What is happening to me?
Are you in your mid twenties? Have you been working in a job that your career counsellor recommended to you in high school? Or did you finish, enter into a course and set a pathway into the ‘adult’ world based upon what you studied post year 12? Do you feel that life is monotonous? That you could be doing something better with the 37.5 hours per week that you devote to your job? Do you end up going to the same places and doing the same things every weekend? Are you starting to find this boring? Are you questioning the friendships that you have had for years, feeling stronger about a value base that has formed for you over time and dealing with overwhelming feelings of getting away and escaping a life which you did not ever think you would be unhappy with?
Chances are you are not sure about where you are, don’t know where you want to go, and have conflicted feelings about how you will forge a pathway to an unknown destination. You are getting older, your parents were getting married and having children, or at least thinking about it at your age. You feel it might be too late, that you would be better off thinking about investing in property or getting serious about your superannuation than changing careers and continually pursuing a happiness that never seems to meet your expectations. Maybe those expectations are simply too high, maybe your ‘potential’ has been over-estimated. Maybe you just don’t have the courage to think outside the square and leap out of your comfort zone. One thing is for certain, if you are nodding your head as you read this, then you are likely in the throes of what we have termed the ‘quarter –life’ crisis in modern times.
What is the quarter life crisis?
Astrologers will tell you that it is the period of ‘Saturn’s Return,’ when Saturn completes its cycle through your birth chart for the first time. This signifies a time of endings and new beginnings. Usually occurring between the ages of 28 – 30, the years immediately prior can be fraught with uncertainty and lead us to question everything. It can be a time of great success if we are already working toward a defined goal, or a time of great change if we are not following our destiny. It is the universe’s pathway into adulthood, and a deliberate time of introspection and consolidation when we have the opportunity to focus and bring about positive change within ourselves.
Whilst I am more than open to the suggestion that the universe has an impact on our lives, I also believe there to be a more pronounced case of the ‘quarter-life’ blues in our generation. No doubt there is a major generational shift between Gen Y and those that have come before us. My research does show that we think very differently , behave according to a different value base and expect different things out of life. We are starting to see our parent’s mortality and bringing into question the parallels between their lives, and our own. This leads to a sharp magnification of self analysis and questioning that many of us have not experienced with such exacerbation. The focus on change then manifests and leads us to cling onto the past, stay stagnant or move forward, and indeed ‘grow up.’
Regardless of the source of uncertainty, or indeed the ensuing pain and loss of direction – we can overcome it and it is about taking positive steps. Our generation are inquisitive by nature, so it is time for us to get inquisitive about ourselves – and begin a journey of self-awareness and health which can only lead us to be better people, and to reflect that positivity onto the world around us.