Existential anxiety: what is it and how does it affect the human mind?

All people go through a phase at some point in their life where they see that not many things make sense, including their own existence.

Existential crises are part of the human condition, arising from the fact that from time to time we wonder about our value and that of the things that surround us.

Existential crises bring with them negative emotions, including existential anxiety which, depending on how you look at it, can be seen as a synonym for crises.

It is inevitable and even healthy to go through a period of this type of anxiety, as it helps us to establish the path we want to go through in our lives and see what there is to value. However, it also has the downside that, if not addressed properly, it can lead to some mental health problems.

Let's find out next what is existential anxiety and what are its characteristics.

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What is existential anxiety?

Existential anxiety is that discomfort that arises when we go through an existential crisis, that is, a moment of our lives in which we question whether our existence has meaning, objective or value. The question of the meaning and purpose of human existence

has been the major point of debate in the philosophical tradition of existentialism.

In existentialist philosophy, the term "existential crisis" refers specifically to the individual crisis when a person realizes that he must always define his own lives through the decisions that he or she does.

The existential crisis occurs when one recognizes that even the decision to refrain from acting or deny assent to a particular choice is, in itself, a choice. Human beings are condemned to be free.

Anxiety and existential crises have their origin when we experience a change of stage or have experienced a very significant event for our lives, both positive and negative. People enter into periods of existential crisis after having suffered a psychological trauma, getting married, getting divorced, losing a loved one, having new partner, use psychoactive drugs, have a child or reach a culturally important age such as 18, 40 or 65, among many others Causes.

It is difficult to clearly delineate what is the cause and what is the consequence, because in reality it can be seen as the classic of what was before: the chicken or the egg. Is it existential anxiety that brings us into an existential crisis or does it happen the other way around? No matter how you want to look at it, the point is that existential anxiety leads us to a period of reflection and also of internal conflict, which can serve as a starting point to make new decisions and change some prospects.

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What are the characteristics of existential anxiety?

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Danish philosopher considered the father of existentialism, believed that existential anxiety was not only common, but also necessary. From their perspective, it could be said that existential anxiety is healthy, it is necessary that it catches us from time to time because it motivates us to rethink certain aspects of our life.

By becoming aware that we are mortal, it makes us seek and find new vital purposes. The existential crisis serves so that, after having lost the meaning of our life, we look for it ourselves.

However, if we take a psychological perspective, the experience of existential anxiety should not be viewed as a positive thing. In theory, what helps us find the meaning of life sounds easy, but in practice this is rather complicated.. In fact, when we are in a state of deep anxiety, whatever it may be, it is very difficult to think clearly and make decisions. What's more, there is a greater risk that the wrong decisions will be made.

Extreme anxiety makes us lose our way. When we are anxious, all kinds of irrational, repetitive and unhealthy thoughts come to our mind. are accompanied by physical symptoms such as muscle aches, tachycardia, headaches, sleep problems and attacks of panic.

Although the vision of philosophy on existential crisis and anxiety is correct for those cases in which the individual takes a utility from it, in the case of clinical psychology this is conceived as a potential problem, something that if not addressed properly can lead to health problems mental.

For this reason, below we are going to highlight some characteristics of existential anxiety, relating it to the possible problems that can occur in the individual who goes through a crisis of this type.

1. Feeling worthless

One of the characteristics of existential anxiety is the great physical and psychological exhaustion that it brings. Whoever goes through an existential crisis feels that he is wasting his time and energy, investing them in things that are not worth it.

The individual asks himself questions such as "what is the point of suffering from so much work?" "Where does all this effort that I have invested take me?" "Will everything I'm doing help me?" He is at the limit of his strength.

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2. Negative emotions

Bad emotions attract other feelings of the same type. So that, It is common for when one feels existential anxiety to feel trapped by constant anguish. By questioning everything he has done and around him, the person distrusts the present and has a pessimistic vision of the future.

The perception of the world is that it is like a house of cards that sooner or later is going to collapse, that there is nothing for sure and that it is worthless. Things and people don't make sense, and neither do their actions. Everything is unstable and fleeting.

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3. Feeling of unreality

A very common phenomenon while suffering from existential anxiety is the feeling of unreality or depersonalization.

It gives us the feeling that we live separated from reality, that the world we live in is a theatrical performance and that we, instead of being on stage as protagonists, are in the seats as audience.

Reality has become part of a set and we see that what happens in it is hardly authentic.

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4. Loss of vital meanings

The existential crisis is associated with a loss of the sense of authenticity in which the sense of self is lost. Nothing is what you thought at first. The perception that society can fail is reinforced.

The loss of vital meanings is felt with anger, disappointment and rage. The person feels very bad, even with himself, for feeling that he has placed his trust in those social structures that now fail him. You feel that you are a naive person for having believed at some point in your life that everything is wonderful and that nothing can go wrong.

Few things are more dangerous to mental health than the realization that life has lost its meaning. Thinking that nothing is as one thought and that society has failed us can plunge us into a state of great anxiety that can later lead to depressive disorder.

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5. Doubting absolutely everything

Our mind can be our worst enemy when we find ourselves mired in existential anxiety. The mind becomes that factory of all kinds of invalidating thoughts that make us question a good part of the things that happen to us and surround us. We see the world with a critical eye, which distorts and questions everything.

This is why, being in an existential crisis, we question even our own beliefs, faith and many other things, something that Kierkegaard himself already advanced. They even question whether the people who make up our closest circle love and value us.

6. Isolation

A very important aspect of existential anxiety is its propensity to make us feel lonely. The feeling of isolation associated with existential anxiety it usually occurs because the person feels that no one else understands what they are going through.

And he is right. Nobody knows what happens because it is an existential crisis, something very personal, and no one but oneself can understand oneself perfectly, something that even we ourselves cannot achieve on more than one occasion.

Feelings of loneliness and isolation are common and act as an impediment to interacting with other people. It is a circle that feeds itself: we feel alone, we do not want to interact with anyone else and we feel even more alone.

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7. Panic attacks

Panic attacks are common symptoms in anxiety episodes. The continued feeling that nothing in life makes sense, that everything is beyond our control, makes us begin to manifest panic attacks sooner or later.

Anguish accumulates as the days and weeks go by, an emotion that ends up manifesting itself in Invalidity and sudden episodes of malaise and nervousness that tend to further reinforce the feeling of fear and unsafety.

A final thought

Although existential anxiety should not always be seen as a symptom that a disorder is developing, its progress should be monitored. As far as possible, it is healthy to consider what our sense of life is and do something to find it because, otherwise, we can fall into a deep depression and seeing ourselves as individuals with little to offer humanity.

It is essential that we seek support when we find ourselves mired in one of these existential crises, although they are normal for the age or situation in which we are. Coping skills can make us come out of the situation stronger, gaining new resources to face the new stage more effectively.