I’ve been riding the roller-coaster that is my quarter life crisis for a solid 2 years now (the year before that was dedicated entirely to denying its existence, trying to conform to ‘normality’ and plastering a fake smile on my face). My quarter life crisis led me to quit my enviable corporate job, take up teaching and move to the Middle East. It encouraged me to take up meditation, yoga and all manner of strange arts of crafts in an attempt to find fulfilment.
I even threw away all my stuff!
But I’m not alone. As many as six in 10 millennials claim to be going through a quarter life crisis and, if you’re between the ages of 25 and 33, you’re probably having one too. Not convinced? Take a look for yourself. Here are some of the common signs that you’re having a quarter-life crisis:
1. You’re questioning your entire life and the point of it all.
Suddenly you’re hellbent on discovering the meaning of life, the key to happiness and what you have to do to become the perfect version of you…whatever to heck that is. You feel completely adrift in an ocean of meaninglessness. Yeah, it’s bleak.
2. You’re only in your mid-twenties and you’re scared your best years are already behind you.
You look back at your carefree uni days and wonder if it’s all downhill from here. After all, adulting is hard and it will probably never be acceptable to play beer pong on a Tuesday afternoon again now that you’re a grown up with a job. Is fun over and done with then?
3. Your job feels like a prison sentence.
When you picture yourself 10 years from now, still working for the same company, doing the same old thing, it scares the bejesus out of you. The idea that this is what you’ll be doing from now until the day you retire is completely terrifying.
4. You’re wracked with indecision.
On the one hand, you want to be one of those people you read about who quits their job to sell coconuts on the beach on some tropical island. On the other hand, you want to climb the corporate career ladder and earn a six-figure salary. Then again, you also want to settle down and do the family thing with an SUV and a cute dog. The reality is, you have no idea what you want.
5. You’re Facebook feed is nothing but wedding shots and baby pictures.
It seems as though every person you’ve ever met is happily married and busy churning out the perfect family. Meanwhile, the closest thing you’ve had to a meaningful relationship in the last two years is the one you’ve forged with your cat…or worse, cactus.
6. In fact, all social media causes you an alarming amount of anxiety, but you just can’t stop scrolling.
You’re aware that Instagram is probably going to be the cause of your jealousy-induced nervous breakdown, but something inside you keeps forcing you to drool over other people’s perfect holiday snaps. You know it’s all a facade…but you’re jealous of the facade.
7. You know 15 year old you would be judging you right now.
By now you were meant to be married with a house and enough disposable income to do your weekly shop at Waitrose. The reality is, you’re single, living with your parents and you still can’t schedule your own appointments. Things aren’t exactly going according to plan.
8. You’re scared you’re wasting the best years of your life.
Everyone else seems to be off ‘finding themselves’ in Vietnam or sipping post-work cocktails at VIP lounges in Central London. You, on the other hand, spend your Friday nights watching catch up TV in your pjs. You can’t help but feel like your twenties should be significantly more glamorous than this.
9. You feel compelled to make bizarre life choices that can’t be explained, just to break the monotony.
Maybe you’ll take up unicycling; maybe you’ll quit your job and go live in Peru for six months. Every day brings it’s own strange new idea of what you can do to ‘fix’ your life and make this quarter-life crisis go away.
10. Nothing fills the void!
But none of those weird and wonderful ideas actually bring you any lasting happiness or a sense of fulfilment. You always slip back to your default of discontentment, anxiety and perpetual confusion. Hey, nobody said this thing was going to be fun.
The good news is, this can’t last forever…surely! And I’m right here on the front lines, pouring over the self help books, watching the Ted Talks and travelling the world to find the answers. As soon as I find them, I’ll let you know.
It’s so relieving to see that I’m not the only one feeling this way 😅 Just wanted to ask if you’ve found any answers or have some tips for surviving your quarter life crisis?