ISLAMABAD:
Over the recent years, mid-life crisis has been a common phenomenon that lets you judge your present reality against the expectations that you had set for yourself in the past, as your life passes by. As we arrived in the current era, a new and much more terrifying crisis — the quarter-life crisis, came into existence. The advent of social medial doesn’t make it any easier for us to let go off other’s accomplishments as people constantly brag about it through their never-ending posts. Embroiling 25-year-olds in its wrath, the quarter-life crisis is an epidemic — meaning you’re not alone. So, stop worrying about your present and take the following precautionary steps to prevent yourself, as cited by clinical psychologist Dr Amira Amjad.
1. Stop comparing yourself with others
There’s only ONE you in the entire universe. Your genetics, life experiences, thoughts, words, feelings and everything else is unique — and that’s something that you should celebrate. Don’t feel little about anything in your life and seek validation for it by comparing your life to someone else’s — seemingly ‘better’ than what have you. People portray their best selves anyway. So, you need to stop fretting over things and use what you have to create your own magic.
2. Stop panicking
It doesn’t matter if you’re not a CEO by now, haven’t gone on a world tour, found the love of your life or any other list of things you thought you would’ve accomplished by now. You need to stop being hard on yourself because your expectations are unrealistic and you will make things worse by fretting over them. Your anxiety won’t bring you any closer to your goals and you will miss out on your productive time.
3. Stop analysing your choices
Yes, yes, you need to stop right now. So you studied the wrong major in university? Landed a job that makes you bore to the core? All those things are replaceable. The real problem arises when you think that you’re stuck with something. Studies show that 70% of students have no idea what they’re good at or want to be in their teenage years — the time that they’re supposed to choose a career path. It doesn’t matter what your past looks like — you get a new day to change the course of your life. You need to stop wasting your energy by over analysing the past.
4. Stop obsessing over success
Obsessing over success is another surefire factor that wastes your much-needed energy and drains out yourself, when the same energy could be used for doing something productive that ultimately leads you to escape your quarter-life crisis. Everything comes at the right time so make things work out for it.
5. Stop thinking about your age
You are 25 not 75. Stressing over your age and not making it big will make you sick. As more stress means weak immune system, there are more chances of you being unhealthy. Repeatedly thinking that you’re old won’t make you feel any better, as age is just a number and a young mind can even make an octogenarian charming. You need to stop imposing age on your mind.
In a nutshell: You need to have a more relaxed approach towards your life because if you are not content in your present, you can’t move ahead in your future.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2015.
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