What is an Existential Crisis? 17 Tips to Overcome One

Learn how to make it through an existential crisis. In this guide, you’ll learn what type of crisis you’re going through, find meaning, and make shifts.

Do you feel like life used to fit together neatly and make perfect sense, but now everything is falling apart?

You might be going through an existential crisis. But don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing.

An existential crisis can definitely be intense, but it ultimately is a sign that you are outgrowing your old life in search of your authenticity.r

For many, an existential crisis is like a death and rebirth into something more beautiful.

In this article, we’ll clarify what an existential crisis is and give you tons of tips to make it through this life period.

What Is an Existential Crisis?

An existential crisis, also known as existential anxiety or existential despair, is a period in a person’s life when they feel a lack of meaning or purpose. People experiencing an existential crisis commonly report a great sense of apathy, purposelessness, and lack of motivation, usually lasting a few months or longer.

3 Existential Crisis Statistics You Should Know

At Science of People we conducted a mini survey, gathering data from 250 unique individuals (thank you, survey-takers!). Many of them even experienced existential crises themselves. These numbers might surprise you:

67.9% of people said they’ve experienced an existential crisis.
The leading cause of an existential crisis is a lack of purpose or calling, followed by career or finance-related difficulties.
19.4% of people said their existential crisis lasted between 3–6 months. 34.7% said they are still going through one.

How to Know If You’re Going Through an Existential Crisis

You might be wondering if you are going through an existential crisis or just a rough patch.

Here are six common experiences people have when going through an existential crisis. Scan through them and see if any fit what you’re going through.

Intense questioning of existence: Individuals may find themselves deeply questioning the meaning of life, their purpose, and the value of their actions. These questions often arise from a feeling that life is inherently meaningless or that societal values no longer resonate with them.
Overwhelming sense of isolation: Feelings of loneliness and detachment, not just from others, but from society and the universe as a whole. This can manifest as a sense of disconnection from people around them, even in a crowded room.
Heightened awareness of mortality: An acute and often distressing awareness of your own mortality can take hold. This isn’t just fear of death but a preoccupation with the transient nature of life and the inevitability of death, which might feel more pressing and significant than usual.
Loss of motivation and satisfaction: Activities and goals that used to provide satisfaction and motivation may no longer feel fulfilling. This can lead to hopelessness, a general lack of enthusiasm, and a struggle to find joy in life, which is a departure from the person’s usual state of mind.
Emotional instability or numbness: Emotional responses can become unpredictable. Someone might swing between intense emotions or feel a disturbing sense of indifference towards things that they once cared about deeply.
Uncertainty about life purpose and direction: There may be a profound sense of uncertainty about one’s direction in life. People experiencing an existential crisis might question their career path, the authenticity of their relationships, or their long-term goals. They often feel as though they’re at a crossroads, unable to discern which path aligns with their true self or purpose.

Below are tips to help you navigate your existential crisis.

Identify What Type of Crisis You’re Going Through

Understanding the specific nature of your existential crisis is a vital step toward resolving it. This self-awareness acts as a compass, guiding you to the most appropriate strategies for overcoming your unique challenges.

Here are the five categories of crises:

Freedom and responsibility: You wish you had more freedom to make choices, but at the same time, you feel frozen in indecision at the choices you do have.
Meaning and meaninglessness: You may have a dead-end job or feel like you’re just “getting by” in life. A lack of significance or making a difference may cause you anxiety.
Death and mortality: Old age or an illness may cause you to think about the meaning of life and what comes after death.
Isolation and connectedness: You may feel anxious about being alone and wish you had more quality connections.
Emotion, experiences, and embodiment: If this is you, you tend to block out negative emotions and try to only feel positive. However, if you try to make your sadness, anger, and grief go away by ignoring it, you will block yourself off from all your positive emotions as well. And at some point, your pain will demand to be felt.

Action Step: Take this 2-minute self-test to see what type of crisis you have.

For the following four questions, make a mental note of the letter that best describes you.

1. If I could have a superpower, it would be:

The ability to fly
Being able to live as long as I want
Mind reading
The ability to heal others
Being happy all the time

2. When I wake up in the morning, my biggest worry is:

How to go about starting my day
My impending death or illness
Being alone
Not making a big enough impact
Not finding happiness

3. My friends or family would say my biggest weakness is:

Being indecisive
Stressing out about health or old age
Not being able to form strong relationships
Having no passion in life
Being too negative

4. Which of these situations has caused you the most amount of stress recently?

Seeing different paths my life could take but not knowing which choice is the “right” one.
Death of a loved one
Not being able to connect with others
Not knowing my purpose in life
Trying to remain happy, even with negative emotions

Great! You finished the quiz. Now did one letter stand out above the rest?

If you scored more As: You have a crisis of freedom and responsibility.
If you scored more Bs: You have a crisis of death and mortality.
If you scored more Cs: You have a crisis of isolation and connectedness.
If you scored more Ds: You have a crisis of meaning and meaninglessness.
If you scored more Es: You have a crisis of emotion, experiences, and embodiment.

The key you should know is this:

There are several types of existential crises, and you can experience more than one type.

Understand Why Your Crisis Is Happening

We’ve already gone over the WHAT… now let’s go over WHY existential crises typically occur.

As you’ve probably figured out, there are many ways a crisis can occur in your life. Often a crisis comes on the tail of major life events.

Here are the most common sources of an existential crisis:

A change in your environment. Maybe your kids moved out, or you left a place where you had planted roots. Changing your home can unmoor your sense of stability, prompting deep questions about your place in the world.
Divorce or breakup of a relationship. The end of a significant relationship can disrupt your narrative of the future and cause you to reevaluate who you are and what you care about.
Job or career change. So many of us identify as our careers. Transitioning to a different career can force you to reassess your goals, life direction, and sense of purpose.
Physical or mental health issues. Facing a health crisis can starkly confront you with the fragility of life, sparking profound contemplation about mortality and the nature of existence.
Death of a loved one. The loss of someone close can shatter your foundational beliefs, leading to a deep existential inquiry about the meaning of life and the permanence of death.
Sudden injury. Such a life event can alter your lifestyle overnight, which can cause you to reexamine your self-worth and your role in the world without your former physical capabilities.
Lack of people interaction. Humans require friendship, social connections, and community to feel healthy. If you are isolated for too long, you might feel disconnected and depressed.
Spiritual awakening. There is a spiritual phenomenon called the “Dark Night of the Soul.” After someone has a spiritual awakening and sees a deeper layer to life, they can feel like the day-to-day of life has lost all meaning. The thinking is something like: “How can I care about a sports game when I just met God last weekend?“

While these are common causes of a crisis, there might not be a clear cause. Maybe it’s simply time for a change.

Action Step: Reflect on these questions:

When did I start to feel depressed (or like my crisis was starting)?
What trigger events led up to this feeling?
If you could wave a magic wand and change any of your life circumstances, what would you change?

Use The Timeless Wisdom of The Hero’s Journey

One way to make it through a crisis is to change the story you’re telling about your life.

In all of our favorite movies and novels, the hero goes through a similar story arc. Scholar Joseph Campbell dubbed this process the Hero’s Journey. In this process, the hero goes through 11 steps in their process of self-realization.

Below are the first four steps of the journey.

Read through them because, in a moment, we will plot your crisis onto the hero’s journey to help you make sense of your life.

Call to Adventure: A person feels a pull to change or realizes they need to face a challenge or pursue a new opportunity in life, such as a career change, a breakup, or a personal goal.
Refusal of the Call: The hero feels fear of stepping out of their comfort zone because of self-doubt or fear of failure.
Meeting with the Mentor: The hero encounters someone or something that provides guidance, wisdom, or encouragement, such as a teacher, book, or inspirational event, helping them to move forward.
Crossing the First Threshold: The hero commits to change and steps into the new phase of life, leaving behind old patterns and entering the unknown.

In Lord of the Rings, for example, it wasn’t easy for Frodo to leave the Shire. But if he didn’t, then Sauran would be devastating Middle Earth with his evil powers, and Frodo would be living an unfulfilled and depressed life.

Is it possible that you are Frodo, being called into something greater?

Action Step: Reflect on the first four steps of the Hero’s Journey and ask how they might apply to your life:

Call to Adventure: The existential crisis often begins with a sense of dissatisfaction or a profound question about life’s meaning, serving as the “call.”
Refusal of the Call: The individual might try to ignore these unsettling feelings, attempting to return to normal life despite the gnawing sense that something fundamental is missing or wrong.
Meeting with the Mentor: In searching for answers, they may encounter a “mentor”—this could be a philosophy, a body of literature, a therapist, or an individual who has faced a similar crisis and come through.
Crossing the First Threshold: The decision to confront the existential crisis head-on marks the crossing into the unknown territory of self-exploration and questioning.

Clarify Your Meaning Archetype

There was a time thousands of years ago when a human’s purpose was very clear. Get food, share it with their tribe, and survive.

Now, survival is taken care of. There are no mastadons to hunt.

As a result, we have to find our own meaning in life. This is the curse of modern comforts. We each must pick (and get to pick) the purpose of our life.

And if you are amidst an existential crisis, then you might have found that the sources of meaning that society gave you are falling short. Perhaps you thought money, career success, nuclear family, and even religion would give you a meaningful life because that’s what you were taught.

But for many of us, these promises of purpose are hollow, and we must find our own meaning.

If this resonates with your situation, scan through the following seven archetypes of meaning developed by psychologist Irvin D. Yalom.

Which of these types best describes you?

Giver. The Giver is the person who wants to spread a message of happiness to others, even if their own circumstances are less than ideal.
Devoter (dedication to a cause). The Devoter gives up their individual identity to join a bigger cause; they want to change the world and want to feel like they belong to a bigger group.
Creator. Do you get that feeling of excitement when you’ve got a brilliant idea, or express yourself, or get to use innovative ways to solve problems? One study (source) suggests that creative activities contribute toward an “upward spiral” of positive emotions and improved physical and mental health.
Pleasure-seeker. Pleasure-seekers see the world as a gift. They naturally dive deep into the world, seeking out the splendors it has to offer. If you’re a pleasure-seeker, you might:
- Enjoy the moment
- Take delight in the small things
- Enjoy sensual experiences like good food, beautiful flowers, or cold water
- Love the adventure of traveling
- Enjoy adrenaline-pumping activities
- Look for ways to feel good in every situation.
Achiever. Achievers strive for success. They dedicate themselves to their goals so they can realize their built-in potential.
Harmonizer. Harmonizers feel a spiritual connection to all life. They are drawn to exploring that which is deeper and older than humanity.
Shaman. The shaman feels called to pass their wisdom on to the next generation. Naturally, many older people are Shamans, and they devote their meaning to imparting their knowledge to children.

Action Step: Ask yourself which of the seven types you gravitate toward the most. This could become a template for your meaning in life.

Explore Wisdom From a Philosopher

Thinkers like Kierkegaard, Sartre, and Nietzsche have wrestled with the same doubts you’re facing, and their ideas can offer a fresh perspective.

Take Kierkegaard—he saw crises as a “dizziness of freedom” from too many choices, urging a “leap of faith” to commit to what feels true for you, whether that’s a cause, a relationship, or a personal value. Sartre emphasized that we’re “condemned to be free,” meaning you create your essence through actions, not fate. And Nietzsche? He challenged us to say “yes” to life, even the tough parts, turning suffering into strength.

Reading Nietzsche’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” can feel like a gut punch at first, but it can also push you to redefine success on your terms. Forget instant fixes, but focus on gradual shifts in how you view your struggles.

Action Step: Pick one philosopher—start with Kierkegaard’s “Either/Or” or Sartre’s “Existentialism is a Humanism.” Read a chapter, then jot down one idea that resonates. How could applying it change your daily choices? If books aren’t your thing, try a podcast like “Philosophize This!” for bite-sized insights.

Let Time Do the Work

If your crisis is due to death or loss, take things one step at a time.

No need to dive in head first! Take small steps, and only when you are ready. Oftentimes, a traumatic event or illness takes time to recuperate from.

A Cambridge study (source) found that grief symptoms of 288 bereaved people tended to peak at 4–6 months after the loss of a loved one, then decline gradually over a 2-year period.

So if you’re still within that 2-year curve, don’t stress! Give things time, and let the grief or sad feelings run their course. Eventually, with enough time, they may diminish. Or, at least, you can learn to cope with your thoughts better.

View Your Crisis as a Gift

What if this low point is actually a hidden opportunity? It sounds counterintuitive, but viewing your crisis as a gift can flip the script from despair to growth. Research from the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center in 2025 shows that reframing challenges as chances for transformation boosts resilience and long-term happiness by 22%.

See it this way: your crisis might be stripping away what’s no longer serving you, making room for something more authentic. It’s like pruning a plant—painful in the moment, but leading to stronger blooms.

Many who’ve been through it report emerging with clearer priorities, deeper empathy, and a renewed zest for life.

In my twenties, I knew a friend who hit a wall after losing a close friend of hers. It felt endless, but looking back, that pain taught her now to cherish connections and pursue work that truly lights her up. Without it, she might still be coasting on autopilot.

Action Step: List three “gifts” your crisis might be offering—like spotting unfulfilling habits or sparking curiosity about new paths. Be honest; no need for forced positivity. Share one with a trusted friend to gain an outside perspective.

Pro Tip: Want to join a group of like-minded people? Here’s our resource for you:

Turn Death Into a Teacher

Stoic philosophers believe that death actually makes life happier. The Buddhists have a similar mindset, believing that contemplating your death (and the change of all things) gives rise to a deep sense of peace and acceptance.

Records suggest that the Buddha said, “Of all the footprints in the jungle, that of the elephant is supreme. Of all the mindfulness practices, Mindfulness of Death is supreme.”

People who think about death have even been shown to have improved physical health and re-prioritized goals.

Death can be a scary topic for all of us. But if you are able to look it in the eyes, it can help you find what’s important in your own life. And if you can accept and embrace it, then you might feel a tremendous sense of peace.

Action Step: Imagine you are on your deathbed, and a friend or family member is tasked to read your obituary. What does your ideal obituary sound like?

Do you want them to say you’re funny, lived happily, were successful, or lived life to the fullest? What do you want to be remembered for?

If you’d like to explore a visualization that takes you through the process of dying and letting go into the next realm, you can try out this Buddhist meditation. While it might sound scary, it’s a surprisingly relieving and peaceful experience.

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Embrace Mindfulness to Stay Present

When your mind’s swirling with “what ifs” and “why mes,” mindfulness can be your anchor, pulling you back to the here and now. It’s not about erasing tough thoughts, but observing them without getting swept away.

Instead of ruminating, tune into your breath or the feel of your feet on the ground. It creates space between you and the chaos, letting insights bubble up naturally.

You can start with a Navy SEAL technique called “Box breathing”—inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four.

Action Step: Try this quick exercise: Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and focus on your breath for five minutes. When thoughts wander (and they will), gently note them like “thinking about purpose” and return to your breath. Do it daily, maybe first thing in the morning. Apps like Headspace offer guided sessions tailored to anxiety if you need a nudge.

Journal for Clarity

Sometimes, the fog clears when you spill your thoughts onto paper. Journaling isn’t just venting—it’s a tool to uncover patterns and hidden desires. One study (source) even found that regular journaling promotes neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form new neural connections. This is super helpful for stress management and regulation.

Use prompts to dig deeper: What scares me most right now? What sparked joy in my childhood? It turns abstract worries into tangible insights, often revealing steps forward you hadn’t seen.

Action Step: Grab a notebook and respond to these prompts: 1) What’s one belief about life I’m questioning? 2) If fear wasn’t holding me back, what would I try? 3) What small win can I celebrate today? Aim for 10 minutes, three times a week. No judgments—just raw honesty.

Want more? Read our guide: How to Journal: 5 Pro Tips and 40 Prompts to Get You Started

Create Forward Momentum

When you’re in crisis mode, you might have a mountain of tasks piling up and feel unable to prioritize anything that matters. But when you really get stuff “done,” it’s an immediate relief and one less burden to carry.

Getting your small, immediate goals done first thing will immediately PUSH you toward an upward spiral of positive emotions. Right away, you’ll start your day off with forward momentum.

Brian Tracy talks a lot about this, and he calls it the Eat That Frog technique. Essentially, do your biggest task first, and the rest of your goals will seem easier.

Action Step: What’s a task you’ve been avoiding but that would feel REALLY good to get done? Can you put 10 minutes into that task right now?

It’s also possible that your existential crisis might be related to burnout. My own biggest low point in life was a crisis of self-worth coupled with intense burnout. I was plagued by feelings of being a failure and fears that I’d never “make it.” This caused me to work long hours and skip personal time. This made me feel worse, which made me work harder.

You can probably imagine where this is going. Eventually, I burnt out really badly and hit rock bottom. In some ways, it felt necessary to hit the bottom to learn some vital lessons. On the other hand, had I been more aware of the principles of burnout, I could have saved myself some pain.

All that to say, if any part of your crisis is related to a sense of burnout, you might appreciate this free guide:

Make a Shift

Some of our readers faced this dilemma: they were stuck in a job they hated or lost passion for and didn’t know what to do.

As you know, this is a big dilemma if you’ve been stuck in a career path for long.

But it doesn’t need a dramatic shift. Sometimes, all it takes is a small one.

Imagine the following metaphor for your life:

Each area of your life is a tube that you put energy into. One tube represents your career, another your finances, another your family, another your relationships, and so on.

When a tube is clear, you put energy in, and then that tube circles back and gives you energy.

When a tube is blocked, you get energy in, and no energy comes back.

So if your career feels stuck or misaligned, you might dump in energy, and it gives none back. It is an energy suck.

Action Step: Of the following life areas, which are giving you energy back, and which are sucking energy?

Career
Finances
Family
Relationships
Health
Romance
Physical environment
Fun and hobbies

For any life areas that are sucking energy, what is one small shift you could make so that the life area gives you more energy?

Here’s an article that dives deeper into getting unstuck from a funk.

Taste the World

Travel is great because you hit the reset button. It’s a pause to your past life and an “escape” to a different world. It’s a chance for a new you.

Travel brings you new emotional experiences, which have been shown (source) to construct meaning in people’s lives. It also shows you new cultures, new people, new food, and new sides of yourself.

If you have the chance in the future, I would highly recommend going for it. I believe everyone who travels will have a greater appreciation for life and what they have.

Action Step: Plan a weekend trip to somewhere you’ve never been before. Maybe even a new country!

Get Moving in Nature

Physical movement in nature combats the stagnation of a crisis by boosting endorphins and even being comparable to exercising in the gym, according to a study (source)

Whether it’s a brisk walk in the park or hiking a trail, nature reminds you of life’s cycles—things die and rebirth, just like your current phase. The vastness can make personal worries feel smaller, yet more connected.

I remember dragging myself on a solo hike during my lowest point. The fresh air and rustling leaves shifted something; I returned with a spark of hope I hadn’t felt in weeks.

Action Step: Schedule a 20-minute nature outing this week—walk barefoot on grass, listen to birds, or sit by water. Notice how your body feels and what thoughts arise. If weather’s iffy, even a window view with stretches counts. Build it into your routine for ongoing relief.

Realize You’re Not Alone

Have you ever been struck with the thought that you’re the ONLY human going through an existential crisis right now?

I mean, you don’t hear about it often on social media or from coworkers.

But the reality is countless others are undergoing their own existential crises as well.

Truly, you are not alone. Because we live in a polite culture, nobody talks about crises, depression, or life funks. But it’s something we all experience. These rough patches are a part of being human. And yes, they suck. But it will end in the future. At some point, you might even look back on this period and appreciate some of the things you learned about yourself.

Action Step: Pick one person in your life to open up to. Who is someone who feels safe enough for you to tell that you are going through a tough time?

Seek Support

It can be powerful to bring in either a mental health professional or a life coach. Science shows (source) therapy significantly increases attitude to life.

Therapists and coaches can look at your life objectively, help you see your blindspots, work through your childhood traumas, and find greater alignment for your life.

Professional help is a good idea for anyone but is especially vital if you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, panic attacks, or feel completely stuck in existential depression. In these cases, it might be best to seek immediate help to get you back on track.

You might try existential therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), somatic therapy, or any modality that calls to you.

Action Step: Check out Psychology Today to find a therapist you like or Noomii to find a life coach.

Takeaways on Moving Through an Existential Crisis

Best of luck making it through this intense period. Just remember:

Identify what type of crisis you’re going through. Freedom and responsibility; meaning and meaninglessness; death and mortality; isolation and connectedness; emotion, experiences, and embodiment.
Use the Hero’s Journey. Map yourself onto the following stages: call to adventure; refusal of the call; meeting the mentor; crossing the first threshold.
Clarify your meaning archetype. Are you a giver, devoter, creator, pleasure seeker, achiever, harmonizer, or shaman?
Let time do the work. Allowing time to pass is often necessary for healing and recovery, especially in the context of grief or loss.
Turn death into a teacher. Contemplating death, as taught by Stoic and Buddhist philosophies, can lead to improved physical health, reprioritized goals, and a sense of peace.
Create forward momentum. Completing immediate, small tasks can create a positive upward spiral of emotions and provide a sense of relief in crisis situations.
Make a shift. Small shifts in blocked life areas, like a career, can help create a more balanced exchange of energy and improve overall well-being.
Taste the world. Travel offers new perspectives and experiences, contributing to a greater appreciation for life and personal growth.
Realize you’re not alone. Many people experience existential crises silently, and understanding that you’re not alone can be comforting and provide a sense of solidarity.
Seek support. Professional support from therapists or life coaches can significantly improve one’s attitude toward life by providing objective insights and strategies for alignment.

If your crisis feels related to a sense of purpose, you might appreciate this article on how to find your calling.