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Understanding the ways to tackle acute existential crisis

An existential crisis occurs when you start feeling completely hopeless about your life and find no meaning in continuing your existence. It can lead to severe depression and make you incapable of leading a normal life or pursue your dreams. This may happen due to the loss of someone close or when you face failure. Suddenly one day you start feeling that all your hopes were baseless and there is no real goal that you want to achieve. In its acute form existential crisis can make one feel useless and gives raise to negativity about life. Some people even try to commit suicide due to the existential crisis they face.

Acute existential crisis can lead to severe bouts of anxiety because you fail to understand the purpose of life. At the core of our existence there are some beliefs or fundamental faiths. If some of these fundamental faiths or beliefs start shaking or become non-existent then we lose the purpose of our existence. Recognizing your existential crisis is the first step of controlling it. Do you often wonder about the purpose of your life and find no substantial answers? Do you find you life meaningless and find no joy in your work? If you have faced such troubles then you are suffering from an existential crisis.

Peter Wessel Zapffe, a Norwegian philosopher has found that our self-consciousness actively tries to get rid of the negative questions regarding existence. He has suggested four great methods of controlling problems that arise from existential crisis. The first way to do this is to deny your negative emotions and thoughts linked with existential crisis. Then anchor yourself to fundamental faiths or beliefs based on God, religion, work, your country or community. These things or faiths will always be around.

Dealing with crisis

Distract yourself with different hobbies, work and keep your mind busy with positive or creative pursuits. Always make art, literature, music and traveling a part of your life to stay away from negative existential thoughts. Existential crisis can stem out of your bad life experiences, the education you get, the choices you made and the society you live in. Instead of conforming to the rules set by others find out what makes you happy. Do things that seem more meaningful to you and find the courage to acknowledge your real dreams. Never compare yourself to others because every individual has their own limits and talents.

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