Quarter-Life Crisis

Have you ever heard the term “quarter-life crisis”? Well I hadn’t until the other morning. I was listening to my regular morning show and they were talking about this phenomenon.

Apparently it is just like a mid-life crisis except earlier. It happens to people in their mid to late 20’s. For most this is the time when they have finished school, they don’t have established careers, and they are starting to look for someone to settle down with. Essentially it is the “what the hell am I doing with myself” time.

I never realized there was a name for this. I thought it was just something that happens but like “restless leg syndrome” the collective “they” had to give it a name. After a quick search online I found a bunch of articles, books, videos, a Wikipedia entry, and a website devoted to the subject. I checked out the site a bit and it goes on to define the term, give it history, and acronym-ize the term, QLC.

I have to say I have had QLC for a few years now. I have been floundering along in my life going from place to place doing whatever but not really accomplishing anything. It is not that I have not done anything of worth I just don’t find it has been very substantial. I have travelled, met a lot of interesting and diverse people, picked up many skills, and generally expanded my knowledge but nothing has stuck.

But even with all of that I think that by giving this occurrence a name I feel it makes it more of a problem than it needs to be. Now that I know this feeling I have been having has a name I feel like I have some sort of disease or something. Do I go to the doctor? Is there a pill? Is there a fundraiser to support people with this?

Just like a midlife crisis, the quarter-life crisis has to do with trying to figure out what to do with new freedoms. You are out of school away from homework and schedules and you are too old for curfews and lectures, you can do what you want when you want with who you want. But because you have never had the freedom to make these decisions on your own you are waiting for someone to tell you what to do next. That is really the bottom line to all of it.

Yes making the decision is hard, I should know, but giving it a name makes it easier to dwell on instead of figuring out how to get over the hurdle. I wish I had never heard the term. I wonder if they have a cream for it.

Tra