An existential crisis is an anxious state or a feeling of comprehensive psychological discomfort as a result of thinking about the essence of existence. This concept is common in countries where basic needs are satisfied. A person’s existential crisis can arise in adolescence or maturity (at the time of assessing the years lived), during the maturation of the individual. Such an experience can be quite painful, since there is no opportunity to find the necessary answers. There are several ways to cope with an existential crisis. Some individuals decide to stop asking these questions, since many different problems require participation and solutions. Others find a way out in the realization that only the present has meaning, so it is necessary to live it fully, so that later you do not regret the missed moments.
What is an existential crisis in simple words?
The need to justify one’s usefulness and meaningfulness of existence arises in almost every person. There are happy people who quickly find the right words thanks to faith, religion or strict adherence to their chosen ideals and attitudes. For others, the search for the meaning of life is long and painful.
Existential crisis
– pronounced manifestations of fear, anxiety, constant worry, caused by questions about the meaning of life and one’s own existence.
A person lives year after year according to the “home-work” principle. How else? It is necessary to create a family, arrange a home, raise children. Some loans are interrupted by others, and worries about their daily bread constantly haunt them. Earthly worries and everyday affairs do not allow time to stop; “Groundhog Day” manifests itself in all its fullness.
And suddenly, when everything seems to be there, the children have grown up, the person realizes that he “hasn’t even lived yet.” It’s already 40, 50, but what have you seen? Where is the realization of youthful dreams and desires? During this period, a breakup with spouses often occurs, changes in physiology appear, and the former attractiveness is no longer present.
A slight panic arises - is that all? Parents pass away, and who's next? Is life really over and put on the altar of meaningless vanity?
A crisis can arise at an earlier age; it is typical for young boys and girls who do not understand their own path. There is a desire to escape from thoughts about the futility of existence: nightclubs, promiscuous relationships, alcohol, or going to work. At this stage, it is common for men to enter into relationships with younger women, hoping to gain a new meaning of being. This helps, but not for long; there comes a moment when a person is left alone with himself and questions arise even more acutely.
[edit] See also
- Emo
- OBVM
| [ + ] “Existential crisis is the opium of the people!” | |||||||||||||||||
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Existential crisis in psychology
Crisis is considered in psychology as an independent concept. The presence of existence provokes depression, and in some cases leads to suicide. In this regard, the phenomenon itself is carefully studied to help the client get out of it with the least losses.
Science has proven that there can be several existential crises during a lifetime. Each of them is formed simultaneously with an important, transitional stage. The main period, as already said, is 40-50 years, a midlife crisis. The understanding comes that the end of life is not as far away as it previously seemed.
The famous psychotherapist V. Frankl, describing the crisis, identified its single symptom - “Sunday neurosis.” An individual’s depression occurs on weekends and holidays, when there is nothing to do. There is no need to run to work; there is a void that there is nothing to fill.
The huge world is ready to accept a person, there are many points for the application of strength: sports, painting, nature, music. But that’s why it’s a crisis, because you don’t want anything, everything seems meaningless. We do not leave the house to meet new opportunities, preferring to wait for Monday morning with a bottle of beer in front of the TV to feel needed.
E. Jacques (psychoanalyst) while studying existence came to two important conclusions:
- Over the age of 50, people begin to realize their mortality.
- Time is counted not according to the principle “from birth”, but “to death”.
Many people skip the crisis completely, without thinking about the meaning of life. As the specialist noted, thinking begins when there is a lot of free time. Those who are busy earning money for food have no time for philosophical reflection on the meaning of existence.
Within the framework of the crisis, the following main components are distinguished.
Loneliness
People can feel lonely even outside of a crisis period. They are afraid of not being accepted by society, do not want to start relationships with the opposite sex, or allow other people into their inner world.
At the same time, a person has not lost the meaning of life, he is active at work, in everyday life, and has hobbies. Existential loneliness is deeper, associated with the destruction of personality and inner world.
Existential fear
Crisis fears and experiences are singled out as a separate group, since they are not caused by real events, but only by a person’s internal torment.
Anxieties during this period are divided into the following groups:
- fear of death;
- fear of old age;
- fear for oneself - fear of going crazy, losing control over actions and actions.
Loneliness and fears are crisis conditions. A person is simultaneously afraid of old age and death, and does not understand how to live further, and whether it is necessary at all. If this condition occurs over a long period of time, then you cannot do without the help of a specialist, since the likelihood of suicide is high.
Possible consequences
The life of each of us is full of ups and downs. Unresolved issues greatly reduce vitality and have a negative impact on professional activities, relationships with loved ones, and physical and psycho-emotional health. In other words, existing problems corrode the personality from the inside, destroying its existence. Without overcoming the negative consequences, an individual can become firmly stuck in an existential limbo:
- perceive the world as a hostile shell that has no value;
- adapt to what is happening, accumulating all your fears and self-doubts.
Many people, not wanting to overcome difficulties, rush to extremes, in particular, to alcohol abuse, gambling, etc. Any of these thoughts is extremely destructive for a person, not giving him the opportunity to develop, overcome obstacles, build a career, family, and simply live peacefully. And often we are unable to overcome this on our own.
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.
Causes of the crisis
An existential crisis occurs either on its own or during significant life changes. This could be retirement, graduation from school or higher education. Sometimes a crisis occurs in situations of loss of loved ones (death, leaving home), one’s own serious illness, dismissal from work and lack of a source of income.
Internal experiences without visible objective moments are caused mainly by the following reasons.
Feeling of deep loneliness, isolation from society
Let us take for granted the fact that a person, in fact, is always alone. This is due to the fact that each of us has individual traits and experiences that are inaccessible and incomprehensible to another person. Everyone experiences both grief and joy in their own way; there are no identical shades of emotions, despite all their similarities.
Even in families, loving spouses often lack common reactions to current events. But sincere bewilderment about a partner’s emotions arises everywhere.
There are two types of loneliness - social and existential
.
- A social form arises when a person is excluded from the usual group - he retires, gets divorced, marries children. Those people who have been nearby for a long period disappear, a void is formed that requires filling.
- Existential loneliness implies awareness of oneself as part of a single whole organism - nature, the Universe. Being is shaped by unique personal characteristics that are inaccessible to others.
If a person does not realize this, he will suffer from the absence of other people nearby. The desire for intimacy pushes us to look for a life partner or friends. But how many times does it happen that a person is nearby, but does not share your feelings. And then the understanding of loneliness intensifies even more.
Understanding the nature of loneliness can bring both complete freedom of action and dependence on society and circumstances. Think about how you can be lonely with nature, flowers, animals around? Why suffer from not being in demand if there are books, paintings, music into which great personalities have put their souls to give it to us? As soon as we fill ourselves up and remove the empty spaces, people will immediately appear in our lives who are ready to look into our inner world and share theirs.
Awareness of mortality, the finitude of existence
After a certain age, we notice age-related changes in our body. Most of them begin to interfere with our actions: the mobility of joints is limited, without glasses it is impossible to read the inscription on the label, hearing acuity decreases, the speed of receiving and processing new knowledge slows down, etc. And we are not talking about very elderly people, but 40-50 year olds. In women, such manifestations are associated with aging of the body and loss of attractiveness in the eyes of men, which interferes with the satisfaction of sexual needs.
There is a realization that death, which seemed so far away, is approaching with incredible speed. The fear described is the most ancient and universal. We are so afraid of dying that all the religions of the world, trying to protect us from suffering, talk about the immortality of the soul and give hope for eternal life.
But this doesn’t make it easier for everyone. After all, no one has yet returned from the other world and what will happen after death, we will not be able to find out during our lifetime.
Understanding two simple truths will help in the fight against the fear of dying:
- Dying is a natural and objective process to which all living things are subject not only on Earth, but also in the Universe. Every flower, every insect is mortal. Also, all processes and phenomena are born and die. Imagine the history of mankind as a straight line, how many people lived and passed into oblivion? Billions. It is useless to resist this, and it is stupid to worry.
- If we realize that life is finite, it will be right to live the period of time allotted to us in a good mood and with useful thoughts. Poisoning your short life with thoughts about death is not productive.
Reflections on the lack of meaning of existence
A person understands that life is important and valuable, this is how his worldview is formed. All religions of the world speak about the uniqueness and inviolability of life. It is not for nothing that suicide is considered one of the most dangerous sins, and murder the most serious crime.
But at one point we lose understanding of our existence. Why do all the actions, do great things, if we are no longer there? Why improve yourself and live with dignity?
The greatest minds of mankind have sought answers to this question. Religion claims that the meaning of life is to purify the soul, which is immortal, but must go through its lessons on earth. Atheists often see their meaning in procreation (children, grandchildren), creativity (books, paintings that remain after the death of their creators), and serving their chosen profession.
But not everyone has children, and there aren’t many talented people? What does this mean, they live in vain? Of course not. Each of us has our own mission on this earth. During a crisis, you can accept a simple thing for yourself - the meaning of life is in life itself, the ability to see the sky, hear sounds, smell fresh currants. You should not deprive yourself of this happiness by indulging in useless despondency.
How to get out of an existential crisis
Having fallen into the arms of existence, it is important to understand that any crisis is not bad, it is a reason and reason for rethinking your attitudes and starting a new stage in life. If the experiences are unusually deep and a person feels a loss of core, first you need to admit that you have a crisis. Honestly tell yourself that you don’t see a further path, you are confused, worried.
Then we proceed according to the following algorithm:
- Let's analyze the situation
. Try to remember what event served as the trigger for the development of the crisis. The reasons can be very serious (death of a loved one) and not so global (lack of appointment to the desired position). In the latter case, assess whether the loss will be important to you in 2 or 3 years, and how deeply it affected your self-esteem. - Let's summarize the available resources
. Write down on paper a list of all the people who love you and are ready to support you. Usually there are not so few of them. Even if there is one person who can listen and empathize with you, that’s great!
In addition to your environment, your strengths, talents and life victories can become resources in the fight against a crisis. It is very useful to remember yourself in your youth, to revive your dreams and desires.
Think how eager you were to fight, dreaming of conquering the world! What has changed? You are still the same Kolya, Petya, for the Universe you have remained the same.
Imagine a very close and dear person (and you love him very, very much, for example, this is your child) who tells you: “You know, I don’t want to live anymore, everything is not interesting and not necessary.” Introduced? So that you tell him how you supported him? We are sure that there are a million words to revive the taste for life. Say the same thing to yourself. Simple, right?
Don't get caught up in existential worries. Drive dark thoughts out of your head like a broom. Physical labor and regular walking at a fast pace help block unnecessary thoughts. Remember, we said that a crisis occurs when there is a lot of free time. A single mother with three jobs has no time for suffering; she needs to feed her children.
Look for new priorities, dreams and desires. Setting goals, the most daring ones, will help you break out of the crisis. Make plans and begin steps to implement them. You haven't achieved everything you want, have you? At the analysis stage, we have already determined which aspects of life do not suit us, and this is where we need to direct all our efforts.
Important
: If you cannot cope with the crisis on your own, contact a specialist. If you see a person next to you who is in a similar state, talk to him, try to help or take him to a psychologist. You should pay special attention to children and adolescents and start therapy in a timely manner.
[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...
Advice from psychologists
A professional psychologist will not give correspondence advice without listening to the client and understanding his individual situation. At the same time, there are general approaches to overcoming the crisis of the absurdity of existence.
There are three leading ways to deal with the consequences of the crisis:
- Isolation
. Intentional withdrawal, detachment from disturbing thoughts and emotions. There is an opinion that idle people, people who do not value their time and life, overreflect on the meaning of life. If the reasoning is controversial, there is a sound grain in it - get busy with ordinary things and there will be no strength left for suffering. - Fixation
is the ability to accept the fundamentals of the universe, the cyclical nature of nature and all living things, the principle of “life-death-life.” Yes, the world is not fair, but we live in given conditions and must adapt to them. - Sublimation
. With this method, the negative energies of fear, anger, aggression are directed towards positive creative things - love and creativity.
Thus, V. Frankl assured that the meaning of life can be understood through a sense of the values of existence, creativity, awareness and acceptance of circumstances that we cannot change. A crisis is considered overcome (and this is its task) when a person reaches a new level, realizes his purpose, and leads a decent, beautiful and harmonious life.
It is very important to understand that an existential crisis overtakes almost every person, and more than once during his life. This is an occasion to analyze your thoughts, feelings and actions and an opportunity to begin a new era of your existence.
Grow good things
We often tend to magnify everything that has happened unpleasantly in our lives - from global events to small everyday problems during the day. And we perceive everything good that happens either neutrally, or we are even embarrassed to admit that this is what we deserve and we are great. So, the time has come to change everything in the opposite direction. Try to capture all the good things. You can even exaggerate it a little. But the bad stuff doesn’t need to be fixed, it doesn’t need to be blown out of proportion to the point where your self-esteem will suffer serious damage.
“At least I tried”: three illusions that ruin our lives
