5 signs that you are going through an existential crisis

An existential crisis is as emotionally intense as it is difficult to understand and even to detect. For this reason, many people suffer the discomfort associated with these kinds of experiences without being aware of what is happening to them, and assuming that they cannot do anything to improve their well-being.

In the following lines you will find a summary of the key ideas to know how to detect an existential crisis, which is the first step to remedy it.

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What does it mean to suffer an existential crisis?

Defining what an existential crisis is is complex, and in fact it is a challenging task for both philosophy and psychology. The reason for this is that it refers to our way of experiencing the most abstract (and, therefore, diffuse and changing) thoughts that there are: those of the meaning of life. In short, an existential crisis is the discomfort we feel when noticing the absence of something that gives meaning and / or purpose to our existence.

Part of what explains why we may feel this way has to do with our ability to think long-term, for a On the other hand, our awareness that our life will come to an end, on the other, and our predisposition to feel aversion to uncertainty. Since we can think in the long term and we know that we are mortal, we can think of our lives as a project with a beginning and an end, a chain of stages that lead to obtaining a result.

But, at the same time, we have no references for know what this project of our whole life, of our entire existence should consist of, and that produces an intense uncertainty that goes hand in hand with anguish.

On the other hand, the concept of existential crisis is so complex that there are philosophers who have started from it to develop their ways of understanding the world. From existentialism, for example, authors like Jean Paul-Sartre have come to defend the idea that human beings always live to a greater or lesser extent in an existential crisis, since the simple fact of existing does not go hand in hand with a purpose or a specific reason to live, something that our actions tend to naturally.

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5 red flags to identify an existential crisis

As we have seen, the existential crisis has to do with the lack of references to know what is the purpose or value of what we do, and of our lives in general. Therefore, this idea is often associated with the concept of nihilism, although it is not exactly the same.

The person who suffers an existential crisis (for example, by abandoning the religion in which he has been socialized and educated since childhood) notes a tension between the desire to notice that there is a genuine and courageous intention behind their actions, and the belief that at least at that moment, they are not there are. On the other hand, a nihilistic person does not have to wish to find meaning in their existence, they simply deny that they can exist a "meaning of life" and other guiding principles of human existence, such as valid morality universally.

A) Yes, who goes through an existential crisis wants to change this situation, or at least make it mitigatedBut it is not always easy to recognize the source of the discomfort. Therefore, here we will review the main signs to identify an existential crisis, although they do not have to appear all in the same person.

1. You let others impose the references of life

Living an existential crisis also means adopt an attitude of passivity and conformity when deciding what to do. As there are no strong values ​​or ideas that guide one's behavior, one acts by imitation and looking for the easiest way to adapt in the short term to the circumstances in which one lives.

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2. You are envious of those who seem committed to a cause

People going through an existential crisis experience a significant level of envy for those they feel stimulated and very involved in a project in which they participate, even if they do not sympathize with the causes of that person. That is to say, they envy not what they participate in, but the fact of being able to actively participate in something, connecting with a series of values ​​and long-term goals.

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3. You suffer from a loneliness problem

Unsought loneliness is one of the most notable consequences of the existential crisis.

Even if you surround yourself with many people on a day-to-day basis and have a friendly relationship with them, Lack of values ​​and a sense of purpose in life makes emotional connection with others difficult, although the empathy is still there.

This occurs because the existential crisis makes us tend to introspection, to question aspects of our existence as individuals, and the social is in the background.

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4. It is almost impossible for you to visualize what your future will be

Given the lack of references about the meaning of life, the future becomes just a great unknown, since we do not see ourselves climbing through it through projects that talk about us and what we want.

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5. You find it difficult to identify with your "I" from the past

Everything that deeply interested you before developing the existential crisis loses its meaningAnd so, in hindsight, everything you did and thought was important to you seems strange.

Do you want to learn emotional management skills?

In the face of an existential crisis or a difficult moment in your life, a good part of the solution is to enhance your emotions management and self-knowledge skills. If you have proposed to improve in these aspects, a resource that can be very useful is Meyo, an app for Android and iOS systems.

This application is intended as a digital trainer full of content and guidelines to learn, step by step, to adopt healthier habits physically and emotionally, and that adapts to the needs of each Username. You can download it at Google play and in the Apple App Store.