I am an HR specialist at EPAM, a psychologist, and have been studying the topics of motivation, emotional burnout, life crises and psychological health in general for several years.
It seems to me that if a person better understands his own emotions, states, motives; will be attentive to himself and his psychological health, this will improve both his life and those around him. Therefore, I consider psychological education important and write about psychology topics on my blog.
I want to tell Clover readers about an existential crisis - what it is, how it manifests itself, how it differs from ordinary fatigue and burnout, and what to do if you are faced with such a crisis.
What is an existential crisis
This is a state of increased anxiety and severe discomfort that occurs when a person is faced with existential questions: about the meaning of life, values, loneliness, death, freedom, responsibility.
During such periods, people often ask questions: “What am I doing here?”, “What am I living for?”, “Am I living the way I wanted?”
If there are no satisfying answers, intrapersonal conflict occurs, which can lead to an existential crisis.
Existential questions accompany a person in different periods of life. Many people experience an existential crisis or suffer from existential anxiety when:
- They experience important events and move on to a new stage of life . For example, they graduate from school or university, have children, change jobs, retire.
- Cannot satisfy social needs . These may be needs for work, family life, cultural leisure, or political activity.
- They are faced with the fact of the finitude of life . The loss of a loved one or a serious illness can push you to think about life and death.
It is believed that everyday events cannot trigger an existential crisis, since this type of crisis follows deep despair or a situation that questions the way of living as one has lived before. And, for example, a pandemic or major tragic events in the world can push us towards an existential crisis.
According to some scientists (1), an existential crisis is usually experienced in adulthood - 30-50 years. It is also called the “midlife crisis” - when internally a person begins to count down his own life not from the “beginning of birth”, but “to death”.
There are studies (2) according to which people can experience an existential crisis more than once, and its causes are not always related to age-related revaluation of life meanings.
During an existential crisis, a person may experience anxiety, a feeling of loneliness and detachment from others, disappointment, loss of inner joy, and apathy.
The general signs of an existential crisis are described in more detail here.
Relationship between existential crisis and other conditions
If a person is faced with an existential crisis, it can be assumed that it is the crisis that causes the development of depressive symptoms, such as apathy, prolonged periods of sadness, helplessness, and loss of pleasure from things that were previously enjoyed. On the other hand, if a person suffers from a depressive disorder and feels disconnected from the world, this may raise questions such as “What is the meaning of my existence?”, “Do I matter?”, “Does my life have value?”
All that is known at the moment is that existential crises are associated with mental health. They can accompany mental health problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and burnout. However, the question of what is the cause and what is the effect is still debatable and under investigation.
What is my crisis?
Before moving on to specific actions, let's figure out how an existential crisis differs from an ordinary personal crisis.
These two types of crisis are indeed easy to confuse, since some of the symptoms are similar. For example, in both cases a person faces sleep disorders, depression, and a feeling of dissatisfaction with his own life. But an existential crisis, unlike a personal one, cannot be solved with the tools of classical psychology. Here it is necessary to apply a holistic approach and techniques for self-regulation, which we will discuss below.
A personal crisis occurs when a person finds himself in difficult, problematic circumstances and does not see a way out of the current situation.
The causes of a personal crisis can be:
- psychological trauma (death of a loved one, accidents, failure of a project/personal business, divorce from a spouse, separation from a loved one, sudden dismissal from work, complex operations and other shocks)
- complex conflict relationships (with relatives or at work)
- problems with social fulfillment
- accumulated negative emotions
- “suddenly” or protracted illnesses
- emotional burnout (prolonged chronic fatigue)
- a series of problematic situations in all areas of life
- age crisis
We talk about how to cope with a personal crisis in the article “Problems in life: where do they come from, and what to do about it?”
There is always a way out of any situation
An existential crisis is always associated with the loss of the deep meaning of existence and the request to search for this meaning. This crisis arises only when a person is internally ready to rethink his life. This means he has internal resources for this.
An existential crisis radically changes a person’s life, forcing him to do a lot of internal work to rethink his life values and build a new worldview. In the process of this work, a person gradually finds answers to internal questions, it happens that he radically changes the direction of external activity, his life acquires a new volume and meaning.
[edit] See also
- Emo
- OBVM
- Middle age crisis
| [ + ] “Existential crisis is the opium of the people!” | |||||||||||||||||
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Signs of an existential crisis:
We tried to highlight the four most typical signs. Often a person experiences a certain “cocktail” of all the situations and conditions described below, which can often be accompanied by panic attacks, emotional instability, sleep and digestion disorders, and migrating body pain.
Signs of an existential crisis
Feelings of being different from everyone else. Have standard life pleasures and entertainment suddenly stopped pleasing you? You have achieved everything. Everything is good in life - education, home, family, work, regularity. Everything is like everyone else. And inside there is emptiness, ringing meaninglessness... and a constantly arising question - what's next? What's the point of all this?
A long search for meaning without result. You listened to many lectures on self-development, did not find yourself in classical religions, and visited various esoteric groups. As a result of this, you feel that you simply lost time and energy searching, but never found answers to your inner question about the meaning of life and the structure of all things.
Severe traumatic shock. Life events suddenly unfolded in a way that was unpredictable for you: for example, the death of a loved one, tragedy, serious diagnosis, etc. This event took you beyond ordinary existence. You realized that there is more to life than what you already know about. You are experiencing an acute mental crisis and are trying to find an explanation and meaning for everything that happened.
Prolonged depression . You try to live like everyone else, but nothing makes you happy. Inside there lives an unobstructed emptiness and pain. You tried visiting psychologists, but the situation did not improve. You regularly escape into the virtual worlds of TV series and computer games, trying to eat away your inner discomfort or disconnect from problems with the help of alcohol. Nothing helps. And the question of the meaning of life is becoming more and more relevant.
If you experience one or more of the conditions described above, you are likely experiencing an existential crisis. Before we talk about how to get out of the crisis, we will outline what not to do.
Afterword
The search for the essence of life is associated with human self-realization. Indeed, no one will like to hear that he is useless or that his existence and death will not change anything. Sublimation has a positive effect, that is, self-expression in creativity, for example, in music, poetry, prose, drawing.
Each person at some point tries to argue for his existence, someone says that “everything is God’s plan,” someone gives birth to children and sees the meaning of their life in prolonging the human race, and someone creates new medicines. There are, of course, unique people who insist that they were sent by higher powers, who constantly contact the individual, saying that he must convey something important to the whole world or simply knows how to heal. But this story often ends in psychiatry.
What not to do if you are experiencing an existential crisis
Trying to run away from yourself. You can find a lot of advice on the Internet on how to survive an existential crisis. Most of them involve taking your mind off the problem: going out with friends, taking a day off, finding a new activity. But not every activity at a time of crisis will benefit a person. In most cases, these actions will lead to a person losing strength and only worsening his condition.
An existential crisis, as a phenomenon, is a reaction initiated from within the person himself to the need for global internal change. A person becomes cramped in the picture of the world in which he lives. He wants to expand it, but doesn't know how yet. It can be compared to a chicken trying to break through the shell of an egg. It is foolish to suggest that the chicken rest or find something else to do. He might simply suffocate.
Every process requires effort
Self-administer antidepressants. In countries where it is possible to buy antidepressants without a prescription, people often resort to psychopharmacology to get rid of panic attacks, anxiety, increased restlessness, and depressive states. We do not recommend doing this without first consulting your doctor. Antidepressants themselves do not solve the problem, but only relieve symptoms and bring temporary relief. At the same time, they inhibit liver function, seriously disrupt metabolic processes, and destroy the immune system.
Antidepressants do not solve the problem, they only block the symptoms.
Go all out. Often a person tries to compensate for internal discord with bodily pleasures: excessive sex, excess food, alcohol, extreme entertainment. All this is also a kind of escape from a disturbing internal conflict. It may work over a short distance, but the body's capabilities are not limitless. If a person does not begin to seriously take care of himself and his internal state, such a lifestyle will sooner or later lead to the occurrence of a serious illness.
The body's resources are not limitless
Existential human problems
The desire for self-development is a natural survival mechanism, since without it the human race would never have reached the current level of development. The problem is the obstacles that lie in wait on this path; one of the obstacles is often an existential crisis, formed from contradictions within the individual. A neurosis-like state appears when there is no need to worry about the minimal needs of existence.
The desire to argue for their own existence appears in most subjects, but for some, the arguments turn out to be primitive and complex due to deep religiosity or embedded “instructions” of a different order.
Existential problems arise at the moment of disappointment in previously chosen ideals. The individual ceases to feel satisfaction from the growth of status or loses faith in the unprecedented value of his own existence. Another reason for such experiences may be a feeling of the inevitability of death. Sometimes it may seem as if such thoughts only come to the minds of those with a lot of free time, since hard-working individuals need to solve many pressing problems every day and all their strength goes towards survival. In part, this view is correct, since subjects of creative professions are more likely to have existential reflections; individuals engaged in physical activity are less predisposed to delving into the “sidelines” of their own personality, however, they are not completely protected from this.
The following prerequisites for the emergence of existential experience can be identified:
– loss of a loved one;
– use of psychedelics;
– a threat to one’s own existence;
– prolonged isolation;
– separation from children, loved ones.
In the course of existential reflection, the individual has to face the confrontation generated by the feeling of the significance of his own existence and the simultaneous understanding of its futility. The inability to find a solution to the current situation is transformed into existential despondency, which is characterized by a loss of interest in one’s own future.
The escalation of a crisis often provokes a desire to end one’s supposedly meaningless existence. Because it doesn't seem to be able to do any good. When an individual is faced with such a contradiction, it is incredibly difficult for him to resolve the problematic situation on his own.
How to get out of an existential crisis?
The way out of an existential crisis is always associated with an expanded picture of the world and a new understanding of oneself in this world. A person can make this exit either completely independently or with the help of an experienced specialist.
The following stages can be distinguished in this work:
- Finding and mastering the necessary knowledge about yourself and the world
- Critically rethinking this knowledge
- Mastering techniques and methods that allow you to resolve emerging internal conflicts and contradictions
- Combining the experience and knowledge gained into a single, consistent picture of the world
It is important to understand that doing such thorough work on yourself will require strength . Often a person who is experiencing an existential crisis feels that he has no strength for anything. Fatigue in the body, chaos in the thoughts.
Pay attention to the basic tools for recuperation. Just as it is impossible to start an engine without gasoline, it is also impossible to begin work on resolving internal conflicts without energy.
If you feel that it is difficult for you to figure everything out on your own, you don’t know where to start, and your strength is running out, then it is better to seek the help of an experienced specialist.
What is the help of a specialist?
- Individual selection and training in self-healing techniques if there is a loss of strength and health problems
- Psychological work on working through internal conflicts and contradictions
- Training in self-regulation tools for further independent work
- Search, disclosure and elaboration of conflict points and misconceptions associated with social attitudes, popular spirituality, philosophical concepts, religious dogmas, etc.
- Advice on quality literary sources (philosophy, psychology, religion, esotericism)
- Additional materials for building a consistent worldview.
It is important to note that an existential crisis will not go away on its own. Overcoming it and the corresponding internal restructuring requires time and hard work . And this work can only be done by the person himself.
How to overcome
All researchers come to the conclusion that the crisis of existence can only be overcome by recognizing that the meaning of life lies in living the present moment. A person does not have a given mission and there is no objective meaning of existence, but everyone creates a subjective meaning of their life. Accordingly, to overcome the crisis you need to find your personal meaning in life.
What could it be:
- Job;
- creating a family or developing a family;
- giving birth and raising children;
- creation;
- social activity, charity;
- transferring your experience, training the younger generation;
- finding love, building relationships;
- faith;
- animal care;
- other.
The media, family, stereotypes, attitudes and beliefs received from other sources during socialization help to argue for the fact of a person’s existence.
The feeling of total loneliness is the second element of an existential crisis. You can overcome it only by recognizing that even the highest level of empathy will not allow you to understand and feel another person. The inner world of each person is unique, yes, it sometimes causes a feeling of loneliness, but you need to learn to use it. Successfully overcoming a crisis involves accepting one’s uniqueness and uniqueness. If you highlight a specific feature in this, develop it and use it in self-realization and the realization of the meaning of life, then the crisis will be resolved successfully.
It is necessary to overcome the crisis and find a purpose in life, otherwise the state will turn into despondency, passivity, and indifference to oneself and one’s life. Gradually, addictions, deviations, degradation and self-destruction will join this. Often a protracted crisis ends in suicide (since there is no point, then why wait for death).
Why will a holistic approach help solve the problem?
Unlike classical psychology, which works only with the individual and considers a person’s mental processes separately from his physiological processes and spiritual component, holo-psychology has a holistic approach. This means that when working with a person, a holo-specialist proceeds from the fact that a person is a single structure in which all of the above components are closely interconnected. It takes into account all processes in a person’s life that occur both at the level of the psyche and at the level of the body and bioenergy.
An existential crisis, as we said above, goes beyond ordinary everyday and social problems. And, therefore, to solve it, it is not enough to work only with the personal plan. It is necessary to include human resource zones in the work (flows of the semantic and spiritual spectrums in the diagram). The diagram enlarges by clicking.
The tools of holistic psychology allow a person to come into contact with his own resource zone. This helps to release a large amount of energy, which is needed to resolve deep-seated conflicts.
Such contact can occur during a holistic psychocorrection session. Then a person begins to gradually find answers to his questions, comes to a more expanded understanding of the world, his role in it, and with this comes relief.
[edit] Essence™
| « | Existence (noun) - life, being, existence; | » |
| - English-Russian dictionary | ||
In the eight-bit classics
, Philosophy, as we know, is a collection of incomprehensible answers to unsolvable questions. It would seem - what’s easier - take a dictionary and read it. But no. This nonsense, languishing from idleness and reflection, cannot even come close to admitting the ideas of some kind of dialectical materialism. For them, life is not a way of existence of protein bodies, but a fierce, mad butthurt - from the meaninglessness of the life of such a refined, creative person with high ideals... But instead of getting up and starting to do business, to prove that he is not a particularly sick nonsense, but the very thing that he imagines himself to be, a fiction, rejects this reality of yours and creates his own.
the non-spiritual objects around
™ can be described qualitatively (say “brick” and it explains everything). They do not have the so-called ineffable "existence". All the living creatures around (except humans, alas), although they are equipped with little brains, but, what a pity, they are not able to relax and reflect. This also allows them to be described qualitatively (say “cat” and that also explains everything). Consequently, they are not entitled to “existence” either. And only the king of nature, man, is able to use the brain to make decisions based on the opinions of the cockroaches in his head. Therefore, looking at kawaii lolis, it is completely impossible to determine which of them will become an honest slut, which will be an Orthodox wife, and which will become a bitch. Despite the fact that the word “person” can be painlessly replaced by the abstruse term “child” (which solves the problem with lolia), people are endowed with “existence” a little more than completely.
That's bullshit, kids...
Self-help during a crisis
Below we have outlined a few simple steps that will help you relieve primary psycho-emotional stress. You will be able to replenish your strength and understand what to do next.
Walk outdoors
Communication with nature helps restore inner harmony
Contact with nature allows you to quickly and effectively restore strength, relieve tension from the nervous system and harmonize your internal state. If you feel overwhelmed and sad, take time for a walk in the park. A walk can be combined with simple breathing practice.
Harmonizing music
Music is closely connected with our emotional plane and can stabilize emotions. Here are a few artists we recommend listening to if your heart is heavy:
- Yanni Chrisomallis
- Jean-Michel Jarre
- Karunesh
- Chris Spheeris
- Deuter
- Estas Tonne
- Mike Oldfield
- David Arkenstone
- Vangelis
- Medwyn Goodall
- Alexey Arkhipovsky
We recommend listening to one of Yanni Chrysomallis' compositions at the link:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/d8NNR8RbxEwLEg
Reading literature
We recommend starting with books such as “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach, as well as “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse.
Reading empowering literature will give you wings
If you have already read these books , write to us and we will select books of your interest from our extensive library.
Write an email
Free consultation
This option is suitable for those who want to understand their situation, but are not yet ready for independent psychological work. You will receive an expanded understanding of your situation, individual recommendations from a specialist, and will be able to begin taking the first steps to overcome the crisis.
Consultations are conducted by certified psychologists and Holo-system specialists.
More information about the consultation
Book “Holistic Concept”
This book is suitable for those who are interested in religious issues and want to thoroughly understand how modern society works. The first two chapters are available for free .
If you would like to seek the help of a holistic psychology specialist, download, fill out and send us the questionnaire. A specialist will contact you to clarify the time and format of work. Read more about the method of holistic psychological correction here.
And remember, you don’t need to experience an existential crisis, you should LIVE IT COMPETENTLY, finding resources in this state to renew your soul and body. And then, having internally rebuilt, go out into a life that will again find meaning and joy.
Existential state and its symptoms
The emotional state of a person in crisis is characterized by psychological discomfort and instability. In this case, there is no need to talk about a harmoniously developed, peaceful personality.
Let us highlight the main symptoms of the emotional picture during existence:
- Dejection and apathy
. We do not want and cannot take ordinary actions, we need emotional support, we complain to loved ones about our failed life. It is often impossible to carry out ordinary and necessary actions, for example, cleaning the apartment and cooking. Everything seems unnecessary and meaningless. - Lack of joy from events that previously delighted
. A long-awaited vacation at sea, when tickets have been purchased and a new swimsuit has been purchased in advance, seems uninteresting and pointless. - A sharp change in sleep patterns and quality
. We either sleep poorly, scrolling through tons of thoughts in our heads, or we sleep much more than usual, but do not feel alert. There are numerous awakenings in the middle of the night. - Low self-esteem
. All life achievements are leveled out, and failures, on the contrary, come to the fore. Any harmless statements from relatives or colleagues are perceived as caustic remarks that degrade one’s dignity. A person is often offended and suspicious. - Sudden and frequent changes in mood
. Bursts of joy are instantly replaced by tearfulness. Please note that such manifestations may be associated with diseases of the thyroid gland, and you should undergo a medical examination. - Regularly comparing yourself to other people, and not in your favor
. It seems that everyone around us lives better, has achieved more, and looks more interesting. We only need to compare ourselves with ourselves in the past, to see where we started and where we have come to. - Difficulty concentrating, focusing on one action
. This is psychological burnout syndrome. When a person is on the rise, he solves complex problems with ease. - Changes in diet and appetite
. Problems arise both by giving up previously loved foods and by eating too much. Accordingly, a sharp change in weight occurs. - The desire to leave your life and go “wherever your eyes look
. So we want to get rid of everything we have, believing that a new life will bring relief. - Increased feelings of guilt, which psychologists consider aggression directed against oneself
. A mature person is confident in himself, even when he commits unseemly acts, he tries to correct and forget them. A person in crisis often considers himself to blame and asks for forgiveness without any reason.
The most significant sign of existentialism is the loss of the ability to dream and make plans. Any dream moves us towards a goal, encourages us to take active action, giving us joy and hope.
In a crisis, desires are minimized and sexual desire (libido) decreases. Indeed, if there is no meaning in life, why bake pies, wash floors, love, dress up? Everything is meaningless.
