Gen Z Is Entering Its 'Quarter-Life Crisis' and It's Getting Weird...

Bold of you to assume that I'll live the rest of the three-quarters.

Older generations are very dismissive of us and take for granted the things they had. Economic stability (the biggest one being the ability to afford housing), marriage being universally valued, no social media, a degree holding weight. Their responses are always like "youll find yourself soon ✨🙌" like our problems are just in our heads when there are tangible problems that are suppressing us and our growth.

I think there’s something to say about the people (like me) who were 21 in the beginning of the pandemic and now in 2024 are 25. We missed out on all of the “low stakes” “fun” early 20’s experience where it’s socially acceptable to still be goofy and hang with your friends. Now being 25, I feel like there are different societal expectations. “Halfway through your 20’s” is a phrase that definitely triggers quarter life crisis thoughts. Though I feel like it’s made worse when you miss out on the earlier half. The “fun” half.

Hi Gen Z! I'm 32, and survived my quarter life crisis. Here's my advice. 1.) I wholeheartedly agree that it's SUPER important to discover and do things you enjoy. Develop hobbies, lean into your passions - but please, for the love of everything, please don't try to make money from it. Or at least, don't try to make it your entire living. I made the mistake of pursuing art as my full-time career in my 20s, and it ruined me. I think in our late capitalist hellscape, the best thing you can do for your self esteem is to hold your most favorite activities sacred by keeping them as far away from money as possible. 2.) Speaking of self-esteem: if you want it, you need to do esteemable things. This means putting in real work to get to know yourself and your values, and then figuring out ways to live out your values on a daily basis. For example, I value generosity... But I'm not rich. So I've figured out ways to practice generosity with what I have right now. Instead of donating to a charity, I might volunteer for them. Instead of giving money to a homeless person, I might help a friend move. The point is, you need to do a lot of introspection to figure out what are YOUR values vs. SOCIETY'S values... And then live accordingly. 3.) I think it's important that, with your career, you find the sweet spot between what you're naturally good at, what the world needs, what people are willing to pay for, and what is tolerable for you to do on a daily basis (both in terms of the work itself, as well as the work environment and work hours). Research "ikigai" to learn more about this. It will take a lot of trial and error for many of us - it certainly did for me. But now I'm looking at going to grad school in my mid-30s to make a big career pivot that I'm excited about. Am I "behind" according to society? Sure. But I don't give a shit, because I needed to take my very winding path to get to where I am now. Mid-30s is still young, it's still plenty of time to make a difference and reach my financial goals before I retire. 4.) You need to learn how to separate your self-worth from your achievements (or perhaps lack thereof). Think about a small child in your life, or your pet. Are they priceless to you? Do they bring a ton of value to your life by just being in it? Probably. They don't have to do anything to be worthy of love - and neither do you. Your inherent value is infinite; what you do or don't do has no relevance to whether or not you deserve to be here. A small change that's helped me a lot with this talking about what I do differently. I'm not a sales associate - I work in sales. I'm not a gamer - I play video games. I'm not an artist - I make art. Separating my ego from my activities like this helps my brain put less stock in my performance in these areas. 5.) That being said, this doesn't mean it's not worthwhile to pursue any achievements or goals. It means you need to change your mindset to them. Instead of approaching goals with the mindset of "I need to win, or else I'm worthless" or "once I reach this goal, then I'll finally be happy," I suggest thinking of goals like a game. Focus on the challenge and the fun of whatever you're pursuing. Having a goal to aim for gives you some structure, and helps you make decisions in your daily life on the way to that goal - but that's it. Whether or not you achieve it means absolutely nothing about you as a person. Try to have an experimental mindset about it. "My hypothesis is that if I do XYZ for 4 months, then I'll be able to reach my goal." If you do it, awesome! If you don't, also awesome! You have better data to help you set goals in the future. 6.) You are what you consume. And I don't just mean that about food - I mean the media you consume too. If you're feeling behind in life because you're following a bunch of influencers who are younger than you, with more money than you can even fathom? Fking UNFOLLOW THEM. Observe how your algorithm makes you feel, and then retrain it. Follow people who are older than you. Follow people who spread positivity and nuance rather than ragebait and luxury p*rn. We're all brainwashed by social media, so you might as well take some control over WHAT you're brainwashed with. 7.) Go to therapy. You need it. We all need it. No shame in it.

I’m 24 and DEEP in the throughs of my quarter life crisis rn. I have a bachelor’s and I’m still struggling to find a job, I can’t pay for my own stuff cuz I have no money. I’ve held multiple jobs so I have a good resume. I did an internship last year and realized the company wasn’t for me and can’t find a job since I left. It’s ROUGH. This video definitely found me at the right time. It doesn’t help that inflation is crazy, the job market is crazy, the cost of housing is nearly unattainable, the Earth is actively dying before our eyes, and I’m terrified of a third world war. Couple that with social media and seeing people your age thrive feeling inadequate. I literally feel so lost and depressed right now.

I was a "scholarship kid" from age 8, often the only poor kid at rich kid schools. Constant pressure to make my family/community proud. Always feel like a failure bc I'm not a doctor or a lawyer. Highly recommend Anthony Jack's "The Privileged Poor" on this exact phenomenon. Holy sht this video was validating.

This is so real because I genuinely did not realize how hard it was to get a job, let alone a decent one.

As a 29 yr old millenial I‘m still going through it. I do have some tips to share that have helped me ground myself: 1. Cut down on social media - I only use Instagram to follow my friends and Youtube for fun & educational content. I stay AWAY from TikTok because it‘s a toxic pit. 2. I talk a lot to older people (and by older I mean 50+) because they have a much more realistic view on life and have already made and learned from the mistakes that I‘m yet to make. 3. I am very mindful about comparing myself to others. I still do it (as you said, it‘s an instinct) but I try to focus on being happy for others and getting inspired by them instead of giving in to blind jealousy. Hope these help you too. :)

quarter life crisis and loneliness epidemic combo hitting us hard

as a 21 yr old who had to take a break from college as a junior in order to escape from my abusive parents, i’ve been feeling really bad recently. seeing people in college and/or having successful careers makes me feel like such a loser. i left my home state as well and all of this is just making me feel so empty and worthless. this video made me feel a little better, im hoping i get out of this slump soon :/

I'm a Nigerian living in England and the quarter life crisis is CRISISING!!!

i'm in my 30s and i still feel behind in a lot of ways. lost my late teens, early 20s to an abusive relationship. went back to college at 24 and graduated around 27. then lockdown happened. i lost a lot of family, and my mental health really took a hit. now i'm in my 30s and i work part time but...this isn't where i wanted to be at this stage. i thought i'd be married, have kids, a house, etc. and i'm not trying to complain because i really am so, so blessed and happy with my life, but it does effect you sometimes, seeing where others are especially on social media etc. and you just feel kind of out of place.

I’m a 31 years old millennial. To any Gen-Z who feel stuck in life, everything is going to be okay. It might not feel like it, but it will. Trust me. I spent my entire early to mid 20s chasing a career that I ended up quitting at age 28 because it was simply not working for me. I did not know this at the time, but it ended up being the best thing that has ever happened to me. It’s scary becoming an adult, especially when you see your peers or strangers on the internet who seem to have it all. But everyone is on their own timeline and I had to be okay with that in order to move forward in my own journey. And even though I didn’t know where life was going to take me, I allowed myself to just let go of the fear and embrace the changes that was happening in my life. I’m still on that path, but it isn’t as scary anymore. Yes I have some bad days, especially since I’m an sensitive person. But that’s life, you know? Treat yourself with love and kindness, as you were to view yourself as a child. Incorporate mindfulness practices, like breathing exercises, if you feel overwhelmed and need the extra support. Do what you can to regulate your nervous system to find clarity in what you want for your life. Stop comparing yourself to others and work on being the best damn adult you can be! take it one step at a time. Do you know how powerful y’all can be by age 30?!?? & 30 isn’t even old, you’ll understand what I mean when you get there. You guys are lucky to live in an age where we have so much FREE resources at your fingertips at your age. Take advantage of that. And most importantly, be kind to yourself during this period. Your world is changing from childhood to adulthood, this feeling won’t last forever. You are NOT behind, you are on track. You got this. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

The WAY I WAS CALLED OUT 😂😭 “engaged by 23 and married by 25 and living my best life…” PLEASE 💀

I'm 23 and have been crying all day because i dropped out in the last college year, im mentally ill, struggling to find a decent job, never been in an actual relationship, and the distance between my old friends and me keeps growing with every day (im so ashamed of myself i dont want to reach out anymore). I really want to experience just something in my life. Just anything. I miss 2018-2019, wasnt it the last hopeful times we knew? I dont know why it takes so much willpower not to kill myself. I dont like my city or my whole country, yet it's hard to leave. I just want to change it all, i can't take it anymore. Thanks for hearing me out, and take care of yourself. Isolation makes you feel sick, remember that. In a way, you're not that alone.

As a Western-European, I totally went through a quarter-life crisis at 25. I was still living at my parents', starting my master's degree after two years of not knowing what to do with my life, and with no boyfriend. I felt old and doomed. Now as I'm approaching 30, life is way better. I've been living with my boyfriend for 2 years, I have a decently-paid, secure job, and I feel good with my life most of the time. Of course, everything is not perfect. Our apartment is very small because the prices are outrageous, the cost of everything is rising, but we manage. We can even save some money to go on vacation, not too far, once a year. To be clear, if you're still not where you want to be at 25, don't worry, it's normal, life is soooo different now from what it was 30-50 years ago, and it's not too late at all.

I'm 20, turning 21 in a month. Life gets so depressing and confusing. I look like a child and get treated as a child, yet I am expected to look and act differently because I am "aging", and suddenly gain all the knowledge I've never had. I had a different life and opportunities, yet I see all these successful young musicians, actors and models on TV who are my age or younger. I've never been in relationships and I can't trust people, yet I see strangers online shaming people right after school for not having romantic or sexual experiences and labelling 25 year old women "too old". I work, yet I feel like a loser. I live with my mother because I can't afford my own apartment. I don't have any career ideas. I don't want to draw and dream anymore. I've never had any parties and friend groups like in the movies. Everything that makes me a bit happier is seen as "childish". Every step I make feels like a mistake. I am tired.

perfect timing. gen-z here at my corporate job wondering wtf am i doing!

As far as the job market goes too... I'm 33. Nowadays they want you to have a crazy insane amount of skills, many many years of experience for what used to be entry level positions. Even trying to find a basic receptionist job is impossible. Job posters are looking for slaves, not employees

I’m 32 and never heard of a quarter life crisis! I didn’t have one though cause my 20’s were already a disaster 😂 I was a homeless drug addict, mental health was down the drain, in a physically abusive relationship, jail, rehabs, etc so I’m just glad I survived! 🥳