Existential Emptiness: How Do You Know What To Do With Your Life?
How do I know if I suffer from an existential void? What to do when your life ‘doesn’t make sense’? Discover the keys to overcome a feeling of emotional and existential emptiness.
Work, economic or even family problems can bring a huge impact to our daily lives. feeling of extensive emptiness , transforming this small discomfort into a true crisis of meaning. Overcoming a feeling of existential emptiness is always complicated, since in a certain way we tend to live without delving into ourselves and therefore we do not know why we feel this dissatisfaction.
Most people can experience feelings of emptiness , a lack of meaning or purpose at some point in your life. However, chronic feelings of emptiness, as well as feelings of emotional numbness or despair, and similar experiences can be symptoms of other mental health problems, such as a depressive disorder, anhedonia, or even schizophrenia.
He empty It is a universal response to the human condition, that is, the attempt to find personal meaning in the face of a finite existence. In fact, these types of feelings are associated with existentialism, a philosophical current that reflects on human existence. Although having these types of feelings does not have to be related to a psychological problem, the reality is that in many cases when emptiness is experienced constantly, it is likely that there is a disorder behind it.
‘I feel empty’: Symptoms of existential emptiness
Mainly, when a person feels empty and you don’t know what to do with your life you usually experience the following:
Anxiety: People who can’t find their vital sense They often experience an anxious state.
Vacuum sensation: This involves feeling numb, dejected, and even isolated due to this sensation.
Compulsive actions: Feeling empty It can cause people to end up participating in activities that end up being unsatisfying, such as compulsive buying, eating, or using substances.
emotional loneliness : By experimenting an existential void many people feel alone because others may not understand this feeling.
These are the main signs that we are facing a existential void If you think you are facing this situation, it will be helpful for you to go to a professional psychologist.
Emotional emptiness or mental disorder?
Some mental disorders can be closely related to feeling of existential emptiness Generally, we can highlight the following:
Depression: The Vacuum sensation It can be closely related to the feelings of hopelessness, loss of pleasure, low self-esteem, and low motivation typical of a depressive disorder.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD): Chronic feelings of emptiness can also be linked to impulsivity, an unstable sense of self, as well as the hopelessness or emotional loneliness felt by people who suffer from this disorder. Furthermore, on many occasions the feeling of emptiness What people with borderline personality disorder suffer from is usually associated with boredom.
Schizotypal personality disorder: He existential void They may stem from feeling that life is meaningless, for which many people with this disorder may try to ‘compensate’ by acting impulsively.
Alcohol and drug addiction: The unavailability of an addictive substance or attempts to stop using can also cause people to feel unwell. emotional and existential void
This feeling of existential emptiness It can even end up triggering a mental health problem. That is, feeling a lack of vital meaning is closely related to mental disorders. Although many times, we do not have to have a mental disorder to develop this void What simply happens is that we do not know how to manage the problems that appear in our lives, and that causes our stress level to rise and consequently our mood to drop, and this level of existential emptiness appears. Therefore, it is advisable to go to a psychologist to study the situation and give you guidelines to overcome it quickly and easily.
There are cases in which people can feel empty in intimate relationships. This emptiness can come from different causes and can appear in short or long-term relationships. Experiencing this feeling may be because we feel disconnected from others or it may simply be a sign that there are problems that need to be addressed. Some of the causes of feel empty in a relationship include the following:
Emotional dependence: Excessive dependence on a partner can be one of the reasons why people feel an emotional void within the relationship. This implies that the partner is required to satisfy all emotional needs.
Lack of emotional connection: The feeling of emptiness in the relationship can also be due to not devoting enough quality time to the bond.
Boredom: Emotional emptiness in the couple could be linked to boredom within the relationship.
Stress: Suffering too much pressure from external circumstances, whether such as a new job or a move, can also create this feeling of emotional loneliness within a relationship.
Communication problems : When there is an emotional void within a relationship, one of the main problems that can cause it is precisely the lack of communication.
Infidelity: Infidelity, as is understandable, breaks trust in a relationship. For this reason, the feeling of emotional emptiness in the couple can be related to this.
Mental disorders: Mental health problems also affect a couple’s bond.
Feeling empty It’s not always a reason to end a relationship, although it could be. When feelings of emptiness are a symptom of incompatibility or emotional abuse, it may be time to consider whether to move on. However, if these emotions are due to a problem of infidelity or lack of communication, a professional psychologist can help you.
Created by Victor Frankl , logotherapy is an existentialist theory that aims to demonstrate that those individuals who face life with greater dedication and who have a reason for living always come out ahead. In fact, the psychoanalyst himself managed to survive the terror of the Nazi concentration camps, seeing with his own eyes how those people who did not focus their existence on some factor that gave meaning to their lives lost strength and disappeared much faster than the rest.
Have a goal at the end of the road It is essential to avoid the existential void, since objectives and purposes based on illusion turn the effort to achieve them into a good reason to feel alive.
Frequently thinking that things are going to go wrong could translate as a poor strategy towards success in the trajectory of our lives. There are many people who, today, suffer anticipatory anxiety by trying to get ahead of the facts and focus on the future as something negative. By analyzing and seeking explanations for each of the things that happen to us, we fail to focus on reality in an intelligent and mentally healthy way. Hence, it is essential to adopt a much more proactive attitude towards life, reducing victimization and understanding that adversities are part of any person’s future.
