The Relationship Between Millennials And An Early Midlife Crisis

It is always our own self that we find at the end of the journey. The sooner we face that self, the better — Ella Maillart

We spend all the time and effort in the world trying to figure out everything around us but seldom put in half of that effort and time in figuring ourselves out. The lesser time we invest in knowing ourselves, the harder it gets to cope with the changing times and its relevance in our lives. Millennials like me fit into this description perfectly.

We compete with everything and everyone around us and make the external environment and its stakeholders our holy grail. In a way, our fire is fueled not by our own innate abilities and desires to grow and get better, but by the accomplishments of those we know and hear of.

We get inspired and motivated to then be like them or better. Whether it's a better-paying job, a new car, making a difference in the world (whatever that means) or having the money to spend on your vanity.

The point is, you rarely or sometimes, never self-reflect. The lack of self-reflection and constant desire to build your world of expectations around somebody else's lives is probably the first step towards a mid-life crisis.

While this feeling is quite common in people in the age band of 40–55, there is a sudden shift in the crisis's trend, hitting a much younger demographic. A survey conducted by Censuswide among 6,000 participants aged 25 – 33 concluded the following:

• 80% of the participants feel pressurised to succeed in either their careers, personal finance and relationships before touching the age of 30.

• 61% of people feel anxious about finding the right job or doing something they are passionate about.

• Nearly 48% of them said they feel pressured to match their peers in different aspects of life when they compare the growth or success they see.

Sigmund Freud thought that everyone’s thoughts were driven by the fear of impending death during the middle age. When you are young, you tend to look at the world from the most optimistic and confident lense possible. The underlying reason that drives this optimism is the fact that you have time on your side. You believe you can conquer whatever you want and can turn things around in your favour and at your will. Time at