Online Counselling for Existential Dread in British Columbia
One of the most commonly searched terms these days is ‘am I experiencing Existential Dread?’, or ‘what is existential dread?’. Many of us have found ourselves struggling to find purpose and meaning in life in the ways we expect to. One of the most important things to do when you are feeling this way is to be regularly reminded you are not alone in what you are experiencing. The more we focus on the large scale topics we feel helpless to change, the more discouraged we can become.
Therapy is a practical way to support yourself when you are experiencing existential dread. Having someone there who understands your feelings, can help you move through them, and also help you to shift focus to the things immediately in front of you that you do have an ability to have an impact on, can be incredibly powerful. Shifting your feelings from a place of powerlessness to one where you can process the grief and rage that might be buried underneath can be the first step to reconnecting yourself to the energy you need to take action in your life. We would be honoured to support you on your journey.
What Is Existential Dread?
Have you found yourself ruminating on the meaning of life, asking questions about your purpose or the point of your existence? If you have, you may be experiencing Existential Dread.
You are not alone in feeling this way. A large-scale crisis like a pandemic, traumatic events, or life transitions, among other things can bring on feelings of existential dread or even crisis. Our values can be challenged, causing us to feel a crisis of identity. The feelings of certainty we thought we could base our life on feel like they are suddenly ripped away, and it seems like nothing matters anymore.
What Causes Existential Dread?
Often global events can result in major shifts in our worldview. Currently we are experiencing a climate crisis, global health crises, income disparity and poverty, witnessing genocide, and all of these are accessible through social media and online platforms in a way that was never experienced previously. This can serve to increase the feelings of dread we may be experiencing.
What Are the Symptoms of Existential Dread?
There are a few feelings that are commonly felt when one is experiencing Existential Dread, including but not limited to:
Anxiety about the future that is not tied to anything specific in your current reality
Depression or hopelessness in relation to the future
Loneliness or isolation
Lack of motivation or energy connected to hopelessness
Obsessive thoughts
Over time, existential dread can cause a sense of apathy or a lack of engagement towards life, and a sense of disconnectedness in our relationships. This can have a significant impact on our mental and emotional health.
When Should I Get Help?
If you are feeling alone in what you are experiencing, or it is interfering with your ability to find moments of joy and delight in your everyday life, it might be time to reach out for some support. We were not made to exist alone in a hopeless state, and need connection, support and a sense of belonging to allow our brain the opportunity to start to notice or create moments of hope.
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Reasons to Try Online Existential Dread Counselling
One of the main ways our brain tricks us when going through these types of experiences is by keeping us silent, and telling us that no one else can possibly understand or relate to what we are feeling. The more alone we feel, the less hope we have. Existential Dread is a normal and understandable reaction to the global climate we find ourselves in, and the capitalist economic system we are all immersed in teaches us that we only have ourselves to rely on to meet our needs. This serves to isolate us in our pain. One of the main benefits of counselling is to undo the myth that you are alone in your experience. Once this shifts, there is room to feel everything that needs to be felt, move through it and shift focus.
How We Can Help
All of our therapists practice from an intersectional and systemic lens, and understand how the current state of the world would impact different folks in different ways. Our western values that promote handwork and individualism seem woefully inadequate to address these crises, and a different strategy is needed. We would be honoured to support you on your journey to reconnect with your sense of hope and joy.
Our Approach at The Commons
We are able to support you in part because we feel these things too. Our team supports each other so that we don’t experience aloneness in our work, and are able to maintain hope for ourselves, allowing us to offer you the same type of connection. Honestly discussing the systemic context that creates environments that lead to feelings of existential dread is just as important as creating perspective that allows us to focus on the things we can impact in our personal spheres of influence. We would love to chat with you to see how we can help. Reach out to schedule a consultation call with one of our clinicians!