Young adults struggling with depression, fatigue, irritability and a general dissatisfaction with life may be perusing the Internet to check on their symptoms, only to find they're suffering from a midlife crisis. The only catch is they're not 45 yet.
Researchers are finding that more 20- to 30-year-olds are experiencing what they are calling a "quarter-life crisis."
According to quarterlifecrisis.com, the "quarter-life crisis, or QLC, is essentially a period of anxiety, uncertainty and inner turmoil that often accompanies the transition to adulthood." The website is an online support group for those experiencing a quarter-life crisis, and was started by the co-author of "Quarterlife Crisis" and "Quarterlifer's Companion," Abby Miller.
Dr. Oliver Robinson, a British pyschologist, recently presented his findings on quarter-life crisis and said, "they occur a quarter of your way through adulthood, in the period between 25 and 35, although they cluster around 30...the results will help reassure those who are experiencing this transition that it is a commonly experienced part of early adult life."
Robinson also determined that there are four phases to a quarter-life crisis and it begins with a feeling of being trapped in a particular situation, whether it be a relationship, job or both.
Robinson also said, "being twentysomething now is scary-fighting millions of other graduates for your first job, struggling to raise a mortgage deposit and finding time to juggle all your relationships."
In the 2004 film "Garden State," the main character, played by Zach Braff states, "I'm 26 years old and I've spent my whole life waiting for something else to start. Now I realize that this is all there is and I'm going to try to live my life like that."
Young adults reach a point when they thought life would just click, and instead of enjoying a celebration of their accomplishments, they find themselves thinking, "is this all there is?"
Also today, young adults face immense pressures from parents and peers to succeed earlier on, and they find that soon after college graduation or after only a few short years in the workforce, jumping into the real world is not as seamless as they had anticipated. They begin reminiscing about the "old days," and start to think about a different future than the one staring them in the face.
Young adults imagine they will fall with ease into lives like their parents have built over the last 20 to 30 years, right out of college. When reality slaps them across the face, they seemlessly fall into a quarter-life crisis.
In John Mayer's popular song, "Why, Georgia Why?" he addresses the uncertainty a quarter-life crisis brings.
I rent a room and I fill the spaces with
wood in places to make it feel like home
but all I feel's alone
It might be a quarter life crisis
or just the stirring in my soul
Either way, I wonder sometimes
about the outcome
of a still verdictless life.
College graduates begin to "wonder sometimes about the outcome," when they face the harsh reality of student loans, as the average college student graduates with over $19,000 in debt, the promise of only a meager salary and the desire to have a family. This is causing young adults to step back and reevaluate their lives earlier than the typical midlife age.
For those young adults aching for a road map, and more clear-cut path through life, there are many resources and tips available to help define that path, navigate through their quarter-life crisis and come out on top.
According to goodtherapy.org, it "is important to discover and know who you really are and what you really want from life."
Taking the time for self-discovery and understanding that this life experience is completely normal can also help young adults feel more at ease.
EMAIL: awhatcott@desnews.com