The pain of meaning crises

This chapter explores the phenomenon of meaning crises, moments when previously meaningful pursuits, relationships, or commitments lose their sense of significance and provoke profound unhappiness. Although meaninglessness is fundamentally a subjective feeling, its erosion often produces genuine existential crises, leaving individuals with sadness, anxiety, anger, or despair. Through illustrative scenarios—a disillusioned teacher, a struggling beekeeper, and a frustrated lawyer—the chapter demonstrates how meaning crises manifest and how individuals respond, whether by denial, reframing, incremental change, or complete reinvention of their lives. Distinctions are drawn between crises of meaning, in which the feeling of meaningfulness evaporates, and crises of purpose, in which one’s guiding life projects collapse. The latter produces a “double whammy” that can lead to severe despair. The text emphasizes that meaning is transient and subject to sudden loss, akin to happiness, and warns against placing ultimate faith in external sources of meaning such as gurus or metaphysical worldviews. The chapter concludes by highlighting the role of existential wellness coaches in helping clients recognize the fluid nature of meaning, differentiate between meaning and purpose crises, and reestablish life purposes that restore direction and vitality.