Existential anxiety: what is it and how does it affect the human mind?

Let's see what existential anxiety is and how it influences our emotions.

All people go through a phase at some point in their lives when they see that there is not much that makes sense, including their own existence.

Existential crises are part of the human condition.They arise from the fact that from time to time we wonder about our value and the value of the things that surround us.

Existential crises bring with them negative emotions, including existential anxiety, which, depending on how you look at it, can be seen as a synonym for crisis.

It is inevitable and even healthy to go through a period of this type of anxiety, as it helps us to establish which is the path we want to follow in our lives and to see what things are of value. However, it also has the negative point that, if not properly addressed, it can bring some mental health problems.

Let's discover below what is existential anxiety and what are its characteristics.

What is existential anxiety?

The existential anxiety is that uneasiness that arises when we pass an existential crisis, that is to say, a moment of our lives in which we question if our existica has meaning, objective or value. The question of the meaning and purpose of human existence has been the major point of debate in the philosophical tradition of existentialism..

In existentialist philosophy, the term "existential crisis" refers specifically to the individual crisis when a person realizes that he or she must always define his or her own life through the choices he or she makes.

The existential crisis occurs when one recognizes that even the decision to refrain from acting or withhold assent to a particular choice is, in itself, a choice. Human beings are condemned to be free.

Anxiety and existential crises have their origin when we live through a change of stage or have experienced a very significant event in our lives, both positive and negative. People enter periods of existential crisis after having suffered a psychological trauma, getting married, getting divorced, losing a loved one, having a new partner, using psychoactive drugs, having a child or reaching a culturally important age such as 18, 40 or 65, among many other causes.

It is difficult to clearly delimit what is the cause and what is the consequence, because in reality it can be seen as the classic of which came first: the chicken or the egg. Is it existential anxiety that leads us to an existential crisis or is it the other way around? Whichever way you look at it, the point is that existential anxiety leads us to a period of reflection and also of internal conflict, which can serve as a starting point to make new decisions and change some perspectives.

What are the characteristics of existential anxiety?

Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Danish philosopher considered the father of existentialism believed that existential anxiety was not only commonplace, but also necessary. From his perspective, one could say that existential anxiety is healthy, It is necessary that it catches us from time to time because it motivates us to rethink certain aspects of our lives..

By becoming aware that we are mortal, it makes us seek and find new vital purposes. The existential crisis serves so that, after having lost the meaning of our life, we look for it ourselves.

However, if we take a psychological perspective, the experience of existential anxiety should not be seen as something positive. In theory, it sounds easy, but in practice, it is rather complicated.. In fact, when we are immersed in a state of deep anxiety, of whatever kind, it is very difficult to think clearly and make decisions. Moreover, there is a greater risk of making the wrong decisions.

Extreme anxiety makes us lose our way. When we are anxious all kinds of irrational, repetitive and unhealthy thoughts come to our mind, which are accompanied by physical symptoms such as Muscle pain, tachycardia, headaches, sleep problems and panic attacks.

Although the vision of philosophy on the existential crisis and anxiety is correct for those cases in which the individual gets a utility, in the case of clinical psychology this is conceived as a potential problem, something that if not properly addressed can bring mental health problems.

For this reason we are going to highlight some characteristics of existential anxiety, relating it to the possible problems that can occur in the individual who goes through a crisis of this type.

1. Feeling of uselessness

One of the characteristics of the existential anxiety is the great physical and psychological exhaustion it brings.. Whoever goes through an existential crisis feels that he is wasting his time and energies, investing them in things that are not worthwhile.

The individual asks himself questions such as "What is the point of suffering for so much work?" "Where is all this effort I have invested leading me?" "Will everything I am doing do me any good?". He is at the end of his rope.

2. Negative emotions

Bad emotions attract other feelings of the same type. Thus, it is common that when one feels anxious, there is anxiety, it is common when one feels existential anxiety to feel trapped by constant anguish.. By questioning everything he has done and everything around him, the person distrusts the present and has a pessimistic view of the future.

The perception of the world is that it is like a house of cards that sooner or later will collapse, that nothing is certain and that it is worthless. Things and people have no meaning, nor do their actions. Everything is unstable and fleeting.

3. Feeling of unreality

A very common phenomenon while suffering existential anxiety is the sensation of unreality or depersonalization.

It gives us the sensation that we live separated from reality, that the world in which we live is a theatrical performance and that we, instead of being on the stage as the protagonists, are in the seats as the audience.

Reality has become part of a set and we see that what happens in it is hardly authentic.

4. Loss of vital meanings

The existential crisis is associated with a loss of the sense of authenticity in which the sense of self is lost. Nothing is what it was thought to be at the beginning. The perception that society can fail is reinforced.

The loss of vital meanings is felt with anger, disappointment and rage. The person feels very bad, even with himself for feeling that he has placed his trust in those social structures that now fail him. They feel that they are naive for having believed at some point in their lives that everything is wonderful and that nothing can go wrong..

Few things are more dangerous to mental health than to perceive that life has lost meaning. To think that nothing is as one thought and that the society has failed us can submerge us in a state of great anxiety that later can give rise to a depressive disorder.

5. Doubting absolutely everything

Our mind can be our worst enemy when we are immersed in existential anxiety. The mind becomes that factory of all kinds of invalidating thoughts. that make us question many of the things that happen to us and surround us. We see the world with a critical look, which distorts and questions everything.

That is why being in an existential crisis we question even our own beliefs, faith and many other things, something that Kierkegaard himself already said. We even question whether the people who make up our closest circle love and value us.

6. Isolation

A very important aspect of existential anxiety is its propensity to make us feel lonely. The sensation of isolation associated with existential anxiety usually occurs because the person feels that no one else understands what he or she is going through..

And he is right. No one knows what they are going through because it is an existential crisis, something very personal, and no one but oneself can understand oneself perfectly, something that even we ourselves do not achieve on more than one occasion.

The feeling of loneliness and isolation are common and act as an impediment to interacting with other people. It is a circle that feeds back on itselfWe feel lonely, we do not want to interact with anyone else and we feel even more lonely.

7. Panic attacks

Panic attacks are common symptoms in anxiety episodes.. The continuous sensation that nothing in this life has sense, that everything escapes to our control, does that sooner or later we begin to manifest the panic attacks.

The anguish accumulates as the days and weeks go by, an emotion that ends up manifesting itself in invalid and sudden episodes of discomfort and nervousness that tend to reinforce even more the sensation of fear and insecurity.

A final thought

Although existential anxiety should not always be seen as a symptom of a presenting disorder, its progress should be monitored. It is healthy to ask ourselves what our meaning in life is and to do something to find it, otherwise we may fall into a deep depression and see ourselves as individuals who have little to offer humanity.

It is essential that we seek support when we find ourselves in one of these existential crises, even though they may be normal for our age or our life.even if they are normal for the age or situation we are in. Coping skills can help us emerge stronger from the situation, gaining new resources to face the new stage more effectively.