An existential crisis happens when you start questioning life’s big picture, meaning, purpose, values, or even your own identity. It can feel unsettling, but you’re not alone if you’re wrestling with these thoughts. This guide explores what an existential crisis really is, why it happens, how it shows up in your life, and practical steps for finding relief.
Pulled from the principles behind existential therapy, you’ll find down-to-earth explanations, tips for coping in the moment, and insight into rebuilding meaning. Whether you’re going through this yourself or helping someone else, this article is here to give you supportive, honest guidance, and a reminder that even the darkest times can lead to growth and understanding.
What Is an Existential Crisis
An existential crisis goes deeper than feeling stressed or sad about everyday problems. At its core, an existential crisis involves wrestling with questions like: What’s the purpose of my life? Does anything really matter? Who am I, apart from my roles or achievements? These aren’t just passing thoughts, they dig at the foundation of who you are and what you believe in.
This kind of crisis can show up suddenly, often after a major life change, a loss, or even a period of unexpected success. You may feel lost, disconnected from others, or uncertain about what gives your life direction. That sense of confusion can be unsettling, but it’s also a universal part of being human. Nearly everyone faces these deeper questions at some point.
Unlike general anxiety or sadness, an existential crisis is marked by persistent, searching doubt about life’s ultimate meaning, a form of existential anxiety that research has shown to be closely linked with depression, anxiety, and stress (Alshehri et al., 2024). It’s more about purpose and freedom than about simple mood.
If you’re curious about existential anxiety or therapy, you might find useful guidance at existential anxiety page or learn how existential therapy addresses life’s big questions at this overview of existential therapy. Understanding these differences helps set the stage for facing, and moving beyond, existential distress.
Exploring the Philosophy Behind Existential Struggles
If you’ve found yourself tangled in thoughts about life’s purpose, you’re in good company. Philosophers have been wrestling with what it means to exist for centuries. Existential philosophy explores those deep questions: Why are we here? How do we find meaning in a world full of uncertainty and change?
Thinkers like Søren Kierkegaard, who is often considered the “father” of existentialism, wrote about the tension between our need for freedom and our longing for belonging. They argued that facing life’s uncertainties head-on is part of living fully and authentically. Later philosophers, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Viktor Frankl, expanded these ideas, tackling topics like personal responsibility, anxiety, and the pursuit of meaning in adversity.
By understanding the philosophical roots of your existential struggles, you might feel less alone in your search. These questions aren’t just personal quirks, they’re woven into the fabric of human experience.
Recognizing Symptoms and Signs of Existential Dread
When an existential crisis strikes, it’s more than just a rough patch, it often shows up as a mix of emotional and physical symptoms that can be tough to pin down. You might catch yourself endlessly questioning your choices, feeling out of step with the world, or just numb and disconnected. These feelings can be confusing, but they’re a natural response to deep uncertainty and searching for meaning.
It’s common to feel anxiety, a sense of emptiness, or even physical changes like fatigue or trouble sleeping. Everybody’s experience is a bit different, and recognizing these symptoms for what they are is the first step toward responding with compassion, not self-criticism. Many of these signs will be explored in detail in the sections below, giving you specific language to describe what you’re going through.
Beyond what happens inside, existential dread can be triggered by major life changes, personal losses, or even reaching a long-sought goal and feeling deflated afterward. The following sections will help you spot the signs, understand why they happen, and connect the dots between your emotions and life’s turning points. When you see that your suffering has a context and even a purpose, it becomes just a bit easier to carry.
Common Symptoms of Existential Anxiety
- Pervasive worry about meaning: Constantly questioning the purpose of your life or if anything matters at all.
- Detachment or numbness: Feeling “cut off” from your emotions, other people, or everyday activities.
- Loss of motivation: Finding it difficult to care about things that once inspired you, or a sense of emptiness.
- Heightened awareness of mortality: Obsessing over the idea of death or the brevity of life.
Life Events and Triggers for Existential Crisis
- Bereavement or losing a loved one: The death of someone close can shake beliefs around existence, meaning, and purpose.
- Career disruption or job loss: Losing work or shifting roles may leave you questioning your identity and future direction.
- Midlife crisis or major birthday: Hitting a milestone age often sparks reflection on life’s path and unrealized dreams.
- Relationship changes (divorce, breakup): Endings in important relationships can create a sense of isolation and uncertainty about who you are without certain ties.
- Significant achievements: Odd as it sounds, reaching a major goal can lead to emptiness if it doesn’t bring the fulfillment you expected.
If you’re navigating any of these milestones, existential therapy during life transitions can help you build resilience and clarity as you find new meaning.
Distinguishing Existential Distress from Depression and OCD
If you’ve ever wondered whether an existential crisis is just another name for depression or anxiety, you’re in good company. Existential distress shares some symptoms with clinical depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but there are important differences. An existential crisis centers on life purpose, values, and freedom, often filled with searching, philosophical thoughts, while clinical depression is more about unrelenting sadness, low energy, and physical changes in your mind and body.
It’s also possible for existential questions to turn into obsessive thought patterns, especially if they become repetitive, intrusive, and difficult to shake. This can lead to what’s known as existential OCD, where your worry about meaning or mortality overwhelms daily life. Understanding these distinctions isn’t about labeling yourself, it’s about finding the right strategies and support for your unique experience. Sometimes, existential worries can signal depression or an anxiety disorder requiring professional evaluation.
If low mood and meaninglessness feel endless, or if obsessive existential thoughts are getting in the way of life, reaching out for help makes sense. Compassionate therapy, such as existential therapy for depression, can help you make sense of these feelings and rebuild hope. The following sections will break down the specific differences so you can better understand what you’re experiencing.
Comparing Existential Depression and Clinical Depression
- Existential depression: Triggers focus on big questions, Why am I here? What makes life meaningful? It’s often accompanied by a sense of emptiness, disconnection, or loss of meaning more than just sadness.
- Clinical depression: Involves persistent low mood, fatigue, lack of pleasure, and physical symptoms such as sleep or appetite changes. It may not include deep philosophizing or meaning-seeking.
- Overlap: Both bring feelings of hopelessness or despair, but existential depression centers more on reasons for being than emotional symptoms alone.
Understanding Existential OCD and Obsessive Thought Patterns
Existential OCD is when worries about meaning, death, or reality become persistent, unwanted, and repetitive. Instead of occasional questioning, your mind cycles through the same deep thoughts, trying to find certainty but never getting resolution. You might obsess over life’s unanswerable questions or rituals that temporarily relieve anxiety, even if you know they’re irrational.
This goes beyond normal philosophical pondering and can disrupt daily functioning or relationships. Recognizing when existential thoughts become obsessive is crucial. Building self-awareness, and seeking compassionate support when obsessive patterns interfere with living, can promote self-acceptance and healing.
Coping Strategies for Immediate Relief
When existential dread hits hard, sometimes you need practical ways to find some relief in the moment. Coping strategies that focus on grounding yourself, processing your feelings, and accepting what you cannot change can help you regain some calm, even if the deeper questions remain. These techniques aren’t a magic cure, but they can keep you steady while you figure out the bigger stuff.
Each strategy that follows is meant to be accessible, whether you’re at home, out walking, or lying awake at night. Try experimenting until you find what brings a bit of peace. You deserve practical tools for self-care as you move through challenging times.
Let’s look at how mindfulness, journaling, and radical acceptance can help settle spiraling thoughts and reconnect you to a sense of the here and now.
Grounding Yourself With Mindfulness Practices
- Breathing exercises: Focus on your breath, inhale slowly, notice the air, then exhale. Mindfulness-based practices have been shown to improve both emotional and psychological well-being (Kosugi et al., 2021).
- Sensory observation: Tune into what you can see, hear, feel, and smell, one sense at a time. This snaps your attention back to reality, not your worries.
- Body scan meditation: Slowly notice where you feel tension or ease in your body, working from your toes to your head. This grounds you in the “now.”
Processing Feelings Through Journaling and Gratitude
- Expressive writing: Grab a notebook and spill out your raw thoughts, without editing. Writing down the questions or worries looping in your head helps clear mental clutter.
- Gratitude lists: Each day, jot down three small things you’re grateful for. Studies show that even brief gratitude-focused writing can lower stress and negative affect (Fekete & Deichert, 2022).
- Reflection prompts: Try these: “What gives me even a little hope today?” or “What mattered to me as a kid that I’ve forgotten lately?” These prompts encourage curiosity and self-compassion instead of judgment.
Embracing Radical Acceptance and Letting Go
Radical acceptance means fully acknowledging reality, even the difficult, uncomfortable parts, without fighting against them. It’s not about giving up; it’s about facing life as it is, so you can choose how you want to respond. This mindset can bring a sense of peace and clarity, especially when struggling with uncertainties you can’t control.
Rebuilding Meaning and Purpose After an Existential Breakdown
After immediate distress has eased up, the bigger question returns: How do you rebuild a sense of meaning and direction in life? It’s normal to feel lost or disillusioned for a time after a major existential breakdown. This next step isn’t about “fixing” your life overnight, but rather gently exploring what truly matters to you, even if the answers aren’t obvious yet.
Rebuilding purpose is an ongoing process, and often, it means learning to listen to your own voice rather than following well-worn societal or family scripts. In many cases, it also helps to be in the company of others doing the same reflection. Authenticity and self-differentiation become touchstones, giving you a reason to get up in the morning that feels real, not forced.
Finding Authenticity and Self-Differentiation
Authenticity means living in alignment with your deepest values, not just what others expect of you. Self-differentiation is having the confidence to know what’s truly yours, your beliefs, your dreams, without losing yourself in the crowd.
To nurture both, start with gentle self-inquiry. Ask: What small choice today feels like “me,” even if it’s just picking a lunch you genuinely enjoy? Over time, these small acts of alignment can foster a stronger, more resilient sense of self. Learn more about building authentic living in an Asian cultural context at Encompassing Therapy.
When to Seek Professional Help and Existential Therapy
It’s time to seek extra support when an existential crisis becomes overwhelming, if you’re unable to cope, daily functioning is disrupted, or you feel persistently hopeless or lost. There’s no shame in asking for help, especially when the big questions feel too heavy to carry alone. Professional therapy, ideally from someone trained in existential approaches, can offer a specialized space for this kind of struggle.
Existential therapy differs from other interventions by focusing on meaning, autonomy, and the courage to face life’s uncertainties. Rather than just treating symptoms, this therapy validates your individual experience and helps you explore what gives your existence value. The process involves deep dialogue, honest reflection, and a lot of compassion for yourself along the way.
Transforming Crisis Into Personal Growth and Self-Discovery
An existential crisis can feel like the end of the road, but it’s just as often the start of a new journey. Existential therapy suggests that instead of trying to erase uncertainty or solve every paradox, we learn to embrace them. When you face those big, uncomfortable questions, you find out what matters to you, what you care about, and who you are at your core.
Growth happens through honest reflection, authentic dialogue, and allowing yourself to change as your understanding deepens. As tough as existential distress feels in the moment, it creates a powerful invitation for self-discovery and renewed purpose. Many find a “silver lining” in this process, a chance to reimagine their identity and life goals from the inside out.
Spirituality and the Leap to Faith
Spirituality, whether rooted in religious tradition, a sense of connectedness, or trust in something bigger than yourself, often helps people navigate existential angst. Sometimes, facing uncertainty means taking a ‘leap to faith,’ not in a prescribed dogma, but in the idea that life can be worthwhile even if all the answers aren’t clear.
This leap isn’t just for believers. For many, hope springs from community, artistic expression, or meaningful conversations. In human history, people have always turned to spirituality as a way to make peace with the unknown, reconnect with wonder, and find courage in ambiguity. However you define it, that spark of hope and trust can be a steadying force as you move forward.
Conclusion
An existential crisis is tough, but it’s also a chance to press pause, take stock, and reconnect with what matters most. Whether you’re stuck in big questions or struggling to find your next step, remember: questioning is deeply human, not a sign of failure. With self-compassion, practical coping strategies, and the willingness to seek support when needed, you can move through uncertainty toward renewed meaning.
Take your time and know that the path forward doesn’t have to be obvious, or lonely. Growth, resilience, and purpose often emerge from the very crisis that once felt overwhelming. Your search for meaning is valid, and the journey itself has value.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between an existential crisis and clinical depression?
An existential crisis centers on questioning life’s meaning and one’s purpose. It often arises in the wake of significant life changes or transitions. Clinical depression, by contrast, is defined more by persistent low mood, a loss of interest in once-enjoyed activities, and physical symptoms. While existential distress can trigger depression, the core concerns are philosophical rather than emotional or biochemical alone.
Are existential crises normal, or a sign of mental illness?
Existential crises are a normal and universal part of human life. Most people encounter them at some point, especially after major life changes or losses. Having this kind of crisis does not mean you are mentally ill or broken. However, if your distress leads to persistent hopelessness, isolation, or inability to function, reaching out for professional support is crucial and can be life-affirming.
Can mindfulness actually help during an existential crisis?
Yes. Mindfulness helps anchor you in the present moment, making overwhelming existential worries feel more manageable. By focusing on your breath, senses, or immediate surroundings, you create space to observe, rather than be swept away by, ruminating thoughts. Mindfulness is not about solving big questions, but about gaining enough calm to reflect more clearly and respond with compassion.
How can I find meaning if I don’t believe in any particular religion or philosophy?
Meaning doesn’t have to come from religion or formal philosophy. Many people find purpose in relationships, learning, creativity, acts of kindness, or contributing to something larger than themselves. The process of meaning-making is deeply personal. Exploring interests, values, and human connections can be just as fulfilling as any traditional path, what matters is what feels genuine to you.
When should I seek professional help for an existential crisis?
If your distress is overwhelming, you feel persistently lost or hopeless, or daily functioning is affected, it’s time to reach out for support. Existential therapy offers a safe, accepting space for deep exploration. Therapists trained in this approach can help you understand and navigate your crisis, offering guidance specific to your experience so you’re not left searching for answers alone.
References
- Alshehri, H., Alturkestani, R., Hijan, B., Almalki, S., Alobaidi, R., Almufti, S., Baduwailan, A. O., Butt, N. S., Alghamdi, W. A., Al Zaben, F., Koenig, H. G., Tayeb, H. O., & Abdulghaffar, H. K. (2024). The prevalence of existential anxiety and its association with depression, general anxiety, and stress in Saudi university students. Middle East Current Psychiatry, 31, Article 47.
- Fekete, E. M., & Deichert, N. T. (2022). A brief gratitude writing intervention decreased stress and negative affect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Happiness Studies, 23(6), 2427–2448.
- Kosugi, T., Ninomiya, A., Nagaoka, M., Hashimoto, Z., Sawada, K., Park, S., Fujisawa, D., Mimura, M., & Sado, M. (2021). Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for improving subjective and eudaimonic well-being in healthy individuals: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 700916.
About the Author
I am a BPS-accredited and SPS-accredited Counselling Psychologist with a Doctorate in Existential Psychology from the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, U.K. My care philosophy is not to diagnose, label, or categorise but rather to work with the individual in front of me in the here and now.
My clinical credentials certainly play a significant role in defining my professional identity. But to foster a deeper connection and authenticity, I invite you to discover my other “Selves”, the various facets of who I am.
