Like any crisis, an existential crisis causes pain. But in this crisis, we can find a deeper meaning than our pain and suffering. Let’s take a closer look.
What is an Existential Crisis?
An existential crisis is a moment when we question our own existence. They often come in unexpected situations and affect our outlook on life. At such moments, we ask questions that will shake even our strongest beliefs. An existential crisis brings many intentions and feelings to our consciousness. In other words, it has a huge impact on us cognitively and emotionally. More than one person sees existential crises negatively because dealing with so many new feelings and perspectives can be exhausting. Moreover, many of the existential crises are identity crises. When we begin to doubt who we are, we begin to doubt everything and everyone in your life.
How Do We Know We Are In An Existential Crisis?
The essential feature of an existential crisis is a sense of emptiness. This may not be unique to that experience, but it is common nonetheless. Other symptoms that may help us determine whether we are experiencing an existential crisis include:
Lack of understanding: Our life has no direction, our individual life and our world are not valuable at all.
Anxiety: We feel disbelief and misunderstand life and death, good and bad, etc. we inquire.
Emotional instability: Disturbing ideas and feelings come into play. We can’t deal with our feelings. We don’t know what to do, we don’t know who we are, we don’t know what purpose something serves, and we have trouble taking responsibility and making decisions.
Complaint: We can’t be proud of anything in life, we can’t enjoy it.
Insomnia: We cannot sleep because we are always questioning ourselves. Of course, there are individual differences in symptoms. After all, everyone is different and everyone has their own unique experience. However, this does not mean that experiencing an existential crisis will inevitably lead to depression. Sometimes the cause of the pain you experience may not be due to death, mourning or loss. feeling of emptiness, no
Not being able to enjoy things, not wanting to do anything, feeling that we are not connected with life, losing our life force can also cause us to suffer existential pain. We often avoid facing the existential pain we experience. In the contemporary society we live in, we see our painkillers, that is, our technological tools and social media, as a one-to-one solution in avoiding confrontation with ourselves. The development of technology and the opportunities it offers may help us to forget ourselves a little, but it is not a long-term analysis. At the end of the day, we are alone with ourselves again and we have to start questioning ourselves again, and this cycle always progresses in this form and may prevent us from taking ourselves further.
How Can We Benefit From the Crisis?
An existential crisis is by no means exhausting, but we can still use it to our advantage. It is valuable to look at things from another angle. We must value our potential and use it to make our lives better. Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl emphasizes this view of existential crisis. He suggested that humans have the ability to emerge from distressing situations and overcome distressing processes. To do this, we must first find meaning both in that particular situation and in our being in general. Frankl also saw all people as unique and inimitable. This means that each individual’s process is also unique. A change in our perspective can reveal relationships, ideas, and resources we might otherwise have overlooked. Moreover, when we accept that crisis is a part of life, suffering can even turn into calm. It is nearly impossible to get out of an existential crisis unscathed. So instead of fighting for nothing, we should embrace it, explore it, and try to find out why it happened and where it will take us. The existential crisis is a module of life. Learning how to deal with existential crises is an individual process, but viewing them as learning opportunities is a solid strategy for anyone. The most valuable thing is to overcome the pain and doubts, get out of this crisis and come out stronger than ever.
