It’s a quiet but profound ache. You may have a good job, a loving family, and a stable life, yet you feel a hollow sense of… “Is this all there is?” The world’s colors seem faded, your own life feels like a script you never chose to write, and you are haunted by a feeling of meaninglessness.
If this resonates, you are not broken or unwell. You are experiencing an existential crisis, a wake-up call from the deepest part of yourself. It’s an invitation to stop sleepwalking through life and to consciously engage with the art of living. This article will explore how two powerful approaches; one that grounds you in the present moment (Mindfulness) and one that helps you grapple with the big picture (Existential Therapy) work together to help you not find meaning, but courageously create it.
The Feeling of Meaninglessness: An Existential Wake-Up Call
In Existential Psychotherapy, we understand that much of our anxiety stems from confronting the fundamental “givens” of the human condition: we must all face our mortality; we are free to make choices and thus responsible for our lives; we are ultimately alone in our own consciousness; and life has no single, pre-ordained meaning.
The feeling of meaninglessness often arises when we are confronted with one of these truths. It’s your psyche telling you that your current way of living is no longer aligned with your deepest, most authentic self. It is an invitation to ask the big questions.
The First Tool: Mindfulness (Learning to Inhabit Your Life)
When life feels meaningless, our first instinct is to escape the present moment. We distract ourselves with endless tasks, we worry about the future, or we ruminate on the past. We are living anywhere but here. But you cannot create a meaningful life if you are not present to live it.
This is where mindfulness comes in. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgment.
Analogy: If your life is a book, you cannot find meaning by constantly re-reading past chapters (rumination) or anxiously trying to skip to the end (worry). Mindfulness teaches you how to fully read the page you are on right now. It is only by inhabiting the present that you have the power to create a meaningful future.
- Practical Action: The Mindful Sip. The next time you drink a cup of tea or coffee, try this. For just one sip, fully engage your senses. Notice the warmth of the mug, the aroma, the taste on your tongue. For that single moment, just be with that experience. This simple practice, repeated over time, builds the “muscle” of presence, which calms the nervous system and gives you a stable ground to stand on.
The Second Tool: Existential Therapy (Learning to Author Your Life)
Once mindfulness gives you a stable ground in the present, you still have to decide where to walk. This is the work of existential therapy. A therapist’s role is not to give you answers, but to help you find your own by courageously exploring your values, your freedom, and your responsibility.
The great psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, built his entire therapeutic approach on this quest. His core insight, discovered in the most unimaginable suffering, is one of the pillars of existential thought:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Existential therapy is the process of learning how to exercise that freedom. Frankl identified that we can create meaning through:
- Creation: Bringing something new into the world through our work or creativity.
- Love & Connection: Deeply experiencing and caring for another person.
- Purpose: Dedicating ourselves to a cause or ideal greater than ourselves.
- Attitude: Finding meaning even in unavoidable suffering by choosing the attitude we take toward it.
How They Work Together: The Perfect Partnership
Mindfulness and Existential Therapy are a perfect partnership for those looking to find meaning in life.
- Mindfulness gives you the ground to stand on. It calms the anxiety and pulls you out of the fog of meaninglessness so you can think clearly.
- Existential Therapy helps you decide where to walk from that ground. It gives you the tools and courage to explore your values and make choices that feel authentic and purposeful.
Without mindfulness, existential questions are just overwhelming anxieties. Without existential exploration, mindfulness can become a passive state with no direction. Together, they create a powerful path from feeling lost to becoming the author of your own life story.
The terrifying truth is that the universe does not provide a pre-packaged meaning for your life. The beautiful truth is that this frees you to create your own. You are not meant to find meaning; you are equipped to build it, moment by moment, choice by choice.
As a Clinical Psychologist with a deep grounding in both Mindfulness-based practices and Existential Psychotherapy, I am honored to walk alongside clients as they navigate these ultimate concerns and build a life of authentic purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Is feeling meaningless a sign of depression? It can be a symptom of depression, but they are not the same thing. Depression often involves a loss of pleasure, low energy, and feelings of worthlessness. An existential crisis can occur even when you are functioning well in other areas of your life. However, unresolved existential dread can certainly lead to depression.
- Do I have to be religious or spiritual to benefit from this? Not at all. Existential psychotherapy is a philosophical and psychological approach, not a religious one. It deals with universal human concerns that apply to everyone, regardless of their spiritual beliefs.
- What if I feel too anxious to even think about these big questions? That is a very normal response and exactly why we start with mindfulness. Mindfulness for anxiety works by calming the body’s threat response and grounding you in the present. We must first create a sense of safety and stability before we can effectively explore life’s biggest questions.
- I have a good life. Why do I feel this way? This is very common. Existential questions often arise after our basic needs for safety, security, and success have been met. It is often when we have achieved what we thought we wanted that we are faced with the deeper question: “Is this truly what I want? Is this life a true reflection of my authentic self?”
