HOW TO SNAP OUT OF AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS AND EMBRACE LIFE’S UNCERTAINTIES

After a long and stress-filled year, most of us are looking for new ways to welcome some sunshine into our lives. While the thought of change can be a source of anxiety for many, in this week’s blog we’ll show you how to embrace times of uncertainty with confidence and meet unexpected changes in your life with a strong mindset and  positive outlook. 

What is an existential crisis?

Most people will experience feelings of anxiety, depression, and stress at some point in their lives, but when these emotions lead to greater feelings of despair and cause you to question your place in life or in relation to others around you, it can be a sign that you’re slipping into an existential crisis.

This feeling of unease about the purpose of your life is often related to losing your sense of safety and security when you face unexpected or extreme changes in your life. 

Embracing uncertainty 

At WellBe&Co, we know that being surrounded by external stressors and anxieties can make it difficult to redirect your thoughts and introduce positivity in your life. With all the stress and despair that we as a global society have faced this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to find ways to embrace some uncertainty in your life so you can better focus on your own healing, health and well-being.

After all, the start of spring signals a time of change. That’s exactly why, in this week’s blog, we want to give you the ultimate guide to spring cleaning your mind and refreshing your approach towards unexpected periods of change in your life.

Here are out top four tactics for overcoming existential anxiety: 

1. Rethink your approach 

What better way to start off the new spring season than to reassess your attitude towards life? Embark on a healing journey towards improving your mental well-being by finding the motivation to change your mindset and embrace some of life’s more challenging uncertainties.

The key is to watch the thoughts that you feed your body. You can’t control everything, but you can control your language and the words you use. Approaching situations with a negative mindset and labeling challenges as “difficult” and “impossible” – or even dismissing your day as a “nightmare” or “the worst day ever” – is not going to help your situation. 

Remember, the thoughts you express throughout your day will manifest into your life experience. That’s why the goal is to always acknowledge your feelings, but to work on controlling the way you react to them better.

Start by acknowledging that you have full control over the stories you tell yourself, and recognize that you are able to deal with these uncertainties with a renewed sense of optimism and confidence.

2. Set clear goals

When you set clear goals for yourself, it helps to reduce your stress about an unfamiliar future and, when done correctly, it becomes the vehicle that will drive you forward to achieve your ambitions. Finding the right motivation to accomplish your goals will give you a greater sense of purpose and certainty when it comes to your future and reduce some of those existential anxieties. 

Goal setting also serves as a measurement of your progress, giving you the right fuel to continue your journey towards building your desired future. This growth mindset will make your fear of change seem a little more manageable as there will always be a clear end-goal that you can return no matter what uncertainties you encounter.  

3. Meet unexpected changes with confidence!

The key to embracing uncertainty with confidence is to accept that change is natural, and that we can’t fight it or resist the forces pushing us towards a new path. 

The one thing most of us are still yet to realize is that there is absolutely no progress to be made by worrying about this change. More than anything, meeting change with confidence is about assuring yourself that you can handle any difficulty that you may face.

In her book, The Positive Power of Negative Thinking, Julie K. Norem discusses the concept of defensive pessimism. The idea is that, instead of worrying about the future, you consider the worst case scenario and calmly plan how you’d handle these tricky situations. Instead of obsessing over uncertainties, you can manage your anxiety logically, knowing that you have the ability to adapt.

4. Embrace the idea of many possibilities

When experiencing an existential crisis, our minds often trick us into believing that fear and apprehension are the only natural responses to unfamiliar situations or unexpected changes in our lives. This prolonged negative state of mind can often cause us to think that a change in our expected path is a threat to our security or stability. 

When we deviate from our expected future or immediate life plan, we often see this as a personal failure – but that’s far from the truth. Being open to new and unfamiliar territory can actually open unexpected doorways and opportunities for growth that you may never have even dreamed of. 

The biggest mistake that most people make is letting feelings of uncertainty or unease overwhelm the potential to grow or learn something new. Embracing the idea of new possibilities that come with change will help you to become mentally bulletproof towards life changes or unexpected upheavals in the future. 

Self-care with WellBe&Co

This spring, self-care is on the agenda. That’s why our team at WellBe&Co want to help you take a break from your daily anxieties and take time to put your mental and physical health first.

We know that coping with the anxiety surrounding future uncertainties can be difficult, but this spring season we want to encourage all our loyal readers to be kind to themselves and take time out of their day for self-care. After all, changing your mindset and developing a new attitude towards life starts at home.

This spring we want to motivate you to get up and get moving with our better body blueprint training guide! Dedicating time towards physical exercise and self-improvement is an essential part of snapping out of your existential crisis, staying motivated to reach new fitness goals and creating a renewed sense of purpose in your life. 

We also know that it’s easy for all these external stresses to sap your emotional energy. That’s why we want to encourage our readers to take time out of their day to work on their mental healing and start their journey towards living a more mindful life. 

Check out our website every week for our informative blog posts about mental health, nutrition, physical well-being and staying motivated to maintain a more optimistic outlook towards life.