Existential Psychology

What does it mean to exist? We are still recovering from a time in Western thought and experience that cleaved apart the aspects of existence. Your mental health is a part of your existence that cannot be separated from the rest. Death, isolation, suffering, the pursuit of purpose and meaning in a chaotic, unpredictable world; paying the bills, keeping a job, maneuvering through office politics; your mood, how well you take care of yourself, the quality of your sleep: these are all aspects of life that are entwined in what it means to exist. We live in a web of paradoxes. Our isolation can become more intense when we are surrounded by people. Running from pain can make our pain more intense. Avoiding the inevitability of death leads to a hollow life. When we gain the capacity to get more comfortable with the discomfort of our existential anxieties we can sit with the complexities of our own existence rather than try to simplify and flatten. Our brains love to make things simple, black and white, but that can lead to all manner of conflict and strife. As we boldly embrace and understand the complexity and messiness of our own existence, rather than avoid parts of it, we can move toward connection, purpose, authenticity, and life.