Quarter Life Crisis

Image Source

I wish there was someone who guided me on this one. I did not know what the hell quarter life crisis was until I woke up one day swimming in one.

A friend sent me this text message last March 2010.

Quarter Life Crisis is a medical term for the phase after adolescence, usually for ages 21-30. 

Image Source

Some symptoms:

1. Feeling not good about your job. - check!

2. Frustration with relationships. - check!

3. Insecurity about life goals. - check!

4. Nostalgia for school. - check!

5. A sense that everyone is better than you. - check!

Furthermore, this is stage occurs shortly after young educated professionals enter the "real world", and then they realize that it is tougher, meaner and very much unforgiving...

I was googling things and to find out how I can deal with it when I found this article on a website:

What Exactly is a Quarterlife Crisis?

A quartlerlife crisis, as defined by Alexandra Robbins & Abby Wilner in their book Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life in your Twenties, is "essentially a period of anxiety, uncertainty and inner turmoil that often accompanies the transition to adulthood.”
 Symptoms (Including but Definitely Not Limited to):

• depression

• insecurity about the future

• questioning one’s identity

• second-guessing career choices

• extreme nostalgia for the past

• boredom

• isolation

• doubting everything

• panic attacks

• feeling like something is missing

Helpful Tips on Surviving the Quarterlife Crisis:

• Relax. First of all, it's okay. You’re not alone. A lot of people feel this way. You’re allowed to not know what you want or, if you’re lucky enough to know what it is that you want, it’s okay to not be sure how you’re going to get there. You’ll get there, if you try. You may fail, but that just means you have to take an alternate route. Explore.

• Don’t settle. Right now is not the time to stick with a job just for the money. If you’re unhappy, now is the time to quit your job and find what makes you happy. Most people at this age don’t have a family to support or mortgages to pay, so now is the time to do it. The same goes for everything in your life, including relationships: you don’t have to settle for ANYTHING if you’re not happy.

• Follow your heart. As cliché and obvious as it sounds, it’s still easier said than done. Now is the time to follow your heart. If you want to backpack across Europe, do it. If you want to work at a rock club for minimum wage, do it. You'll find a way to make it happen. Of course it won’t always be easy, but the peace and happiness you feel internally when you close your eyes and sleep at night is well worth it.

• Don’t do it just for the money or for anyone else. First of all, if you take a job or do something for those reasons, you will not last. Money should never be the motivating factor.

• Talk. Discuss your fears with a friend, family member, psychologist or complete stranger. You’ll find that others have experienced everything you’re feeling and they can offer advice or just reassurance that everything will be okay.

• Enjoy it. You're only young once.

 

It surely feels nice to know that this is pretty common and not just to a chosen few. I think that Quarter Life Crisis (QLC) comes in different versions and our personal needs differ when it comes to hierarchy of importance (whether it's career, family, relationships, etc.). We have our own individual priorities and we tend to take action first on what matters to us the most.

I am still figuring my way out on this one, I admit that I am lucky enough that this internal crisis that I have is being channeled in a healthy way... and I am grateful and I keep saying that over and over again. I just get a little anxious and nervous from time to time that my grace period might run out soon.

Have you experienced QLC? How did you deal/cope with it?