Are you having doubts about your identity? Perhaps your mission or your values? If this is the case, you may be experiencing what some refer to as an identity crisis.

If you are going through an identity crisis, you may be doubting your self-worth or identity. This often occurs as a result of significant life changes or traumas, or as a result of variables such as age or progress beyond a specific stage (for example, school, work, or childhood).

What you need to know about identity crises, how to tell if you’re experiencing one, and what you can do about it.

You are questioning who you are- overall or with one aspect of your like. Don’t we all? You are experiencing a gruelling conflict within yourself, as if it is almost unbearable and you try to process but can’t quite know how to or what it is even about in some cases. Big changes had occurred in your life such as separation, divorce, a major move to another place, death of a loved one, change of jobs, to name a few. You are at a crossroad and unsure where the road would lead to and so questioning yourself about your identity or sense of self even.

So, What Steps Can You Take to Overcome Identity Crisis Consciously

Consider the following mindfulness activities to help you transform a time of identity crisis into one of clarity, compassion, and progress.

1. Ignore your own and others’ judgments Both other people’s and our own expectations may have a significant impact on how we feel. However, resist allowing society’s norms to define who you are and what you should enjoy.

Simply being of a specific age, gender, or ethnic group does not obligate you to follow along if your beliefs have changed.

Your self-perception is critical to your general well-being, and wasting time and energy on judgemental thinking is a waste of time and energy. It may take time for the people you care about to accept your changes, but you’ll be happier in the long run if you stay loyal to yourself.

2. Keep An Eye Out For What Is Repeatedly Played Rather of succumbing to your anxieties reflexively, cultivate a sense of wonder. If you pay close attention to your thoughts and feelings, you’ll certainly notice that the same themes of insecurity play again and over in your head. They acquire a familiar, regular nature as a result of this knowledge, and eventually lose their potency. When anxieties develop, merely observe that “Good/Lovable is playing.”

3. Expand Your Range of Motion As with our muscles, our self-perception may be stretched to become less rigid and more flexible. By incorporating attentive awareness into our daily lives, we may get a better understanding of the flexibility of our inner experience. At various moments during the day, we encounter a variety of ideas, emotions, energy levels, and bodily sensations.

These may vary according on who we are with, the place we are in, our level of comfort with what is occurring, and our level of sleep. We may cultivate a more adaptable self-identity via this insight.

4. Inhale Present-Moment Breath The concentration of attention on the sensations of the breath is often emphasized in meditation training. You may further develop the technique by focusing on any component of your experience – thoughts, sensations, or listening to someone. This exercise strengthens our ability to be present in our life and to perceive ourselves more clearly. At the outset of the day, take ten focused breaths to ground yourself. Additionally, you may repeat the exercise whenever an identity crisis occurs.

5. Look for pleasure and other coping mechanisms What brings you joy? What gives your life meaning and joy?

You do not have to have the ideal career, but if you are not engaged in anything meaningful in your life, this may be contributing to your sense of crisis.

You may find satisfaction by volunteering, developing a new passion, interacting with people, or engaging in any number of other activities outside of your job. Alternatively, you may discover that a new work is a better fit for who you are.

6. Strengthen Your Compassion Let us be honest. Identity crises are a natural part of life, and they may be very unpleasant on a physical and emotional level. What we most need at this point is self-compassion. Self-compassion does not imply absolving ourselves of responsibility when we do anything incorrect or harmful.

Rather than that, it prepares us for contemplation and development by acting as a potent antidote to the urge to self-criticism and self-shame when our identity is questioned – therefore immobilizing us and preventing us from learning critical lessons. In these times, recover and improve by speaking to yourself as you would a closest friend or loved one. What would you say to them if you found yourself in a position similar to this one?

7. Hire a Professional If things are out of your control, it might be time to get in contact with professional identity crisis coach who can then help with your mental health. A counsellor will invest their time to fully understand your condition and chart out the best course of action for your condition.

By Daniela Marinova and Richmond Counselling, London