All of us reach a point in life where life itself feels pointless. Things around us don’t seem to be happening the way we thought they would, the way we’d planned it to be. So much so that we end up feeling like Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow: we know nothing, haven’t settled down in life, don’t have the career of our dreams, haven’t found ‘the one’ yet and are still to figure out a lot of things in life.
We start questioning ourselves on everything. From our work to our relationships to our friends, everything. We ask ourselves, “Why am I in this? What am I doing with my life? What’s the point of my existence?” And most importantly, “Am I really happy with myself?”
That’s the thing about a quarter life-crisis. It never happens to all of us at the same time. Sure we like to call it a “quarter-life” thing but how can it ever hit all of us at the same age? It can’t and it doesn’t. I might break down at 18. Or 22. You might at 30. It’s different for all of us, and the way it unfolds is never the same. What remains constant is what we all face.
There comes a time when we can’t help but start to act out against everything happening in life. And for a lot of us, it takes much more too to hit our lowest point. Like a break-up or losing a job or losing a family member or serious accident. Any experience that drastically changes our lives and hits us right in the face calls for a crisis. But is it really all that bad?
Pause and ponder over it for a moment. When you are at your lowest, what do you do? Does it not take a toll on your mental and physical health? You might act out in aggression or bury yourself in depression. You could also find solace in substance abuse and drugs or simply in staying away from people. Eventually these things only boil down to one life-changing revelation: “I am going through a crisis and I am helpless!”
Each of us have our own ways to show displeasure. But my point is, why? Why do we have to fight it? Why is it such a bad thing? Maybe it’s not. Maybe it is the wake up call that we really need. How about we start with accepting the fact that there is a problem? After all, acceptance is the key, the first step to a solution.
Acceptance should be followed by some introspection. Because, trust me when I say this, you can answer a lot of questions for yourself. Yes, it’s important to look around, to talk to people and seek a solution. But, don’t you know yourself better than the rest of the world? Shouldn’t you help yourself first? Get to know yourself first? And if you don’t then a little bit of introspection is exactly the kind of refreshment you need. Here is where the real journey begins.
The fact remains. That life goes on and we have to move on with it. There are good times and then there are bad. Some break you, some lift you. But, you persist through it all, with yourself, and with the people you choose to share your life with, and learn from your experiences. Crisis like these only help you to find yourself amidst the chaos that exists.
Finding happiness and success around you will only come after you feel like a winner from the inside. Conquering that storm of darkness, which simply wouldn’t let you sleep at night is the only battle you have to win. And winning this isn’t all that difficult. Just remember this wonderful line:
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
And now that you’ve woken up from your slumber, fasten your seatbelt. The road called life isn’t always clear. It will get bumpy and ridden with traffic. It’s not going to be easy driving through it but it will be memorable and, in the end, will be worth the ride.
So fasten your seatbelt.
