First of all a big thank you to everyone who reached out to me with advice, questions, concerns, shoulder to cry on, jokes :/ — yes that too. It was reassuring to know that I am not alone. I may not exactly qualify to be the voice of the generation, but I was glad that the post struck a chord. Also, the feedback I got from all you folks is what the following post is all about. So thank you once again J. We are all connected in a strange yet wonderful manner. Before I move to a philosophical tangent, let me come back to the agenda. What are the things we do to deal with this crisis? (I like to call it crisis because I like drama. It may not be very catastrophic in nature but in my head everything is larger than life. So works!)
- Realization- This is the trickiest part. While popular media often suggest that there is nothing like quarter-life crisis and it is merely a creation of an idle mind. That’s bullshit. Apparently, two thirds of young adults go through this. Thus, it is a valid phase of life that all of us pass through, some decide to acknowledge while others just float along. Take for example mid-life crisis, when fathers want to buy an SUV, not because they need it but because that’s their way of dealing with it. Similarly, let’s not minimise what’s happening in there. * points to the head * Accept everything that’s happening around you, inside you and make a mental note of the same. I know this might be tedious but it is a great way to be self-aware. Remember, it is a real issue and not a figment of your imagination.
- Self doubt – Trust me, this is the worst thing you can do to yourself. And I know there is no escape but from time to time do make sure to slap yourself back to senses. Willowing in self-pity and expecting the same from others is not going to take you anywhere. It is only going to push you down the spiral stairs into the rabbit hole of despair. So appreciate all the talents you have – both hidden and those you are yet to discover. I recently figured that I have a natural talent for cooking and trust me some of the things I experiment with are quite life changing. Hehe.
- Going back to school – Most of us are victims of a faulty education system. In fact all of us, at least in this country. A few lucky ones managed to escape and came back more enlightened or did not return at all – good for you guys. But the rest of us are suffering or will suffer at the hands of this system. It is only natural to feel ill equipped to do a certain job during this phase – blame it on competition, contemporaries who are doing well or because you feel you are stuck in the wrong profession. But do you think going abroad and adding another degree to your list is the solution? No. In fact it beats the purpose because this way you end up spending couple of years in school while your best friend is out her honeymoon.
So in my humble opinion, take some time out and think why you really want to do that course in international affairs or South Asian studies. Chances are you don’t, what you have studied and the experience you have gained are enough to get through this. The best you can do is taking a break to realign your goals. - Casual relationships, break ups and all that – While these events are not exactly crisis specific but how we deal with them maybe/can be impacted by our state of mind. During this phase, we are like bombs just waiting to explode. Tiniest of the arguments send us running through the exit door. Stop doing that. No really. Because our brain temporarily loses its ability to reason and we end up taking rash decisions. By the way, you should totally run the opposite direction if you are dating a jerk.
The ride has just begun; hope your seatbelts are tightened!
Have been watching this super series called Girls (below). You should too.
