Most of us have had one of these at some point, although the specific impetus can vary pretty widely. Maybe you failed a test that you felt you would do well on, maybe a friend tells you you aren't as good at something as you thought, perhaps you weren't accepted into a program you want or for some other reason you feel like you can't reach your goals.
It happens, and it can feel absolutely horrendous. It can be so demoralizing that some people give up entirely after a severe set-back, I've seen it happen. Hell, I've experienced it a couple times.
So what do you do to move through an existential crisis? When it feels like your world has come crashing down around you, how do you keep going?
As someone who has written about not being okay the merits of failure,and how it's okay to fail, you might expect me to say "oh, it'll be okay, just take some time to gather yourself and keep going!"
Nope.
There are times to power through and there are times to evaluate if powering through is worth it. If it is or not is such an individual decision I'm not about to say one is better than the other, just that both are equally valid options. So what are some of the things that factor into that decision?
Recovery
Can you recover from whatever the setback is? If it is that you did really badly on a test or other challenge, can you evaluate why you failed? If you can, is it something you can correct to do better next time? Sometimes knowing how to recover can be more important than never failing in the first place.
Adaptation
Sometimes you simply aren't suited to a given field or role. In those cases, you have to figure out how you can adapt. One of my crises, for example, was in a field I didn't feel qualified in because of what was expected of me. Instead of giving up entirely though, I found a way of changing how I approached the job that did fit my qualifications and skills. I adapted, changed my approach instead of simply saying it wasn't for me.
Reorientation
Adapting isn't always an option. In times like that, you have to reorient to find something that is suitable for you. Take the things about what you want to do that you are suited for, that do work for you, and find something else that has those with fewer of the things that caused you problems. If you aren't sure what that might look like, talk to experts or mentors in the field you want and see if they can point you in different directions that might fit you and your needs better.
Sometimes you don't have anything to recover from, you didn't make any serious mistakes. There might not be a need to adapt or reorient. In those cases, I power through. What you do though is, ultimately, up to you and what feels right. Do yourself one favor though: Don't rush the decision.
