How to Survive a Quarter-Life Crisis

On a recent channel-surfing adventure, I stumbled upon a ‘90s music countdown, which I couldn’t possibly look away from. So many good and bad tunes, so many memories. A song by Jennifer Love Hewitt (yep, I forgot she sang too) came on and I had a moment. How in the heck did Jennifer Love Hewitt release a song nearly 20 years ago? How were all those teen movies she starred in, which I watched religiously as an almost teen, now going on 20-years-old? I Wikipedia-ed the actress and she’s 37-years-old – how the heck is Jennifer Love Hewitt almost 40 and where has the time gone?

MIND BLOWN!

Okay, so I’m not going to give Jennifer all the credit when it comes to my ‘life is moving way too quickly’ epiphany. I’ve been thinking this way for a while now. Life moves incredibly quickly. And there are so many things we do too much of (phones, phones, phones!) and not enough of and it shouldn’t be that way.

If you’re feeling like your feet are a bit too far off the ground and you need to get back to a healthy reality, maybe give these very simple things a go:

1. Interact With An Elder

One of the major things I miss since all of my beloved grandparents have left this earth is having someone from a much older era to constantly talk to. People who are older than you have stories, wisdom, and advice (both good and bad) and we can all learn a lot from them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a grandparent or someone years and years older than you. It can be your parent, an aunt, a colleague, or a neighbour. Spend time with someone who’s walked the path you’ve just started on. And put yourself in their shoes – if you’re feeling like life is moving too fast, imagine how they are feeling. Sometimes people just want someone to talk to and listen to them. It could do wonders for both parties.

2. Interact With A Child

This is pretty much a reversal of the previous point. Children are little rays of sunshine (mostly) and are just beginning their journeys. They could help give you a perspective that you’ve possibly been lacking. You probably would’ve guessed that I don’t have kids of my own by that ‘rays of sunshine’ comment, but I know when I’ve spent time with my friends’ children or my younger cousins, I feel happy and warm. I also sometimes feel worn-out and intellectually inadequate, because kids are way too smart for their own good, but mostly happy and warm. Spending time with someone much younger than you will probably also encourage you to act a little younger than you maybe should and you know what – from time to time, that’s a good thing. Acting your age is totally overrated.

3. Get In Touch With Nature

There is a reason why you feel better when you’ve spent the majority of your day outside as opposed to indoors – nature. Getting some sun and fresh air can help clear your mind. Go for a bushwalk or a swim at the beach – something that will get your butt off the lounge or finger off the touch screen. Heck, go climb a tree if that floats your boat, but maybe take a friend with you in case you get stuck. If they are a really good friend (or just physically strong), they might also try and catch you if you fall.

4. Take A Moment

This one could kind of contradict the above, but sometimes you just need to sit down on the lounge for five minutes, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and ponder. Once a day, just have a moment to yourself. When you first wake up, before you head off to work or before you go to bed at night – it can be whenever and wherever.  It’s really important to look after yourself as life is short and you want to be as happy and healthy as possible to make sure you make the most of it. Take your moment, because it could possibly be the most crucial part of your day in terms of decision-making, acknowledging mistakes or faults and reaching clarity on things.