Identity Crisis

This state often comes not suddenly, but as a gradually increasing inner sensation: ‘Everything seems to be in order, but for some reason-not happy.’ There may be a stable job, a family, some achievements, but the person feels that he is not living his own life. The question arises: ‘Am I going there?’There is growing anxiety, fear of change, fear of making the ‘wrong choice’ or destroying what is already there. At the same time, it is also impossible to keep everything as before.

It can be:

• age crisis (30+, 40+)
• background internal emptying
• loss of orientation and meaning
• emotional numbness

Possible manifestations of an identity crisis

Physical symptoms:

• chronic fatigue without an objective cause
• sleep disorders (often-difficulty falling asleep due to thoughts)
• decreased libido, headaches, general ‘heaviness’ in the body

Emotional ones:

• feeling of emptiness, meaninglessness
• irritability, anxiety for no apparent reason
• ambivalence: I want to change — and I’m afraid to change

Behavioral issues:

• procrastination, delaying important decisions
• mechanical ‘living’ of days: work-home-sleep
• loss of interest in previously significant things
• finding quick replacements-from overeating to changing your environment

How to work with it

Psychotherapy helps in this case:

• recognize deep-seated internal conflicts
• reconnect with yourself: your desires, needs, and feelings
• consciously build personal pillars and meanings
• it is safe to pass the stage of internal restructuring and go to a new place