What is an Existential Crisis?
Vložit
- čas přidán 5. 07. 2016
- People often speak of going through an ‘existential crisis’; but what do they really mean by the term? And when can it be useful to have it to hand?
Enjoying our CZcams videos? Get full access to all our audio content, videos, and thousands of thought-provoking articles, conversation cards and more with The School of Life Subscription: t.ly/bsiXH
Be more mindful, present and inspired. Get the best of The School of Life delivered straight to your inbox: t.ly/3WYMF
The School of Life runs a global online psychotherapy service that assists clients from over 40 countries. To find out more and book a session today, please visit our website: t.ly/xP3EL
FURTHER READING
You can read more about self and other topics here: bit.ly/29weaXW
MORE SCHOOL OF LIFE
Watch more films on SELF in our playlist:
bit.ly/TSOLself
SOCIAL MEDIA
Feel free to follow us at the links below:
Facebook: / theschooloflifelondon
X: / theschooloflife
Instagram: / theschooloflifelondon
CREDITS
Produced in collaboration with Damn Fine Media
www.damnfinemedia.co.uk #TheSchoolOfLife
I'm surprised this video didn't mention anything about the troubling realization that everything we do or may do, and everything in this universe, is ultimately completely pointless.
That's nihilism, not existentialism
But it is something that many people experience in an existential crisis.
I think the lesson of existentialism is that you should keep doing it anyway.. regardless of this realization. ;)
Disagree if we play our cards right, human life will continue to live forever
Robert De Groot
The universe may be completely pointless, but so what? Does it mean its a bad thing? Does it mean its a good thing?
Neither, it means nothing. The universe is what it's supposed to be.
The truth is, there is no objective way we should feel about the universe. The universe is not inherently bad, or good, pointless or full of purpose. That's just something humans invented. The universe just is!
Let us not forget. The feeling of Nihilism that we feel about the universe is not our realization of its true nature. By the end of the day, it's a feeling, and feelings can be very misleading and are completely subjective, but also prone to change. Its a reflection of our human minds. That means that the problem isn't the universe. It's us! It's our minds.
Truth is, humans are hard-wired to search for meaning and fear death (i.e. human instinct). When something happens againts those feelings we freak out. That is a very usefull mechanism for survival, but not happiness.
The same way someone that is afraid of spiders. They may tell you that the spider is completely harmless and docile, and you may know this already, but you will still be afraid of it. Cause fear, overall, is irrational (but still usefull).
But we have the power to change our mindset and perspectives. It doesnt have to be this way.
By the end of the day, it's just another "glass half-full or half-empty". Optimism vs Pessimism. None is the "ultimate perspective". Its just a glass with water! But the optimistic view does sound more enjoyable.
ADVICE:
1 - Try to understand that the universe isn't good nor bad. If it is pointless or not doesnt really matter, and shouldn't really be an excuse for you to stop doing what you love.
2- Try searching and learning about different religions or life philosophies.
I was also in a deep existencial crisis, but then i looked deep into buddhism and it just clicked to me and helped me control it. I'm not saying for you to follow buddhism, but there maybe be a religion or life philosophy that speaks to your "soul", but you don't know it yet. They are extremely usefull in guiding your through life overall.
3 - Healthy diet, exercise, meditation, good night sleep and kindness to others and yourself.
I can't figure out if we humans are too intelligent for our own good, too stupid for our own good, or a bit of both.
your shouldn't generalize humans because we don't all think the same way
Just an evolutionary hiccup....
I think it’s the first... some humans just act like their stupid or just don’t care and want to be stupid
humanity will matter as much as a individual germ existence to the universe frankly we won't even register as a blip
I think the answer is both
I'm supposed to be doing homework but I simply can't. It just seems irrelevant when you're having an existential crisis. Everything seems irrelevant when you're having an existential crisis...
Edit: thanks for all your answers. It's funny how 4 years ago that homework seemed to be so important. Flash-forward to now and I'm about to graduate from college in less than a month (september 2022). There's so much more to life than studies, so keep on going, and don't let the academic pressure crush you. You got this
Objectively irrelevant. Subjectively still very relevant. I have caught myself many times using this as an excuse for laziness. Just do the homework! ;)
@@kyjo72682 Uhm not really, unless homework matters to YOU it's not subjectively relevant either.
@@superduperfreakyDj It's relevant in the sense that if you don't do it you won't learn anything and get a bad grade. If you don't do it regularly you might get expelled, and worse: you'll get used to the laziness and have problems later when making money. Because it's really easy to use the "it doesn't matter" excuse for anything. Universe might not care that you end up sick and homeless but from a subjective perspective it still matters.
@@kyjo72682 No if it doesn't matter to you then it doesn't matter. You talk about school, grades, homelessness as if those are things that matyer
@@kyjo72682 In your previous comment, you say to a different individual "subjectively still very relevant", however the relevancy is subjective no? Is there not an assumption that he values or will value the same lessons and learning that you may have? If your arguing for subjectivity you can't tell people what is and isn't relevant to them because you are not them, therefore you have no empirical evidence that your perspective or point of view applies to them, or will mean anything to them. Subjectivity is my, and perhaps others, curse, as it essentially means that either I forgo skepticism and believe in something objective, or am tormented by objective truths that people hold without empiricism.
My existential crisis led me to fail in university.. Am a drop out and a failure because of it.. Set a goal and go after ... Dont let over thinking destroy you
Good advice thank you
Failure? What is it? One of life's lessons that can set us going in a different directon to achieve who knows what!
"The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing"
People drop out of college all the time and go on to find meaningful lives - it's just about finding something that resonates with you.
Same lmao
poor dude :( Hope you get better soon. Good luck!!
Gotta love existential crisises. You're living day to day, then all of a sudden your peace of mind collapses in on itself, you cry and panic, you talk a walk, wonder about human nature, reflect on your actions as a person, then sleep to stop the suffering.
Or is that just me?
i fell you totally, the thing i decided to to about it is just start to appreciate the place i habitate like it is my homeland. good memories will build up and create an everlasting, peaceful state of mind, like animals to their habitat. i call it the nirvana 2.0
What sucks is that it seems to be when I have to deviate from the routine that keeps me relatively sane. Like sometimes I'm doing well, then I have an appointment way too early in the morning or something, so I slept too little that night, then I have work or other things come up, so I end up more busy and stressed then BAM. But at the same time, I don't want to just stick to a strict routine.
NRG Buster oh Jesus we must be twins. It’s chronic for me. Once every couple months at least. And it takes hours and hours of talking myself out of it and forgetting about it.
its called going insane. im doing it too
Me too
Feel like I've been having an existential crisis for my whole life.
you're not alone my friend
I bet your face is an existential crisis.
+AnunnakiPriesthood why would you even say that??
+AnunnakiPriesthood same
AnunnakiPriesthood Burn
The saddest part abt going thru an existential crisis is that u slowly start giving up on your happiness, motivation, hardwork, feelings, everything. It's like a fight with u against the world. Everybody seems so motivated to achieve certain goals in life but u are just there wondering and questioning certain parts of life and at the end just giving up bcs u know all of this doesn't matter.
major problem i face after Knowning meaningless of life
Why to do anything, why build startup, or study hard
And what is sense of tolerating continuous suffering from different aspect of life
What's the way out brother. Plz tell. I m getting scary thoughts, always crying that whatever I did, will do.. nothing mattered nor will matter to anyone... including family, frnds... still single still virgin not getting any girl not able to achieve my goal since 5 yrs of cracking upsc...no respect from anyone...no care for caring 💔😭😫. M tired and just want my life to end... feeling worthless valueless...I deserved everything for my hardwork sacrifices but got no one who cares...loves me and it hurts...😞
@@ad8128fellow indian thats where is your freedom is you are free you don’t need to fulfill any expectations of you for other you should not crave respect of others because in 100 years it will be all meaningless you don’t need to be a fit in the expectation of society because that all will be meaningless so that is your freedom i know its not easy as it sounds but be comfortable being a nobody because in grand scheme of things we are just smaller than grain of sand
The feeling of loneliness is one of the most terrible parts. Could we all suffering from existential crisis gather and cry together?
Haha we should all get together and have a debate. I managed to come out of it stronger after reading philosophy and religion. Not all religions made sense to my mind but Hinduism made sense to me.
your al not alone.we have a group
😭
That would be something. One of the good things about an existential crisis is that the anxiety and panic attacks could allow people to open up more than they may otherwise would. So having a large group of people who are going through an existential crisis and trying to come with ways to handle it and go about living a happy and healthy life would be something I might like to see one day.
Sometimes i want to gather in a group with lots of people and just give each other hugs. Let each other know that we're all struggling and being human. Sometimes it feels incredibly lonely in this world.
The earlier this happens to you the better. The earlier that you learn to disregard the expectations of the world around you and live the life you want, the better you will be.
Xander I'm 13
I've experienced one when I was twelve, I feel mentally old though my age now is fourteen. I only realized what it is called after a year. Sometimes I love experiencing existential crisis, it brings a whole lot of understanding about how around us works, feeling isolated from the crowd of similar minds ~ money, sex and more
One advice for someone who's experiencing one is just to *live in the moment* simple yet difficult
This is true. Your comment is gold. I had experienced this when I was a teenager. Now it doesn't bother me anymore. I have learned that the meaning in life, your life, is what you make of it.
I am appalled by the nihilistic nature of the people in the comments.
thanks
Distinct the same exact thing happened to me. When I was 12 my world view completely changed in a radical way. I learnt that I knew nothing and that my life was a lie. I enjoyed it but it didn't last very long. I'm also 14 now.
The worst part of experiencing existential crisis/depression is that no one else seems to be having it same as you and you have to tolerate the narrow-minded people around you who don't understand that there's _more_ and _less_ to life-- people who only care about romance and sex, people who only care about studies and career, people who get angry for the most trivial things...
GreenFlash Sunset The worst part is that this is actually not even the worst part. Theres worse than that.
GreenFlash Sunset ugh, yeah. You feel really alone when you're hving one
I can relate... I don't meet many people IRL with these issues (or maybe they're hiding them as well as I do), but I'd suggest trying to locate mood disorder support groups in your areas, and attend them, and if you share your issues and luck out then you may just meet someone you can relate to. I've done this in the past, and while many of the people had more "surface" issues, I did get a few responses that made me not feel so alone with these thoughts. Otherwise, the Internet is amazing cause... here we are.
@ThisIsItBING interesting point of view
I don't think it should be conflated with clinical depression even if it's kind of connected to it and has similar symptoms. Depression is when your brain doesn't work right and you feel down even if there's no obvious "rational" reason for it. Existential crisis is a result of intentional thinking about this stuff.. if you stop thinking about it for a while (for example if you don't have the time to think about it) your mood will improve. That's not the case for depression..
this comment section is amazing. I always thought i was alone and now I've found "my people"
Same :) I feel so good rn that I’m not alone. Even if I still feel alone on this at least I know there are others that feel the same. It’s comforting
Anti aging
your people? hahahahahahahahaha
it's common sense
Same
I want to meet such people, hug them and cry my heart out. 😭 I feel so lonely.
"A regret-free life exists only in movies and songs." Thank you. This calms my brain so hopefully it can shut up for a bit. I'm 21 and in an existential crisis. Thanks for the video it helps a lot
Yeah that helps a bit
How's it going now?
@@tanyarawat9700 Anti aging
czcams.com/video/UTk851JcvwU/video.html
You may not realize this now but you could be lucky to be going through an existential crisis at 21, which is a young age. It could actually make your life easier when you get older (as opposed to others who finally experience it later in life). But this is only one perspective.
I am only 15 and this is too early I will never get over how pointless and terrifying everything is.
It's just 3 months after I turned 18 and it's not only a crisis it's giving me legit depression omfg my head itself feels like pressure because of the consuming thoughts that just won't leave my mind :( every second I feel like crying :'(
I thought like you at fifteen. And went through this stage early but its called being an adult and embracing the world and finding your own path. Am 35 now and life has been a mix of pain and beautiful moments. Hardship and haverst. Dont give up.
Maybe you will, maybe you won't. But you probably will. I went through an existential crisis in high school. Left me feeling utterly hopeless and depressed. But I've come to terms with the 'meaningless'. hang tight. you'll get through it. just don't forget to take a break from thinking every once in a while and clear your head. that helped me, and hopefully it'll help you.
I felt the same way when I was in 7th grade. It took me until I was close to 40 to realize I had been suffering depression most of my life. I got medical help through therapy and it made a big difference. Just talking about it and not feeling alone can help. I'm 50 now and although I still have similar thoughts I know how to not let them bother me. I found that, in my opinion, the only real purpose of life is to help each other get through this journey as comfortably and happily as we can.
Trust me, you are going through one of the most difficult parts of your life right now. When I was once asked by a shrink if I had been thinking of suicide, I looked her straight in the eye and said, "Are you kidding me? With my luck, there probably is such a thing as reincarnation and I'd have to go through adolescence all over again. No, thanks."
"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. "
~Socrates
GabrielKnightz seems rather lazy to say this
what you say makes no sense. Socrates's philosophy is one of the most fascinating and deep i have read till now. I suggest you search why he said that and what is the meaning of him saying 'know nothing'. Its the
'Socratic method' he used towards the other speaker to prove him that he knew something when in fact 'he knew nothing' . basically the big and first step to psychotherapy,and self self awareness. He fought for it till the last day of his life and the only thing you say is 'rather lazy'? ffs at least do an effort to read about it before saying bullshit.
Fotini 00 I’m very aware of the Socratic method and although this type of argument may have a lot of wisdom, it doesn’t take away the fact that saying this, on the surface, means whatever I think 🤔 is incorrect. It feels kind of dismissive of an attempt to argue a potential valuable point at the cost of being afraid of being wrong.
Had I replied to you “I also know I know nothing”, we would’ve never had this conversation. Anyways we’re in this video to gain some insight in a different topic so you win
You guys should look up Diogenes
GabrielKnightz i don't know nothing that's my problem you know something old comment.
Everyone who is depressed about the idea of working up to 40 hours a week for the next 40 years and going through all the stress involved probably has an existential crisis. Society has become rotten and inhumane
Fraaz Akhter Bingo!!!
It was always like that to begin with.
Agreed!
i’m 17 and i had soooo many existential crisis periods for 10 years:,) i’m so scared for what is going to happen when i will have job
Fraaz Akhter just wait for those people to have an existential crisis when they don't have a job and have to some how figure out how to clothe, shelter and feed themselves. Especially when, and if a real crisis appears and there's no one available to take care of those that don't know how to take care of themselves. I guess that's when the weak just die off.
I wish I could go back in time to when I was still young and ignorant to how pointless life is.
Damn.. are you still a nihilist right now?
@TheRealLoganYT check out nihilism
Been there. I had a real existential crisis and its fucking scary. You question EVERYTHING
Exactly
I wouldn't say it's a phase that you get over, or finish with. Most just ignore it; or in your case, go back to ignoring it.
When you overcome a tribulation you're usually better off. Questioning everything , whilst scary, gives you a chance to get a better grasp of things. I see no reason why it wouldn't be considering a positive. Provided you don't sink but swim.
James7796ify
You don't have it anymore? How long did it last? What did you do?
PaiNExoTiC
It's probably anxiety fueled. And you need to build up a tolerance for uncertainty. That will pretty much make you go back to normal.
one thing caused mine, myself, i realized, life just repeats, like wake up, eat, drink, go somewhere, sleep, repeat, im tired, im tired of this life, i want to change this, i want it to be more exciting, i want it to change, and i WILL change it.
Titanboa357 good luck 👍
have you changed it? and how?
Sam S hahaha
catch em' all boi
No u wont
Sometimes I feel like this begins with being a perfectionist/idealist. Wanting to make every moment the perfect one and making it count, so you begin to assess all the options and how they'd affect you, and their meaning... then you realize there are unlimited options and objectively everything is pretty meaningless any way. I often debate between wanting to make a big mark on this world, or just quietly living casually... but it feels like either way would end up being a tragedy.
I want to frame your comment
@@dorotheekarekezi Only if I can frame your comment about wanting to frame my comment!
I say shoot for the making a big mark on this world. That's because if you reach that goal and are successful, then it could be possible to spend your resources on others dealing with these types of problems. That for me would be something worth doing. I mean look at how the internet has helped with solutions on how to cope with an existential crisis. (I guess you could argue it kind of created a lot of them.) But I could just imagine an organization dedicated to specifically helping those with these types of problems. With the greatest thinkers of today describing how they deal with problems like these as well as coming up with the best solutions on how to deal with them and live a happy and healthy life. If that's possible I know I might support it.
I agree
I feel you. It’s just, “is it worth it wanting to make a difference or just stay quiet and watch the world getting more crazy?” 🤯
This was probably the main driving force behind the building of the pyramids. The worlds largest and most durable "I was here" sign.
Anti aging
@@mid7699 wym by that
That makes a lot of sense
So basically my entire adult life is an existential crisis?
lol
We never leave the playground
+ogogo ogpgpg children acting like adults, the playground of our youth contains the same character traits I see in daily life. The playground just changes into the streets of our towns and cities. Some grow wiser with age, some don't.
+def44 completely accurate. childhood begins at 40 for some.
To others: You're depressed if you find pleasure in the lady's comment.
I had a big existential crisis a few months ago and it was hard to get out of that zone. I couldn't stop thinking about how so many cruel and unhonest things are taking place in this world that I can't control and how they're not going to stop soon because most people doesn't realize the absurdity of the world that we live in. I ended up contemplating about the our place in this world, the giant floating planet that's dependent on the gigantic floating ball of hydrogen gas in a even bigger universe, and became very agitated on a daily basis. It was a dark place man
And how did you get out of this dark zone?
Against the emptiness, there is a painting, a very colorful and bright painting. No matter how wonderful the painting may appear, you know the emptiness behind it is eternal. You see the painting for what it is, and feel the oppression of the emptiness behind it. What must you do?
Pick up a brush and paint.
You're so deep and selfless
Have you read Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning? He was a concentration camp survivor who developed his own school of psychotherapy which he called Logotherapy. It's a lovely book. The first half describes his experiences and the second, his philosophy. It helps me fill my 'existential vacuum.'
This is exactly how I feel. I got curious one day and decided to watch some documentary on what was going on in the middle East. Unfortunately it wasn't a family friendly type of documentary, it was a look into the grim reality of what was going on there. People without limbs and very graphic and uncensored video, it made me question my existence and my everyday lifestyle. Frustrated about how these people were suffering and I was doing nothing about it, it made me hate myself. I questioned my life and how meaningless it was to anyone outside of my reach. How I would die knowing that I could of done more, could of been more. It's a feeling that can't really be explained but I feel its like putting everything in the universe into perspective, how there's so much out there and so many possibilities. We would be so insignificant that we wouldn't be able to do close to any of it nor discover. It almost felt like depression, It can haunt you. I still think about these things, usually do something to get my mind off of it since it really makes me think. Sorry, I don't usually type things like this, but this hit me right dead center.
one day I woke up and realized that nothing exists unless you do
Oh god oh fuck
Man I had the same thought! I feel like if you don't exist, then you don't even know about the universe and anything so to you, it will be like that the universe doesn't even exist
i realised i'm the person of existence
i don't mean to sound egotistical but i bet you have all thought that too
I realized that I only exist as a thought process and that otherwise there is something there but it has nothing to do with me.
Exactly! I too get this though very often. Think about when you die, the world stop existing!
I had it some time ago, and i've gotta tell you. It's comparable if not worse to depression, and it really sucks, i remember all those restless nights, sleep pills and staring outside the window for an hour. Agony.
I thought an existential crisis was where you wonder if anything matters and why you exist and what's the point of existing. Isn't that what it is?
How could you get over it?
@@jonnysaccount1149 Ye and that causes severe restlessness.
@@jonnysaccount1149 Anti aging
How do you get over it?
i can't enjoy anything knowing it actually doesn't matter and never will
that means as well that can do whatever the fuck you want. so stop nerding around and fuck shit up!
I decided today that since nothing I do even matters, I'll just do whatever tf I want and make sure that I live my life as awesome as possible.
Sounds like nihilims. These guys are saying that there is no inherent meaning to life- you have to make up your own meaning. Create meaning or nobody else will. What you do is everything. It matters - to yourself- as everything you do is the meaning of your life. You can choose to do nothing or bury your head in the sand, say none of what I do matters but basically you need to stop that and start taking responsibility for creating your meaning of your life as nobody else can do it for you
Its an experience. Love ,truth, goodness they all exist. We are infinite dimensions within themselves. If you know the end...only in the ride can we see surprises ,enjoy it the best you can. After all you will eventually (consciously)end anyways so why not see what it brings you. Nature is beautiful, quantum science, physics reality it self is still a mystery. Try to find harmony on nature, you are not alone. Anything and everything is connected by its core somehow called quantum entanglement wich shows that everything at a molecular level travels back and forth through time instantly. Knowledge is power and it brought me meaning and purpose.Feelings like numbers transcend and wherever you are I love you ,love yourself because we are all part of beautiful and infinite energy.
MilliVanilli But it still won’t matter what you believed about yourself when you die so he’s not necessarily wrong.
Life is harder than it should be.
I really recommend reading about Islam, The Quran is Gods speech and he talks in it in the first person throughout the Book. It really answers a lot of our live's questions. Here are few passages from it" We did not create the Heavens and the earth in play(.i.e for nothing) that is what those who do not believe think", "Do mankind think that they will be left alone like that and not be judged" Meaning he will judge all of us according to our deeds,so people like hitler who killed millions of jews will not get away in the day of judgement and God will judge him with JUSTICE for what he did."Verily in the heavens(the universe and beyond) and the earth are sings for God's existence for those who believe" "And in the creation of yourselves(meaning the human creation which is utterly amazing in it's complexity) and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain [in faith]." the signs are clear for God's existence you just need to follow his Guidance.
how should it be?
it's easier than it used to be.
meanwhile in 1349...
Life is about survival: either you live or die. That - my friend - is an existential truth.
I've gone through an existential crisis from the age of 25 to 30. Finally, I see a light that no one else who hasn't gone through an existential crisis will ever see. I'm a fighter and a warrior.
Im 25 soon to be 26 and the last two months have been really bad mentally. Luckily I have a supportive family, but it’s still a struggle. I never been diagnosed with anxiety and depression but if this feeling it’s like anything like that omg I have the outmost respect for people that battle those mental illnesses.
❤❤❤
omg thank you for writing this, it makes me feel less alone. I'm in my mid 20's and been having existential crisis since 22-23. I feel like it will never end. I
stop playing illusions with yourself. 😂 you are nothing as you pretend to be
Dont mind me, just existing in the universe like everyone else.
Same Man
Same
You all are fake a simulations of my consciousness every thing is fake i dont know i need help but i am God or am i . I am confused
You suffer from stuttering too?
I do stutter as well yeah. ;3
I dont know who is the narrator of these videos, but hell, his voice is really relaxing.
alain du botton ...He co-founded the school of life as well as narrating the videos...he is awesome...try watching his ted talk..amazing
Paria Fateh he's attractive too, god, its sad he's bald haha
Hi there Gabriel! His name is Alain de Botton. One of the greatest thinkers of our time. Besides he is the best " teacher of life" I know. His entire work has a life changing quality. You can read his books and watch his documentaries too. He has another youtube channel where you can find those documentaries. Just click on my channel, on the right side you will see a list of channels I love. There you 'll find it. If you want to start with one book, I would highly recommend " The Consolations of Philosophy". Have a nice evening. Best wishes:-)
+Lua Veli you're very kind, i appreciate that :) thanks
look up ASMR
The universe is so huge, nothing in it matters. Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die.
Look up danisnotonfire. He helped me.
heeeeey! nice Rick & Morty reference!
Come watch some tv
preach, brother!
+Game2Fart glad someone caught on 😌
Yesterday I had another existential crisis. About the reality of death, the question of what the human brain is. And it was eating me up. But then I found an idea that’s so powerful it saved me. The idea is that we can’t know these things. Trying to think about them is like searching around in a deep dark pit with nothing in it. It will TEAR YOU APART. YOU WILL DESTROY YOURSELF. NOTHING CAN COME OF IT. Which is part of the idea of acceptance. We must accept reality, accept life around us. That is the way to continue, that is the way to find joy. Acceptance.
bro thank you so much it helped me, because i was thinking too if what comes before universe and what it looks like of there is nothingness it really shiveres me down to spine and is eating me up causing fear and depression it was very unbearable i am suffering this kind of feeling for 3 days
@@Bruh-wi4en because us humans arnt meant to think about stuff like this, our brains cant handle it.
@@xza5687 if we aren’t meant,why are we thinking of it
@@chrischris3551 because nobody has stopped us from doing that i guess.
Death is only reality
I’m gonna admit I’ve never experienced a HARD crisis like this until I started isolating during the COVID lockdowns, shi... I’m only 18
Ikr, i've been dealing with dissociations and crippling identity/ existential dread and crisis basically since i turned to a teenager but since lockdown it's definitely gotten way worse. I had the fun realisation that I can no longer provide a justification as to why real life is more important than make believe a few hours ago, currently on a spiral lol
how are you? Im struggling with it right now:(
I have existential despair every day.
Tough. :/
Same though
free Mavado you gay lords.... free him now
*****
Yup it sucks.
Just turned 26, I’m questioning everything. My sanity, existence, purpose, faith, sexuality, gender, maturity, and even consciousness. Is this my permanent state?
No.
GMasis001 yep
With luck, yes.
Me too!! are you still going through it?
Sam Girl if you are lucky you will doubt. Doubt is a luxury.
I hate it. I have an existential crisis every day and several times a day. At this point, I don't feel like I am alive. Any mention of existentialism causes me to have a mini out-of-body experience.
Anyone else get that?
EDIT: Months later, I now realize this is actually a form of dissociation disorder, either depersonalization or derealization. I plan on talking to a therapist or someone like that to help me deal with this. Thank you for all of your help
EDIT: It’s been about 3 years since commenting this. I indeed had dissociation disorders although it was likely due to very poor mental health. I’ve since found help and am doing much better. So thank you to this video and other for helping me discover more about my own psychiatry
Yeah for me it’s like damn I’m actually alive in this body, what was I before.
Usually my heart beats and my arms feel strange
Every damn day 😥
Yeah I have it too sometimes. If it gets really bad, my body feels kinda numb and my hands feel very light, like they're not even part of my body.
Check out Academy of Ideas. They have loads of videos on psychology and purpose in life
Coming here was a mistake! All these comments made me feel worse!
Yep, existence was a mistake or a fluke smh
Lmao
you get this existential crisis when u learn about the universe and time and realize we are nothing :)
Imagine millions of years from now when the distant stars have moved beyond our view... the night sky is forever black and those who still call Earth home will know nothing else. To believe you are the center of everything... Then again, lets hope science and history are still around to reassure us otherwise. *fingers crossed*
Dont worry mate, a human being is a microcosmic reflection of the macrocosmic universe, we are something though from this perspective it does not appear so. Don't overthink, just follow your heart and you'll never go wrong 😊
Dont worry mate, a human being is a microcosmic reflection of the macrocosmic universe, we are something though from this perspective it does not appear so. Don't overthink, just follow your heart and you'll never go wrong 😊
+Divad Onarres being optimistic about it is a copout you are nothing embrace it , before u were born there was infinite nothingness and after u die theres infinite nothingness, so just enjoy this tiny slither of something while u can. even tho its purposeless it still can be enjoyable and fulfilling
klegend0 If the nothingness was infinite before you were born then you would never be born. You don't think enough.
Damn, dude in animation looks just like me.
He does.
It is you in a parallel universe
nah
is your lost brother
with the clothes of bojack horseman
"I think, therefore I exist." But irony is over thinking can lead you to having an existential crisis.
What helped me a lot: belief in fate and destiny, and that there are no mistakes. We are meant to walk down the path we are meant to in this life, and getting back in touch with one's unrepressed desires in the compass for our lives.
Trust issues u know ?
We cant trust anything?
I had my first existential crisis at about kindergarten-age.
...it hasn't stopped yet.
Hows it going now
Anti aging
Yonkage i hope you’re doing okay
By turning off mainstream television's influences with its advertising, Corporate media news and distorted messages in sticoms to movies, life becomes a whole lot better. I mean it too, I cut off cable about 8 years ago and my personal growth is immeasurable.
SchooledDogg...Pffft.
Dogg go back to your Fox news, ya may be missing some breaking "news" ................. ..
You read like a low information voter.
We may have a transgender here who knows, who needs time to discover..... ... ....
21stCenturyExaminedLife Thanks for replying too btw.
I've had existential crisis' since i was like 12. I'm 18 now and I can't get through a week without having one. All I think to myself is "wow. One day I'm actually going to die". It causes real problems and makes me not to do anything with my life because I don't see the point if anything I do now, won't be accounted for a few years after I'm gone. It a such a shitty feeling, especially when you suffer from anxiety and depression in general.
Hi, I've been learning just about anything to help myself; mostly studying to increase my knowledge base. Maybe you should try it.
If you've tried anything that has had any positive effect, please text back.
Let it happen.
" Everyone will die one day Jon snow but first they have to live" - Ygritte to Jon snow (GOT)
Im 17 years old and just recently i started thinking to myself: what do we live for? What is our purpose? In the modern day we only seem to care about money to buy food and to pay rent. But isn’t there more to life than just money? Im a muslim so i was surprised i started to ask myself what is there after death? If there is life after death is that live eternal? How would that work? Wouldn’t eternal live get boring really quickly? Our life on earth is not that long and death is inevitable. So why do we work so hard in this life if we will die anyway? Im not saying you should achieve nothing in life but if we’re gonna die anyway does it really matter? I myself don’t fear death i think but i wonder what death is like.
Anti aging research
Same here dude
Bro if your a muslim then u already have answers to these questions
@@burakozdemir3157 ikr
@@burakozdemir3157 72 male virgins await, inviting you to a world of warcraft online gaming session XD
Reading the comments everybody seems pretty tense about dying, I️ think if you just look at it from the point of view that you are in the now, at this moment you are not dead but conscious and just focus on the sensation of your breath and the silence or sound of the room, you relax. Sorry I️ sound like a hippy when it comes to meditation.
Jazzy Jose. Yes
Am I the only one who isn't afraid of death? Some days it's the only thing that gives me relief. Knowing that one day it'll all just stop, and I'll be dead and gone and I won't have to care about such stupid things anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on dying any time soon, there's still so much I want to do. I want to go to college, get married, have kids, ect. But once that's all said and done, death will be the last thing on my to-do list and I'll be more than ready for it.
SARA I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way. I've actually never told anyone that before because I've always thought people would think there's something wrong with me or think I'm suicidal and I'm about to off myself or something.
@@Ren-kp4tz yeah if only I could think like you guys.even if you say that, it doesn't change the fact that once we die we'll be dead forever, for an eternity.
who doesn't
I had an existential crisis during my childhood.
I have one now, and this video didn't make me feel better.
+Mariusz J Dont worry you'll get over it
I have them everyday starting when I was 7... I question a lot of things even when I was a kid :/
Honestly, I think having one when I was so young was one of the best things to happen to me. Being a teenager and not having to think so much about this stuff kind of makes me feel more aware of the world around me and really helps me forget about the small stuff.
Bob Jimenez Trying, not being a hopeless depressing sob about it.
I even had my first existential crisis when I was 9 or 10.
I felt weird like, "How did I exist, why did I exist, what will happen after I die, will I just disappear?", felt anxiety as time passes, etc
The modern society caused my existential crisis
same...
oh your name
Do you have any experience of living in ancient society?
I know this might sound weird but the last shot reminded me of something.
Sometimes, when I take chances and it turns out to be something I don't like, say a dish at a restaurant or a movie on TV, I find myself getting a bit excited of discovering a new thing to NOT like? It's not that I enjoy complaining, but rather I feel like I'm getting ever more closer to pinpointing certain aspects of my taste in things, and therefore learning more about who I am; that I know something new about myself now.
Anyone else feel this way?
Totally agree. Sometimes getting what you didn't want is exactly what you needed. Experiencing the wrongs bring us a to closer sense of what the rights feel like.
Tastes are fluid. I used to eat apple sauce when i was younger. As i grew older i hated the taste, texture, and look of apple sauce. I could never get myself to eat it. When i grew even older i found the taste of apple sauce to not be that bad. The same thing happened with coffee. I hated it, couldn't tolerate it at all. But now i'm starting to like it. Human beings are programmable, which means we are malleable and manipulatable. Some people are more or less so than others. As we grow older, we generally become less malleable - at least, our minds do. Really, we're nothing but a conglomerate of our *CURRENT* tastes, ideas, memories and personalities. As we grow older, these become more permanent. (Older = after puberty, around age 21)
No, you are weird.
Yes sure
Weird example : in some video games u love a special weapon and work hard for it , later u find a better weapon abd now u r in denial about that ur current weapon is not liked by u anymore
I got existential crisis from CZcams.
Don't blame me for watching videos like this before going to bed. That's where I conclude my day.
Anti aging
‘’Knowing others is wisdom, but knowing yourself is enlightenment.’’
I feel as though my entire life is existential crisis. Every day I ask the same questions - “is this the best we can come up with?” And “why should I follow rules created by other imperfect people?” A true justification doesn’t exist!
Not only rules u are operating ur imperfect parents given life and body 😂😂😂😂
If you are wondering why you are with your partner instead of a horse you need to leave your partner right away.
🤣
Recently I was informed that raisins are dried grapes and experienced a small but crippling existential crisis. I have been receiving therapy and am almost ready to look at fruit again.
yeah man I just found Santa Claus didn't exist after 23 years every December has been hard for me but i'll get through it
didnt expect you here ! Btw, your content is amazing, i would like to steal it and translate it inmy language. With your persmission, ofcourse
Lmao
Look who I found
Look who's here
Oh my goodness can I kidnap you and. Hear you talk sometimes
An existential crisis is just what I call day to day life.
I think the way to get over an existential crisis is to not think about it. It’s pointless as you’ll never get an answer. I don’t think we are meant to know the bigger answers to life, enjoy your life as much as you can, it’s short but full of great wonder and amazement.
What is enjoyment
We only enjoy sleep
That is also called half death 😢
Don't mind me, i'm just going to have an existential crisis now.
i love dan so much
phil: noooo. well i suppose we can end the video now
DAMMIT DAN IM ONLY 12!!!!!!
exactly what I thought
be thankful you are having it when you are 12. It is harder to overcome, even considered to make to a bad person to go through one when your older. Its better this way.
I had this when I was 17. But now I have found my passion and purpose.
Which is?
damn bro u lucky, I wish I could find my purpose too. I feel like there's nothing I could do or wait for but it's just me trying to live thru everyday for my loved ones sake.
I get anxiety when thinking of death
that's normal
That’s seems normal. I used to be. I still am at times but, I believe that God will take care of me. God bless ❤️
Me too whenever i think about it i get depressed so i stop thinking about it to enjoy my life more
Thats a common fear due to as with every other thing, people are afraid of what we dont fully understand. All I can tell you is from stories of people who have had near death expiriences once you die your in peace. Many cant explain why but you dont feel pain or fear just peace. The process of it might hurt like hell or seem scary but after that its over so why not just enjoy life. Its your story that stays behind on what you did and how you did it so make it fun, exciting or just interesting. And if you ever become paranoid of something again? Take time to analyze it completely. Trust me I used to get anxious over death as well :)
Alventura De la Cruz lol
...
I've been going through an existential crisis my entire life, and I'm not being cheeky or cute, I'm fucking serious. I have spent numerous hours each day of my life since I was young writing about the human condition and getting no where where. Only that when I watch this channel I'm being told what I already know, and that brings me comfort. Every decision I make will be the wrong one, and everything I attempt to do will fail miserably, AND in the grand fucking schemes of things, I don't matter. This is the opposite of what where told, and THIS is hugely liberating. I am now free to live my life as I wish, because ultimately, it doesn't fucking matter.
Finally some peace.
The problem that faced Solomon was how he could find happiness and satisfaction apart from God (Eccles. 1:1-3). He sought satisfaction in science (Eccles. 1:4-11), but could get no answer. He sought it in philosophy (Eccles. 1:12-18), but in vain; he found pleasure (Eccles. 2:1-11), mirth (Eccles. 2:1), drinking (Eccles. 2:3), building (Eccles. 2:4), possession (Eccles. 2:5-7), wealth and music (Eccles. 2:8); but they were all empty.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
John 17 17
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not [a]carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ
Exodus 14 14
14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
1 Corinthians 10 13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I really love existentialism and relate to it. The timing of this video is nothing short of perfect, and I like how each video has a unique visual style while retaining some elements that bring them all together. Beautifully done.
SOL reads minds.
*CONFIRMED*
I know right? Yesterday I was so angry at everyone around me, thinking that they must be plotting against me just so they could get me mad. Then SoL uploaded the "How to remain calm with people" video. Needles to say, it calmed me down and in just the right moment too.
To love existentialism is to love a captor who kidnaps you in the dark of night against your will and violently beats you to within a centimeter of your life. Existentialism does not love you, but strips you of your dignity and parades you around in shame. It steals away the ground beneath you and replaces it with a stage. It picks away the paint tatters across the world and makes bare the ugly skeleton beneath. It does not stop there, but crushes those bones into dust and scatters them against a backdrop of nothingness.
To love existentialism.
existentialism is not healthy, it's not right, it's indifferent and selfish
+Erik Arustamyan And so is the world ... so who knows ?! :/
is there a video explaining this for stupid people? not that i am stupid, is for a friend.
that alone already makes you one, friend.
maybe one for ginger people
just look up existential crisis by danisnotonfire
Too funny.
I don't want to be your friend. but I understand you. you are a good friend that gets frustrated with your stupid friend because you care.
I'm going through one right now. I'm 75 and in this post-?-Pandemic world - I don't know what to do with my remaining (hopefully) years. Full-blown constant Anxiety.
After this video I can pretty certaintly say that I have a existental crisis right now. It started four months ago and it is getting worse and worse all the time. I have never in my life experienced anything like this. I question everything in my life, I can’t stop thinking how the clock is ticking and I am thinking about the looming death every day. In the first time in my life I have completely no idea what to do. Before I had always some kind of goal or dream what to try to achieve, now I just have million ideas but no idea which one to follow. I’m just stuck and unable to move to any direction. I haven’t still figured out and the time is ticking. I’m so stressed, sad and depressed. I try to think that someday I will have clarity and everything will be better, but I am very scared that the day will not come. I just hope this weird part of my life would be over soon.
Hey,how are you doing now,any better?
@@gevorgvardanyan7729 Yep I'm much better, thanks for asking! I reached a very low point but it's far behind now. I just live, day by day and try not to stress and worry too much. I feel like I'm close to the point where my life takes a whole new turn to something completely new and better. You are very kind to ask. How are you?
Fuck this is so relieving I thought I was the only one, it's very comforting to know that many people go through the same thing
When I was in third grade, I asked my dad this question: "Why do I see the world from this pair of eyes but not, for example, a bird's eyes? Why is my awareness here but not in another person down the street?" and he was stumped. I kept those questions in my mind and kept searching for the answers since.
I never realized I asked my father existential questions :))))))
The mood swings when you start questioning your existence is called Existential crisis.
You just have to realize that what ever you choose is just as trivial, so on the grand scale there is really no right or wrong choice, and there is no reason to be anxious.
The greatest question of all:
but y tho
D.aniel B not to sound like that one fake depressed 14 year old girl or anything. This is the only appropriate time to say this. “I felt this”
the motto of literally every philosopher ever
but y tho?
Dont know brooohhhh thwy whys we are losing our mind
This video gave more insight/relief than then the 30 hours of the therapy and multiple prescriptions I was prescribed...
Ive been really really aware of living, the conscious and our purposes and its gotten oretty crippling and scary. I wish i could be ignorant again
Ignorant is really bliss man….. I fucking hate this.
This is what I wake up to every day. It makes me anxious and sad. I think daily, am I going to today? Tomorrow? I’ll never know.
so, that's it? it's just.. part of being human?
omg i want to be a dog
Bao Vuong same
Bao Vuong same
Bao Vuong same
I want to be a specific breed of dog then.. like a dachshund cause weenie dogs are the shit 😂 shiba inus and pitbulls are great as well
I want to be a gold fish. Dogs worry too much for my taste.
i always feel like what's the point anyway when eventually I'll be dead. Sometimes I just don't feel motivated to continue. Blah...
I really recommend reading about Islam, The Quran is Gods speech and he talks in it in the first person throughout the Book. It really answers a lot of our live's questions. Here are few passages from it" We did not create the Heavens and the earth in play(.i.e for nothing) that is what those who do not believe think", "Do mankind think that they will be left alone like that and not be judged" Meaning he will judge all of us according to our deeds,so people like hitler who killed millions of jews will not get away in the day of judgement and God will judge him with JUSTICE for what he did."Verily in the heavens(the universe and beyond) and the earth are sings for God's existence for those who believe" "And in the creation of yourselves(meaning the human creation which is utterly amazing in it's complexity) and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain [in faith]." the signs are clear for God's existence you just need to follow his Guidance.
same
Jacob Wakefield. Find something outside of yourself to live for.
Am I the only one who isn't afraid of death? Some days it's the only thing that gives me relief. Knowing that one day it'll all just stop, and I'll be dead and gone and I won't have to care about such stupid things anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on dying any time soon, there's still so much I want to do. I want to go to college, get married, have kids, ect. But once that's all said and done, death will be the last thing on my to-do list and I'll be more than ready for it.
With all due respect Imam Ali, but I can hardly agree religion is going to help when someone goes through an existential crisis. When I started experiencing what is called an existential crisis, religion was the first one to hit the deck. The idea of God the way religions teach us, and the harsh reality of this world are in absolute contradiction.
I’m glad I’m going through this at 19 rather then 40 so I don’t get stuck in some stupid life that i realize I don’t want
Sure your strong because you never got depression in your entire life, *but the real strong people* are the ones who got depression, and survived to live another day
Everyone gets depressed and most have depression but are unaware of it.
I had depression and PTSD for over twenty years and just didn't realize what was going on.
I suppose I still do but I actively work on myself with any and all of my interests.
Sunlight is very important and affects us in subtle yet profound ways.
The strongest are the ones who can seek help from the shadows.
We all survive depression (excluding those who left by their own hands) but most of us only survive, we don't live.
Im 17 and having an existential crisis
existential crisis from 17yr old hker:((((
Just 17, pfff i'm 15
Eli Soto just 15 pfff I'm 13
Same
I undersantd you, my friend.I'm 15 and go through a existential crisis.
*_Teachers giving me homework always send me into an Existential Crisis_*
"If I do this, will it be enough to give me good grades?"
Way too late to comment, but... Living with a chronic terminal illness has flung me into a constant state of existential crisis. This video helped me to analyze these feelings. Thank you! 💕 (Edit: spelling because I dont proofread like a functional person lmao)
Love you and u exist!
- from this man probably halfway through the globe from u
When my friend died and my dad almost died, i had an existential crisis and i started to think what if there is no God. It's really the worst because anytime someone mentioned death or seen a movie with death i got a pit in my stomach, i couldn't stop thinking about death. I thought no one is going to remember me and when I die I will be in a dark, lonely, black hole FOREVER. So ya... Now I am terrified of death.
Dont be you wont be alive to experience death it's not just a black hole forever
how are you? Im struggling with it right now:(
its tiring, my life just is the same boring thing day after day, new things change it, but only for a second, then it comes back, nothing will remove this normally, i have to remove this by changing how i view it.
and one day, this world WILL CHANGE.
@@titanboa3576 How's it going now?
@@tanyarawat9700 Anti aging
czcams.com/video/UTk851JcvwU/video.html
Titanboa357 wow 😳
I've been talking with my girlfriend about how some jobs (maybe most capitalist jobs but in our experience especially in the service industry) quite literally strip you of yourself. As in once you put on your uniform and clock in you stop being yourself and transform into some sort of machine designed to complete specific tasks for others. I noticed this when I was cutting a loaf of bread during our lunch rush (at the time I worked at subway) and for a brief moment I was utterly disoriented. I had no idea what I was doing or why. Why am I making this strangers sandwich? Why am I cutting this bread? Why do I cut it the way that I cut it? It was just so unrelated to anything that had to do with me. For a second or two I snapped out of my daze and my ego returned and noticed the absurdity of everything.
I don't plan on pulling a Thoreau any time soon but I think it's interesting to think about especially when considering who you are and if you are always you
You get paid to do the things no one wants to or can't do themselves.
Dehumanization, Karl Marx
If you tried to do those jobs as *yourself*, you would probably lose your job, or your mind. The customers demand ever more perfect performances. They demand the same smiling face every day, so--to satisfy that demand--you put on a mask. It sucks. If you have little time away from work to be your own self, it sucks even more. Try to keep hold of yourself.
So true. The hardest part for me is separating who I am from the job that I do.
i know what you mean, i literally couldn't snap out of it. Quit my service job, and started my own business, and i couldn't be happier. Theres something rewarding knowing what you are doing is totally on your own shoulders
I think existence is painful in itself and the worst part is, i have to pay bills for it. I never asked to be born here.😒
No one asked to be here…including myself….we just here lol.
Just got existential crisis for the FIRST TIME but I'm not depressed no more bc i realized that ur free and u can choose to do what u want in life like for me spread love and help people out
I saw the title and I was like I dunno maybe we should ask Dan
At 1:00 I flat out paused the video for a moment... A typical Dan/Phil's background music =)) lol
Yep
Twenty Paphonies XD
But WHO is Dan?
he's a youtuber that has talked about existential crisis's in a video. search existential crisis - daniel howell
The slightly cynical nature of these videos always chills me out for some reason.
It confirms every thing I fear in a matter that makes sense.
I liked it better when I thought I was overreacting.
One of the things that help me when I’m in a existential crisis is just remembering that there are also other people here. It’s better to spend your time trying to make others happy then spending it doing nothing because none of it matters. For me, if I can find a way to help make someone else’s life a little better, that gives me purpose. I just hope I am actually making their lives better.
I'm so grateful to have a name to put on my thoughts. I've just been hit at 23, first one of my life. Just having a name to put on it and seeing how normal it is to experience it puts me at ease. I've had pretty persistent anxiety for about 3 weeks now, and only now am pulling things all together. For anyone nervously scrolling through comments, feeling weird connections, fearing that this too is an illusion.
I remember it being distinctly comforting to separate the thought from the anxiety. Your thoughts aren't wrong, nor is it bad to question these things, and you will once again feel like your old self again. The worries and fear are purely physical, and a healthy response from your body. You'll come out feeling so much stronger and more confident in everything.
Thank you so much! I am so worried of being stuck in this weird, lonely, menacing place of fear of unknown and meaningless. It brings hope to me and my mind to know I will once again feel like my old self, before all this questioning. I very much look forward to that. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
@AK PG Yeah I feel like myself now, but more conscious and more open to enjoying life. I wrote that comment about one or one a a half weeks in into the crisis, I felt absolutely scared by that time. But after enduring the worst part, day by day I started getting back minutes of feeling normal. Maybe like 3 o 5 minutes one day and then went up from there, but always little by little. The secret for me was acceptance and gratitude.
So yeah, I now see it as the growing pains I had to endure to the realization of life reality. I now can feel normal and I'm way more aware of what I really appreciate and value. Sometime I feel so normal that I forget the insightful realizations I came up while in the crisis xD.
@AK PGHow have you been? I hope your getting more "normal" times now! I think that emptiness comes from the growing pains of your mind to the new paradigm of what life really is. I now realize that it is inevitable to question the meaning of life sooner or later because, as we realized, life is finite. I'm glad it happened to me now, rather than later, because I now appreciate so much more of the normal things in my life, and I'm able to live happy and meaningful.
The waking up not wanting to live part lasted quite a lot for me, some mornings I may still feel a little nagging reminder of what that was. But many days ago I realized that my happiness and "normal feeling" only went up from there. I was going to sleep everyday happy. I'm glad your getting the burst of happiness and peace, that's where your heading, believe me. I think and existential crisis is the mix of the mind exploration of life and the emotional biological reactions the body experiences to the question of non existing. I'm now, always aware of these thoughts and they don't seem negative to me anymore, they are more of a gentle reminder to live and love and allow myself to experience whatever life is, fully. The biological "fear" eventually just goes away. Exercise, journaling, eating healthy and sleeping well helped with that. I thought: "If its a physical fear, physical solution might help" and they did :) Just some jumping jacks in the morning and a portion of fruits and veggies here and there with plenty water helped me.
I was able to find meaning and purpose and also to accept reality. If you wish to discuss what I believe, I'd happy to. In the meantime I wish that your happy moments come more and more often, and for longer. Now I find myself trying to not let go of the "questioning my existence" mindset because I feel so normal sometimes but I really value what I have learned from it xD Also I feel my life is better because of it. Be calm, we are gonna be fine
@AK PG For me it was accepting them and just letting them fade away day by day. Also I decide that my own happiness is what gives my life meaning, because If I'm here, being happy is important to me. Also try the "physical" remedies I told you about. I also realized even if I though life was meaningless, my heart still had values and things it loved and enjoyed so I tried to live my days according to that, and that too helped. "what you resist, persists" Its about accepting. There is no immediate danger so fear is of no use and the mind is just growing takes some time to grow to the new ideas an existential crisis brings. You are okay, just as I was. Just as a muscle aches in the process of growing, so does the mind.
@AK PG Also just trying to live your life as if you felt normal helped me feel normal and present sometimes. So talking to friends or my parents, and going cycling or focusing on work. I remember clearly that adrenaline felt like a cheat to be present so I went mountain biking xD
Sartre + Edith Piaf playing + Alain de Botton = one happy Arman
im going to look these guys up
*people
*people
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
- The Doors
After just having a small anxiety attack this video did a good job of explaining the feelings i just had but didn't fully understand.
The more i learn the more i realize i am useless to universe
I'm a 22 year old recent graduate starting to develop my own bussisnes ... this describes my life SOOOOO WEEEEELLLL and actually makes me feel calm
I really recommend reading about Islam, The Quran is Gods speech and he talks in it in the first person throughout the Book. It really answers a lot of our live's questions. Here are few passages from it" We did not create the Heavens and the earth in play(.i.e for nothing) that is what those who do not believe think", "Do mankind think that they will be left alone like that and not be judged" Meaning he will judge all of us according to our deeds,so people like hitler who killed millions of jews will not get away in the day of judgement and God will judge him with JUSTICE for what he did."Verily in the heavens(the universe and beyond) and the earth are sings for God's existence for those who believe" "And in the creation of yourselves(meaning the human creation which is utterly amazing in it's complexity) and what He disperses of moving creatures are signs for people who are certain [in faith]." the signs are clear for God's existence you just need to follow his Guidance
I remember having them going through puberty. At the time it felt unexplainable & odd. Being acutely aware of how strange having consciousness is & feelings of the vastness and randomness of everything is a feeling I thought only I was having. When I discovered philosophy it sort of gave me some comfort in knowing it's completely normal to feel the true fear that an existential crisis is.
This pandemic has already revealed the sincere question of our existence.. It clearly shows by the fact that many people changed the direction of their lives such as jobs, schools, families, houses, etc. More and more people have started to question the meaning of their lives to find their own paths and truths. Hey, if you read my mere comment right now, I hope you find your own best meaning in life. Everyone is different, and everyone doesn't have to follow the same route.
-Nov. 2021 Your unknown global friend.
Hey you are right, the pandemic totally destroyed me. You seem lovely :)
Awesome
Thank you!
You are correct. It revealed many of the lies that we accepted as truths. Most have lost a sense of direction. I just want to live a sensible life creating art. Nothing more and nothing less. Modern society does not provide that. It just provides chaos.
Everyone in the comments here, I hope you get through this rough state of mind. I'm struggling too and praying for covid to end and that we find true meaning in life
I feel like I've been going through an existential crisis since day one, I've only existed for 18 years and this gives me nausea consistently."it's been hell on this earth since I fell on this earth"
Just study Buddhism. Trust me, it will help.
How do you know Buddhism is the truth, though?
life denying, desire negating, and against the nature of humanity. Buddhism thinks the solution to life is to avoid all sensation to avoid pain. I prefer to maximize all sensation to drown it out with excitement.
So you're taking the Oscar Wilde approach? How far did that get him?
+David Mathews
well you know his name, don't you?
Yeah. Not the case with most ppl that adopt his lifestyle, though.
school of life you have healed my me from anxiety you are better than any therapy I ever had
I’ve been in existential crisis status since 14! It never stops!