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It’s an intriguing era we’re living in.
The term “midlife crisis” often conjures images of our parents making spontaneous decisions—perhaps purchasing a sleek sports car or ditching their day jobs for a newfound passion. These actions were seen as attempts to recapture youth or find new meaning.
However, for millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, this phase of life manifests differently.
New York City comedian Mike Mancusi encapsulated the millennial experience in a viral Instagram video, capturing the essence of what it’s like navigating their mid to late 30s today.
Mancusi highlights that millennials often can’t afford traditional crisis solutions, such as acquiring a new vehicle or starting a family. Instead, they opt for trips to Disney, seeking to revisit the simpler, more carefree days of their childhood.
The second reason a millennial’s midlife crisis is different is that older generations would normally view this uncertain period as a time to look forward, but “ours has been built off of looking back,” the 35-year-old explained.
“They would look forward and go, ‘Wow, I’m going to be old someday, I better live it up.’ We look back and go, ‘Wait a minute, I was told to do all these things, I did them and still I’m not happy and that is a way different crisis,’… what’s making us freak out is that we were told the blueprint to follow. We all followed it. Here we are unfulfilled…”
He very bluntly went on to explain how “This winds up manifesting as a career crisis where people go ‘I’ve been working at this thing for the last 10-15 years, I don’t even like it, have I ever liked it?’”
For those who are nodding their heads in agreement, Mancusi suggests, what probably any mental health expert would agree with: Find something that’s for you.
“It’s not to make you money, it’s not to please your family, it’s for you. Something that you’re drawn to that you absolutely love to do every single day. Find that thing and build it into your life…” he advised.
This advice resonated with many, as one fellow millennial wrote, “This is great advice!! Feeling this hard,” with another chiming in, “I never thought of it that way — that we may spend more time looking back vs looking forward! That really lands with me.”