Have you ever wondered what is the meaning of life and your identity?
Are you going through an existential crisis? So, know that this can happen in individuals of different age groups, both 18 and 40 years old. After all, who hasn’t wondered about their life: Am I happy at work? Am I with the right person? do i want to have children?
According to Monica Machadopsychologist, founder of the ClÃnica Ame.C, graduate in Psychoanalysis and Mental Health at the Albert Einstein Hospital Teaching and Research Institute, restlessness about life is normal, as we are constantly transforming and are also influenced by accelerated changes from the outside world.
“The problem is when you can’t face the questions, resulting in an existential crisis,” says the psychologist.
What can trigger the existential crisis?
More often than not, the existential crisis begins with a sort of dissatisfaction, a questioning about a specific aspect of life, generating constant and daily anguish.
Monica Machado explains that the situation can reach an intolerable point, where the person begins to have confusion about their identity, as well as having a chronic worry about their purpose in life.
“Life’s crises and adversities almost always occur in unpredictable ways. How you deal with them will, in large part, depend on your resilience, ability to deal with change and make decisions,” she says.
How to deal?
The existential crisis is a moment in which the person suffers with anguish and wonders about the most varied aspects. Generally the situation calms down and the individual manages to follow his trajectory relatively well with himself.
However, the person can also end up becoming a hostage to their own conflict, mainly due to fear of engaging in new circumstances and undermining their physical and emotional security.
“The fear of making decisions that could change the entire course of a life can paralyze people, preventing them from achieving their goals. However, there is no easy choice, as there is always something lost in making a decision. Risks are part of changes, but it is necessary to take them so as not to limit your life and your identity”, points out the psychologist.
To face the moment, it is essential to adjust your perspectives and seek your life purpose.
don’t push yourself
An emotional barrier can be created due to a new behavior which can lead to an outright action.
Initial motivation can become a trap by putting too much effort in the beginning of the process and giving up halfway through.
However, the good news is that, through mental reprogramming, it is possible to adopt new changes without feeling the pressure.
Try to decide your short, medium and long term goals, depending on the degree of difficulty of each one. Don’t forget to be realistic about how much time and availability it will take to consolidate your changes.
Make a checklist of your life
Think about who you are, what your values ​​are, and where you want to go. Realize if you feel happy with the life you lead or are you just satisfied.
In this way, you can recognize what is wrong, what you want to change and what your priorities are, important points to start seeing the possibilities of building a new way of life.
Don’t be afraid of changes
When faced with changes, many people may see them as something bad, as they feel out of their comfort zone.
However, sometimes, it is necessary to abandon the life that we had planned, because we are no longer the same people. We are in fact in eternal mutation, both internally and due to the need to follow the evolution of the world around us.
The psychologist reports that sometimes it is necessary to change course, especially when you feel that you no longer identify with the plans you had made.
“Track goals aligned with your current ‘I’, with your new life perspectives. This evolution will help you make coherent choices and go down more productive paths, avoiding wasting time on what no longer interests you”, he meditates.
get therapy
Professional help is very important in cases where the individual already has some emotional blockage, anxiety disorder or difficulty getting out of the comfort zone and adapting to the new. Therapy helps develop the potential to deal with challenges that may arise at any moment.
“Psychotherapies offer the possibility of personal development, based on the investigation of the person’s way of being. As the individual expands and deepens his knowledge of himself, he begins to have new tools to better face the obstacles and inevitable doubts in the course of life”, concludes Monica Machado.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
