Saturday, October 28, 2006

Quarterlife Crisis

I've started a book called Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis by Alexandra Robbins. She is my new favorite author and you can see more of her writings at www.alexandrarobbins.com.

So, the introduction states 6 indicators that one is going through a quarterlife crisis, defined as a response to the transition from young adulthood to adulthood where one is plagued by intense identity issues resulting in a range of reactions from self-doubt to serious bouts of depression, with the nagging question of "Is this all there is?"

The indicators of the quarterlife crisis are:
1. You don't know what you want.
2. Your 20s aren't what you expected.
3. You have a fear of failure.
4. You can't let go of childhood.
5. You waffle over decisions.
6. You constantly compare (yourself to peers and feel you come up short).

So, I'm guessing the fact that I struggle with all except #4 means that I'm in a quarterlife crisis. #5 & #6 are particularly evident in my life, and those who know me even halfway well aren't surprised to hear this.

Some questions the book tackles (the parentheses are my commentary):
--What if I don't know what I want? (The eternal question.)
--When do I let go of my dream? (After I answer question #1.)
--How do I know if I'm dating The One? (I love that she capitalizes it.)
--Why am I having trouble meeting people? (Seriously.)
--How do I weigh doing something I love vs. making money? (A girl's gotta eat.)
--What if I want to completely change direction in my career? (Oy, the time...the money...)
--Why is it so hard to live alone? (As great as Wilbert is, conversation tends to lag, and I'm getting more selfish by the hour.)
--How do I stop comparing myself to other people? (Another wedding, another baby shower, another housewarming...)
--When will I stop feeling afraid and start looking forward to growing older? (30 is approximately 1 year, 6 months, 1 week, and 23 hours away...approximately.)

I don't mean to make everyone wonder if I'm depressed. I'm not. I actually am quite okay with life right now, probably b/c I realize that my questions are normal. But I do ask these types of questions. So, I'm pretty excited about the rest of this book. I think God has some things to teach me. Anyone else in a quarterlife crisis?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is it called when you are in your 30's????? :-) -- Karina

mrs. darling said...

Is that what this is called?
Good to know it has a name! I thought it was just me.
Be sure to share with us all the wisdom you gain from this book.
Maybe you should even hold a seminar.

Anonymous said...

Peggy, you are so beautiful. I love how you share, like---what's REALLY going on in your heart. It's not fake and I love it...like a happy dance... :)

~allie~

Anonymous said...

Yup. We're quarter life crisis buddies! All those dern questions w/o answers!!