We all experience existential anxiety because we are alive. This type of anxiety is all about our existence in life, and it involves angst about big issues such as life’s meaning, freedom, and our inevitable death. It means questioning who we are and why we are here. While it can cause great suffering, existential anxiety can also be highly positive.
What Is Existential Anxiety?
Existential anxiety is the struggle to understand yourself, life in general, and what you want out of it.1 It can cause feelings of discontent, distress, and unease that can be hard to pinpoint, and it can be highly uncomfortable. To experience existential anxiety is to experience all-encompassing doubt and deep questions about one’s future as well as life’s meaning and purpose.2 It’s much more than superficial worry; a hallmark of existential anxiety is not just having a worry or thought but going deeper with it and examining its meaning.1 This examination, by extension, inevitably turns to not just the meaning of a single thought but of life itself.
For someone experiencing existential anxiety, fretting about one’s place in this human existence can consume a great deal of time and energy. The renowned 19th century philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, prominent among the existential philosophers who were the first in modern times to highlight the concept of anxiety, referred to the deep struggle as angst.3
Common subjects people agonize over include:6
- The idea of suffering
- Love
- Meaning (or the lack of it)
- The inevitability of death
Existential anxiety deals not with ordinary aspects of daily life but with the emotional and spiritual experience of living.7
Existential Anxiety or Existential Crisis?
Existential anxiety often feels rather vague and nonspecific. While there are indeed causes of existential anxiety, the root of it isn’t a single event or situation (more on the causes below). A related, but slightly different, concept is the existential crisis. This is a period of upheaval and difficulty that also involves questioning the meaning of life and one’s purpose for living.
An existential crisis, though, often has an identifiable cause and can occur during times of great difficulty such as a significant loss or trauma.4 An existential crisis occurs as a distinct period of time. In addition to happening after a loss, it can occur during a significant life transition like emerging into adulthood, facing an empty nest, or retirement; as such, it’s a time of heightened anxiety and confusion and often relates to one’s sense of identity.5
Existential Anxiety vs. Anxiety Disorders or Neurotic Anxiety
Existential anxiety is not a type of anxiety disorder. Instead, it’s an inherent part of the human condition that everyone experiences at various times in their lives. Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are distinct types of mental health disorders that are marked by worry or fear about something specific. For example, social anxiety disorder involves excessive fear of being judged or embarrassing oneself and generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worry about particular situations or outcomes. Anxiety disorders involve so-called neurotic anxiety—maladaptive emotions and behaviors stemming from unconscious conflict rather than direct responses to a real threat.8
In his book The Meaning of Anxiety, existential psychologist Rollo May explains that existential anxiety is suffering that stems from grappling with our potential, possibility, and the freedom to create and pursue personal meaning and is rife with conflict about unknowns and uncertainties.3 In contrast, May asserts, neurotic anxiety arises from our failure to make progress and the restrictions it causes on our lives.
Another way of differentiating between anxiety disorders and existential anxiety is to look at their qualities.6
Neurotic anxiety is:
- Experienced by many people, but not everyone
- Superficial or situational
- Related to missed potential
- A lack of awareness about thoughts and feelings underlying the anxiety
- Negative and pathological, disrupting normal functioning
In contrast, existential anxiety is:
- Universal, experienced by everyone at various points in their lives
- Deeper than specific fear or worry
- A vague but often intense feeling of uneasiness
- Heightened awareness of life and self
- Can be positive, leading to growth and fulfillment
Where does this universal deep questioning and struggle with big issues of life come from?
Causes of Existential Anxiety
Throughout our lives, we all experience varying degrees of existential anxiety because we all face universal life challenges.
Four main concepts are at the root of the angst that is existential anxiety:6,9
- The inevitability of death
- Meaninglessness
- Isolation
- Freedom and responsibility
It’s our awareness of these truths of life that can lead to struggle and intense anxiety and discomfort.1,6 We seek to make sense of these concepts that don’t, by themselves, make much sense. We know that life is limited and that we will die. Awareness of our own mortality can lead to significant questioning of the point of life in the first place: Why are we here, and do we matter? Is there a reason for all of this? Is it random and just meaningless?10
We are often cognizant of the idea that we are isolated and alone even though we’re social beings with friends, family, coworkers, and acquaintances; to be sure, our experiences, thoughts, and feelings are ours alone and it can feel like no one else can really relate to us. Together, our awareness of our own limited life, its possible lack of meaning, and our aloneness can make our freedom and responsibility at times seem crushingly overwhelming.
Our freedom to choose so many big things in life (such as relationships, career, lifestyle, and beliefs) comes at a price. With freedom comes possibility and potential, which are unknown and uncertain.3 Uncertainty is anxiety-provoking. Having the freedom of choice puts our potential largely in our own hands (which is another poignant reminder of our ultimate isolation). There’s angst in the unknown outcome—what if we make the wrong choice, or what if we make the right choice but fail?5 Of course, we don’t have unlimited opportunities and re-dos because our lives will eventually come to an end. And when they do, what will have been the purpose of it all?
Existential anxiety has distinct causes—four primary concepts that, when they pop into our direct awareness, can lead to suffering. However, because they are non-specific (they don’t involve worry that a loved one will get sick and incur financially bankrupting medical bills, for example), existential anxiety can feel vague and difficult to pinpoint.
5 Signs You May Be Experiencing Existential Anxiety
The signs of existential anxiety aren’t always visible to outsiders but instead are internal symptoms. On the outside, someone experiencing existential anxiety might appear calm and collected. Inside, however, they might be experiencing a great deal of turmoil.
5 signs that you might be experiencing existential anxiety include:5
- An increased sense of struggle (such as indecision)
- Painful emotions like despair or regret
- Withdrawal from activities or people
- Questioning long-held beliefs, including but not limited to religious faith
- Panic attacks
The Health Risks of Unchecked Existential Anxiety
Unchecked existential anxiety can have mental health risks. Mental health challenges come with physical symptoms and are strongly tied to overall health and quality of life.
Existential anxiety is a normal part of the human experience. It doesn’t always cause problems beyond the uncomfortable signs and symptoms that accompany the periodic angst. However, if people ignore their experience, deny it, or avoid facing it, existential anxiety can negatively impact wellbeing.
Health risks of existential anxiety include:5,6,10
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Relationship problems
- Insecurity
- Sense of pointlessness and lack of motivation to try things or take healthy risks
- Hopelessness
- Deep discouragement with life
- Emptiness
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Lack of positive contributions to society
While not an inevitable part of existential anxiety, in extreme cases, existential anxiety can lead to suicide.11 If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts from existential anxiety or for any reason, it’s important to seek immediate help. Call 911, go directly to your nearest emergency room, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or visit their website to chat with someone who can help. All of these resources are available 24/7.
Benefits of Existential Anxiety
Existential anxiety doesn’t always lead to negative outcomes. In fact, this struggle can be positive and offers the potential for significant benefits. When people are aware of their anxiety and face their struggle, they can put their lives in perspective, develop a sense of direction, and come to terms with their mortality so they can pursue meaning and create a sense of purpose.10
Confronting our existential anxiety often increases positive experiences such as:6
- Self-awareness (not just of our limitations but our potential and strengths)
- Authenticity (the ability to make decisions according to our values and accept responsibility for those choices)
- Growth and change
- Actualization (understanding and developing our potential as individuals and members of society)
- Fulfillment and meaning
- Dasein (a complex concept that involves the ability to live mindfully and interact with awareness of ourselves and others, offering our complete presence and self to our complete life experience)
Some experts assert that existential anxiety can relieve boredom and create a healthy sense of tension that motivates us to move forward; indeed, depression may actually arise not because of existential anxiety but from a lack of it.3 Without this anxiety, there is no struggle because there is no sense of potential. That lack may be the ultimate form of meaninglessness. According to Rollo May, existential anxiety is a sign of vitality.
7 Ways to Cope With Existential Anxiety
Facing and coping with existential anxiety is of the utmost importance. When ignored, the risks can be dire and people can continue to suffer in their lives. When people cope with it positively, they may experience growth and find renewed meaning and connections.
Coping with existential anxiety is a process not of overcoming it (because it’s an inherent part of being human, it’s not something that will permanently disappear) but of learning to live well despite feelings of existential angst.
Use these seven strategies to cope with your own existential anxiety:
1. Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a way of being with yourself and your life in which you pay attention to your present moment rather than remaining stuck in your thoughts about the past or the future. When you are mindful, you use your senses to ground yourself in the here-and-now, and you accept things as they are without judging them as good or bad. This allows you to respond to problems thoughtfully rather than react emotionally.
Mindfulness can help you deal positively with existential anxiety by keeping you focused on your life in each moment so you can take action to create meaning rather than merely thinking about problems and worrying about what will happen as a result of your choices.
2. Reflect on Your Anxious Thoughts
Look for patterns in your anxious thoughts and feelings. Identify those times when you feel less anxious and more invigorated. What is happening during these times, and how can you create more of these experiences? You may wish to chart your moods and record what you are doing when you are experiencing anxiety and when you’re not.
3. Break Your Big Questions & Worries Into Smaller Chunks
Rather than avoiding your anxiety because the issues seem daunting, confront it directly in small chunks. Make a list of the big issues you’re grappling with. Then, choose one issue that is the most bothersome to you now. Write it down separately, and break it up into smaller components. Then, you can make small goals and create doable action steps to tackle each one.
For example, if you’re worried that you’re not doing anything significant with your life, break that apart by listing all the aspects of your life (family, job, spirituality, hobbies, interests, talents, health, etc.) Pick just one, and reflect on what it will take to make this area feel meaningful to you. Now you’re on your way to determining goals and actions to work towards them.
4. Keep a Gratitude Journal
End each day by writing about positive things you experienced that day (or pause throughout the day to jot down grateful thoughts as you have them). You can include the people and circumstances in your life, and you can express gratitude for small things, too, such as a beautiful flower in bloom in your yard or the sound of children playing in a nearby park. By doing this, you train your mind to pay attention to the good in life. This provides both a temporary mood boost and a long-term improvement to your outlook on your life.
5. Find Flow by Finding Activities That Challenge & Excite You
Flow is a concept that comes to us from the field of positive psychology. It refers to a state of being in which you are completely immersed in what you are doing and all other thoughts, emotions, and distractions fade away. When you’re in flow, you are mindful of your present moment rather than lost in anxious, negative thoughts.
Flow happens when you are doing something you love that offers just the right amount of challenge—not so difficult that the task is frustrating, but not so easy that it’s boring. Try new hobbies and activities to give yourself a chance to discover a new passion that puts you in a state of flow. This process itself can be invigorating and help reduce the purposelessness of existential anxiety.
6. Seek Fulfillment by Exploring Your Values
What is important to you? It is by taking action in accordance with your values that will lead you to discover meaning. Consider taking online interest inventories like the O*NET Interest Profiler to learn more about yourself. Many of these relate to career choice and direction. You may just find a new career path in line with your values, or if that isn’t possible, you might discover passions that lead to volunteer work that bring new meaning to your life.
7. Figure Out & Learn More About Your Strengths
We all have unique character strengths that, when used intentionally, can lead to a sense of fulfillment in life. Take a strengths survey such as the VIA Character Strengths Survey to learn more about yourself, your strengths, and how you can use them every day to connect with others and create a life of meaning.
By acknowledging your existential anxiety, facing it, and taking active steps to address it, you can take charge of your life and thrive in spite of it.
When to Get Professional Help for Existential Anxiety
Some people benefit from seeking professional help for existential anxiety. It can be possible to cope with existential anxiety on your own. Sometimes, though, actively using your coping skills isn’t quite enough to help you through. When you can’t seem to deal with existential anxiety no matter what steps you take, it may be time to seek professional help.
If you find that your anxiety is worsening and beginning to interfere in your ability to perform basic tasks and/or enjoy your life, getting help managing it can guide you in getting back on track. If you are increasingly distracted, irritable, fatigued, have difficulty making decisions because you’re worried about potential outcomes, and increasingly feel that life is pointless or you don’t have a positive purpose, consider reaching out for assistance. Remember that existential anxiety is a universal human experience. You aren’t alone, and others have been there and may be able to offer useful insights to help you through.
Treatments for Existential Anxiety
The only thing that will decrease existential anxiety is to face it, examine and explore it, and accept that it is part of life.5 Help is available and there are treatments for existential anxiety.
Therapy
Working with a therapist can be effective in helping you overcome many obstacles, including existential anxiety. A therapist can help you explore your anxieties more deeply so you can better understand what is at the root of your personal concerns. As your therapist listens to you and helps you listen, too, you come to understand the full range of your experiences so you can know what you want to change, how to change it, and can come to accept and co-exist with other facets of existential anxiety.12
There are many different types of mental health therapy. Some are particularly well-suited to help people deal with existential anxiety.
Therapy modalities that may be helpful for someone experiencing existential anxiety include:
Existential Therapy
Existential Therapy is a form of talk therapy that focuses on the relationship between counselor and client and seeks to understand each client as an individual, their personal history and way of being in the world.6,7 It’s a process of developing insight rather than a structured approach with specific tools and techniques designed to address specific, more limited problems.7
Logotherapy
Viktor Frankl developed logotherapy to help people discover the meaning in their lives.13 Meaning, according to Frankl, is at the heart of the human experience and can be discovered even in the harshest of circumstances (Frankl was a Nazi death camp survivor who lost his family during the Holocaust and found that many of his fellow prisoners thrived despite the horrific circumstances because they found deeper meaning in their lives). As such, logotherapy is well-suited for people experiencing existential anxiety.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT involves exploring and understanding life’s challenges in order to form a new relationship with them and live a life of meaning and value in spite of them.14
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT has been shown to be effective in helping people with anxiety recognize and change their negative thoughts. While CBT doesn’t explore underlying issues, this approach can help you deal with specific, bothersome thoughts that are keeping you stuck as you work through existential anxiety.15
Terror Management Theory (TMT)
A newer approach to therapy, TMT specifically helps people address a fear of death that is interfering in their mental health and quality of life.16 For those experiencing existential anxiety who are stuck in thoughts of their own mortality, TMT could be helpful in coming to terms with it.
What Is the Goal for Therapy & Who Determines that Goal?
The goal of therapy for existential anxiety is to help people create fulfilling lives infused with meaning and a sense of purpose, meeting challenges with awareness, openness, and courage.6 Because this type of anxiety is an inherent part of human nature, therapy doesn’t typically provide a set of concrete tools for eradicating these anxieties; instead, it’s designed to help people increase their awareness and self-understanding in order to thrive while still experiencing these human concerns.
Medication
Medication isn’t typically used for existential anxiety. However, if symptoms of anxiety begin to disrupt sleep and prevent people from working or completing other tasks of daily life, medications like antidepressants or benzodiazepines are sometimes prescribed to restore proper levels of neurochemicals and to help people relax.2 For some people, medication can create necessary biological changes so they can then confront and work through existential anxieties.
Lifestyle Changes
Making lifestyle changes can help existential anxiety. When we lack purpose, meaningful relationships, for example, identifying them and taking necessary steps to change them can work wonders in improving quality of life.
Some lifestyle changes that are helpful for existential anxiety include:5
Job or Career Moves
Finding a career that is a good fit for you—one that is fulfilling, meaningful, and appropriately challenging can bring a sense of life satisfaction.
Seeking New Relationships
It’s important to fill your life with people that are a good match for your personality, interests, and values. This includes intimate relationships, friendships, and even relationships with casual acquaintances like neighbors or coworkers. Seeking couples or family counseling can help improve your relationships with partners, children, or parents. Also, take stock of your friendships and other relationships. Are they positive and fulfilling? If not, it may be time to meet new people and let go of unhealthy connections.
Looking Beyond Yourself
We are all part of a greater society. You don’t have to be extroverted to contribute to your community in a positive way. Learn to listen to and understand others in your life. Also, explore your values, interests, and strengths. How can you use your own strengths to help others in a way that is meaningful to you? Are there ways you can volunteer in your community that match your goals and personality?
Who Should I Consult for Help With Existential Anxiety?
Consulting with others for help with existential anxiety can feel daunting when you don’t know where to begin. It can be helpful to start with people you know. Confide in a trusted friend or loved one. Sometimes, having a supportive, listening ear and sharing mutual concerns can go a long way in easing your big concerns (remember that everyone experiences this, so your connections might have valuable insights, and you might have valuable insights for them, too).
Also, as mentioned above, therapy, either individual or group, can be beneficial for existential therapy.
How to Find a Therapist
To find a therapist, ask people you know for recommendations. Others in your life may have seen or currently see a therapist, and they might be able to share their impressions with you. You can also ask your primary doctor for recommendations. Doctors often refer patients to mental health specialists, and they might know of therapists who specialize in anxiety that are a good fit for you. Online directories can be helpful, too, in providing lists of therapists in your area.
How to Support Someone Experiencing Existential Anxiety
One of the biggest keys to supporting someone experiencing an existential crisis is simply to listen. Existential anxiety isn’t something that necessarily needs solving. People in the throes of this all-too-human experience often just need to talk through their struggles with someone who will listen deeply. Rather than trying to come up with the right thing to say or provide a quick-fix, simply listening to them and understanding their thoughts and emotions can be extremely beneficial.
Avoid dismissing their concerns, telling them to “get over it,” or implying that they’re wrong for grappling with such big questions. Instead, reassure them that their concerns are part of life and that you are available to talk through them. As you listen, encourage them to become unstuck by helping them explore what’s meaningful to them and rediscover values, interests, and passions.7
Help them understand, too, that existential anxiety can be positive and healthy. It can help us make the most out of our lives by living authentically, embracing choices, and using our freedoms to create positive experiences for ourselves and others.3,7,17
Additional Resources for Those Dealing With Existential Anxiety
For additional information on existential anxiety, visit these helpful resources:
