Yes, A Quarter Life Crisis Is Real: 3 Ways To Cope
Everyone has heard of a mid-life crisis. Typically, someone experiencing a mid-life crisis will experience one anywhere between their 40’s and 60’s. It makes sense to most of us when we hear someone is going through it. Someone is reaching the middle part of their life, thinking about their past decisions, what they haven’t gotten to do, and just wondering about everything that is yet to come.
Yet when we hear about someone going through a quarter life crisis? People laugh. It sounds made up. How can someone in their mid 20’s be going through a crisis? But a quarter life crisis is very much a real thing.
Let’s talk more about what this is, the causes, and then three ways to cope with it.
What Is A Quarter Life Crisis?
Your 20’s can be the most exciting yet challenging time. You’re at the age where you are considered an adult. Yet you don’t feel like it. You look back at your life so far and wonder what’s next. You’re likely out of school and entering the workforce in entry-level careers. There is so much ahead of you.
And yet you can’t help but feel incredibly anxious. You might know what you want to do with your life. But you have no idea how to get there. Or maybe you are still clueless about the direction you want to take things in. And with every thought and decision, you doubt yourself. It’s the challenging period in your life when you feel trapped and yet overly optimistic about the future.
When reality sets in and you think about things too much, you begin to go into a crisis mode. This is what a quarter life crisis is. But what causes it?
How Is A Quarter Life Crisis Caused?
Your 20’s can seriously be the worst. Up until you are 18 and then in college if you went, you always had people guiding you along. Caregivers, school counselors, professors, teachers, etc. Then suddenly you are thrust into the “real world,” and you’re left on your own. Yet once you get to a certain age, that stops. You are just expected to figure it all out on your own. And that can be incredibly frustrating.
You aren’t a kid anymore, but it sometimes feel like you are. You don’t feel like an adult, but you actually are. Your whole life ahead of you and yet it feels like you won’t ever accomplish anything.
3 Ways To Cope With A Quarter Life Crisis
Thankfully, there are so many ways you can try to make this period of your life a little easier.
1. Remember, You Have Time
People seem to believe that they are on this timeline of when they should accomplish something. When everyone else is getting married, having kids, or in stellar careers – and you aren’t? Well, it seems as if you will never be able to compare. But they say that comparison is a thief of joy, and that couldn’t be more true.
It’s ok. You have time to figure things out. You don’t have to try to do that all in one day, either. Despite how it seems, nobody really has it all figured out. Give yourself some grace and understanding.
2. Stop Comparing
We said it above, but it’s worth repeating. Stop comparing your life to others. Life is not a competition of who can get something done the quickest. We all follow our own paths in life. Forge your own. Do it on your own terms. When you look at things from this perspective, you can ease some of the anxiety you are feeling.
3. Talk to Someone
When you are in your 20’s, it can be one of the loneliest periods of your life. And we somehow all know this, yet we keep things to ourselves. Talk to your friends about what you are going through, there’s a real good chance that someone will understand it exactly.
And if nothing else, give therapy a shot. Your mental health is important and working on it now can help you feel more confident in the future. Let’s connect to learn more about how we can help you with anxiety therapy.