Quarter Life Crisis
Decoding your Adulting Roller Coaster
You are in your mid-20s or early 30s and feeling stuck and uncertain. You feel directionless, your work doesn’t excite you, you have many unanswered questions about your future and life purpose, or perhaps you continue to find yourself in a series of bad relationships.
Meanwhile, while you continue to make your way through these challenges, you find yourself wondering, why does everyone else’s life seem so perfect?
If this sounds like you, then there’s a good chance you’re stuck in a quarter-life crisis.
Growing up, we probably had a rather stereotypical idea of what adulthood would look like: having an extravagant apartment, a fancy car, a flourishing career, travelling the world with our partner, parenting (dog, plant, or even a child) and we assumed that none of this is too much to ask.
But no one ever prepared us for that feeling of ‘crisis’ in our earlier years. After all, these were ‘supposed to be’ the most fun and free years of your life, right?
Quarter life crisis occurs in the mid-20s or early 30s. Sometimes if it is not addressed the signs can lead up to your late 30s. It is a period of intense soul-searching, stress, and uncertainty. It is hard to tell whether soul-searching results from stress, or if stress causes soul-searching.
Meanwhile, while you continue to make your way through these challenges, you find yourself wondering, why does everyone else’s life seem so perfect?
If this sounds like you, then there’s a good chance you’re stuck in a quarter-life crisis.
Growing up, we probably had a rather stereotypical idea of what adulthood would look like: having an extravagant apartment, a fancy car, a flourishing career, travelling the world with our partner, parenting (dog, plant, or even a child) and we assumed that none of this is too much to ask.
Often, people experience this uncertainty because they feel trapped and uninspired. In case you feel alone – BOOM! I’m here to burst your bubble. Isn’t it comforting to know that a lot of people are in the same boat as you?
Research has shown us that quarter-life crises are more common than we may think. Survey findings reveal that 86% of millennials have gone through a quarter-life crisis. Sometimes people are unaware that they have it because it manifests in other forms and after they have reached a certain age. People reported financial stress, pressure to get married, start families, and settle down. Millennials, it’s less of a question of if you will experience a quarter-life crisis than it is a question of when.
Signs of a quarter-life crisis— (What Happens During a Quarter-Life Crisis?)
- Feeling lost or trapped professionally or personally
- Feeling directionless
- Excessive need for change
- Overthinking the past and worrying about the future
- Lacking sense of purpose
- Feeling like you’re wasting time, activities feel meaningless
- Lack of motivation
- Constantly apologising and wanting to fix everything
Causes of a quarter-life crisis?
We’ve listed some of the most common things people think or feel when they are going through a quarter-life crisis.
- Comparison
- Feeling lost or trapped professionally or personally
- Feeling directionless
- Excessive need for change
- Overthinking the past and worrying about the future
- Lacking sense of purpose
- Feeling like you’re wasting time, activities feel meaningless
- Lack of motivation
- Constantly apologising and wanting to fix everything
- Pressure to enjoy
- Decisions
Some more triggers are:
- Feeling uninspired by your current job.
- Financial instability.
- Living alone for the first time
- Feeling disconnected in interpersonal relationships.
- Struggling with depression or anxiety.
- Making long-changing personal or professional decisions.
If you don’t deal with it, it will only get worse. Let me give you an example –Even if you constantly keep eating junk food and drinking alcohol, you will be able to function. Your body won’t collapse immediately, but you are preparing it for the big burnout. Similarly, with all the confusion and unhappiness, your mind will function, but you are preparing it for a breakdown.
