Existential Dread, and Overcoming an Existential Crisis

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Being Well

Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2021

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It’s natural to have moments – even in the course of a generally happy, mostly fulfilling life – where we question our meaning, value, and purpose. This "existential dread" sometimes culminates in an "existential crisis." Today Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson consider how we can confront these basic questions with acceptance and curiosity, and find the meaning and purpose that can help us live good lives. If you're in crisis, are thinking about suicide, or are concerned about a loved one, please call 1-800-273-8255. The Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. Watch the Episode: Prefer watching to listening? You can watch this episode on YouTube. Key Topics: 0:00 Introduction 2:35 Meaning and purpose as the basis for Existentialism 5:20 Four basic issues of existence 7:00 Practical reasons for exploring Existentialism 10:50 Forrest’s childhood acceptance of death. 12:00 Four approaches to confronting existential frailty 13:45 Rick’s orientation to existential dread and its three psychological challenges 15:45 Rick’s personal experience confronting ambivalence and asking the point of living 20:25 Confronting an existential crisis as a catapult into a meaningful life 22:45 Morbid preoccupation as avoidance and self-ing 23:45 The three major whys of living: pleasure, service, and learning 26:10 What death can teach us about living a good life 31:30 Waves and water - resting in gratitude for life and it’s inevitable ending 36:15 Humor in the space of emptiness between living things 39:10 Natural fear vs. anticipatory dread 43:10 Finding your why when familiar structures break down 48:35 Recap and front porch meditation Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link. Sponsors: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the legendary Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription. Connect with the show: Subscribe on iTunes Follow Forrest on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Follow Forrest on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Visit Forrest's website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Being Well, I'm Forest Hanson.
0:09.9	If you're new to the podcast, this is where we explore the practical science of lasting
0:14.1	well-being.
0:15.1	And if you've listened before, welcome back.
0:18.0	It's natural to have moments, even in the course of a generally happy, generally pretty
0:23.1	fulfilling life, where we question our meaning, value, and purpose.
0:27.7	This is often concentrated when we face the reality of our own mortality.
0:32.5	And there's nothing quite like a pandemic to cast that one into sharp relief.
0:36.5	So today we're exploring a topic that's been top of mind, I think, for many people over
0:41.0	the last year and a half.
0:42.7	Existential dread.
0:44.3	How can we face our ends and find the meaning and purpose that can help us live good lives?
0:49.1	To help us do that, I'm joined as usual by Dr. Rick Hanson, because a clinical psychologist,
0:54.1	a best-selling author, and he's also my dad.
0:57.1	So dad, based on our warm-up conversation that we had to kind of set this recording up,
1:02.4	I'm guessing that you're not feeling a lot of existential dread right now, but feel
1:06.2	free to correct me here.
1:08.2	Well, you know, words mean different things for different people, and sometimes there are
1:13.6	these technical meanings.
1:14.6	And one of the words that's also bandied around with regard to existentialism is nausea.
1:22.3	So when I look into myself in the plain meaning of nausea or dread, no, I'm not experiencing
1:28.8	either one of them.
	...

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