Existential Crisis as a Transition: What Matters When the Old Ways No Longer Work

The question of meaning often arises when something that has been a source of support for a long time has come to an end: a goal, a role, a relationship, or a sense of self. After that comes a transition. It demands something: The old answer is gone, the new one isn’t here yet, and this time in between needs to be endured.

Where the Question Becomes Clear

This question is hard to get clear on alone at a desk; it becomes clearer in contact with what moves you and what leaves you cold: in conversation, in new experiences, and in sorting out your own wishes and the expectations of others. Sometimes the wish is already there, just hidden by what one is supposed to be. Those who immediately fill the emptiness with the next project sometimes avoid the question, and sometimes they’re already testing out an answer. Psychological counseling by video can offer a framework for sorting through this transition.

When Emptiness Turns into Hopelessness

When emptiness turns into persistent hopelessness, a medical or psychotherapeutic assessment is also called for, and that is not an overreaction. In case of immediate danger, the emergency number in Germany is 112, and abroad it is the local emergency number. The Telephone Counseling Service (TelefonSeelsorge) offers a confidential conversation at 0800 1110111 or 116 123, day and night; in Germany, 116117 arranges medical help outside practice hours.