So, you've been out of school for a few years and all of a sudden you feel stuck. You're in a rut questioning whether this is really the career you want, whether this is the city you really want to live in, and whether this is the relationship you really want to have. Welcome to your Quarter Life Crisis.
The Quarter Life Crisis seems to be a new phenomenon that is hitting Millennials in their mid to late 20s. You have spent your entire life moving forward, going from Elementary School to Middle School to High School to College. These have been very strong milestones in your development, and ways to measure progress and growth. But what happens once you finish your education and you start working? Yes, there are annual job evaluations to help you measure growth and development but promotions are slower to come by and progress slows down. You start to stabilize and in so doing start to feel stuck. You start to ask yourself "is this really all there is?" or "what now?". These are common feelings and questions to have at this stage in your life.
This is the first time in your life where you are in complete control of your life and your destiny. You no longer have to please mom and dad by going to college or studying a specific topic. You can create your own path with your own destiny. When this realization hits you can feel anything from excitement, elation, fear, anxiety, and depression. The emotional spectrum of responses to this realization are as great as the behavioral ones. Some people change relationships, move, go to grad school, or change careers completely. Whatever path you choose, know that you are not alone in this struggle as many of your friends are probably facing similar life decisions, and know that I am here to help you through it.
Written by Linda Meier Abdelsayed, LMFT
Originally published on 11/14/2017