may be you have a mission in life, something that you put off and wants to unveil itself. Also, for those who do not like to read or do not have time, please listen to Jay Shetty’s podcast Purpose, this podcast essentially discusses purpose in life and as well different important topics in one’s life.
I hope that this helps. Remember, each step you take will bring you closer to a better version of yourself. You’ve got this.
Notes from Ladybug 