Jotting: 30s crisis

I spoke to my life coach and mentioned I may have a crisis similar to midlife crisis. Before I asked AI to provide a bit more insight, here're some of my thoughts.

• Feeling unmotivated, feel like I'm repeating the pattern of last week / last month
• Hard to feel relaxed, even I have some entertainment after work
• Finding difficult to express myself, having lower willingness to share thoughts and feelings
• Uncertain if I can still do what I'm passionate at work / off-work
• A lot of planning such as finance, retirement due to worry about future

I'm not sure if it's common for the others, so I tried to have some interaction with Gemini.

Key Characteristics and Triggers:

• Questioning Life Choices: Individuals may start to seriously question their career path, relationships, and overall life direction. They might feel stuck in a dead-end job, an unfulfilling relationship, or just generally unsure about what they want.

• Societal Pressure: There's often immense pressure from society, peers, and family to have certain aspects of life "figured out" by their 30s – a stable career, marriage, homeownership, and potentially children. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy or being "behind."

• Comparison with Peers: Seeing friends and acquaintances achieve milestones like career advancements, marriage, or starting families can intensify feelings of anxiety and self-doubt.

• Feeling Trapped or Uninspired: Many feel trapped in commitments (personal or professional) that no longer resonate with them, leading to disillusionment and a lack of inspiration.

• Existential Questions: Deeper questions about purpose, meaning, and identity become more prominent. "Is this all there is?" or "What is the meaning of my life?" are common thoughts.

• Financial Stress: Debt (e.g., student loans), the high cost of living, and the desire for financial stability can be significant stressors.

• Relationship Re-evaluation: Existing relationships, both romantic and platonic, may be re-evaluated, leading to decisions about commitment or even separation.

• Biological Clock (for women): For women, the awareness of their biological clock can add another layer of pressure and anxiety regarding decisions about having children.

Phases of a Quarter-Life Crisis (as identified by Harvard Business Review):

1. Feeling Trapped: A sense of being caught in a commitment that doesn't feel right.

2. Separation/Loneliness: A period of isolation, perhaps due to moving or ending a relationship.

3. Reflection and Change: Taking time to reflect on life and potentially making changes to existing plans.

4. Exploration and New Beginnings: Exploring new activities, social groups, or career opportunities, and eventually moving past the crisis.

This is the first time that I tried to talk about life challenges with AI (instead of handling work related stuff). I think it's quite impressive and I get some inspirations. I think the next step will be doing some more self discovery and dig into the feelings......