You’ve heard of a mid-life crisis, but how about a quarter-life crisis? A quarter-life crisis might not sound horrible, but for some it can be the beginning of a dangerous spiral. It should be the most stress-free time of your life. You’ve graduated college and don’t have anything tying you down. You’re an adult, but not dealing with all the challenges of adulthood, like mortgages, kids and marriage. “It’s that mid-20s like lull,” said counselor Dr. Chante Pantila. She said millennials often experience feelings of being lost, scared or confused as they try to find stability and their permanent place in the “real world.” Doctors recognize this as an actual stage of development. (* Bet there’s a pill for it on the way!)
Dr. Pantila’s 10 signs you may be having a quarter life crisis:
– You have no idea what you’re doing in life.
– You feel like you’re always needing to get to the next step.
– You feel completely alone, even when you’re surrounded by people who love you.
– Everyone else is getting married and having children, except you.
– You want to get a good night’s sleep, instead of party all night and it terrifies you.
– You start to evaluate your financial decisions.
– You still don’t know what you want to be when you grow up.
– You realize you haven’t met any of the goals you set for yourself after high school.
– You stuck at the same job for years and haven’t started your career.
– You realize you’ve lived your life for everyone else.
* I’ve got bad news for you – if you are in your 20’s and working at McDonald’s, you HAVE started your career.
* Wait – are you supposed to have this crisis in your 20’s, or do you have it every quarter of your life?
* Doctor’s say the best known cure for quarter-life crisis is a swift kick in the ass.
* Try not setting any goals. That way you won’t be bummed when you don’t reach them.
* Hey, I was just trying to help.
* What about the personal crisis you feel when you realize your own actions don’t really matter because the leaders are going to destroy the world anyway?
* Whoops…That didn’t help, did it?