Existential dread is the dread that comes from the reality that even though we didn’t give consent to be here, we’re here and we’ve been thrust into existence on a planet that forces us into a system where we must figure out how to survive every day.

As life continues to grow more expensive and the job market continues to get more tragic, I believe rates of suicide will continue rising.

Which is why I really want to take this time to talk about how to cope with existential dread.

I am not talking about curing existential dread because I really don’t believe there is any way to completely cure existential dread.

I read from a philosopher that to be born is to inevitably suffer. But here’s one helpful way you can cope.

Calm your nervous system

A crucial step for coping with existential dread is tending to your nervous system, which is a little bit sciency, but also super important. None of this stuff matters if your body thinks you’re in danger.

So going through emotional regulation to keep yourself calm instead of constantly spiraling is huge. I’m still working on this step myself and I am a work in progress.

I often find myself spiraling into the deep and dark depths of my existential dread before I take a pause and remember that it’s simply not helpful. I can feel bitter and resentful against my parents for birthing me and bringing me into existence without my consent all day, but that doesn’t help anybody.

And truth be told, I am bitter and resentful of them because they brought me onto this planet and did not set me up for success. Life is really hard and generally speaking, it doesn’t really feel that good a lot of the time.

There are certainly highs and lows, but the sad reality is that the pendulum swings both ways. And even if you are experiencing a high, you will eventually experience another low.

And life will continue droning on like that forever until you reach your death date.

The good doesn’t always win. Having pure intentions doesn’t always mean you’ll yield good results. And life simply isn’t fair. But it doesn’t help anybody to dwell on these thoughts. So it’s important that we tend to our nervous system.

Sometimes our existential dread isn’t exactly philosophical and it’s more physiological. So when we’re feeling dysregulated, everything feels meaningless.

Everything feels urgent and everything feels doomed. Some of the ways we can start regulating our bodies and tending to our nervous system is by allowing ourselves to rest without feeling guilty over it.

Also, moving our bodies without punishing our bodies. Not consuming low vibrational content, such as true crime podcasts, adult triple X content, horror movies, or degrading music.

It means not scrolling on TikTok all day and comparing your life to others. Another way we can regulate our nervous system is by revoking people’s access to us if they’ve treated us badly.

We do not have to socialize with people who make us feel badly about ourselves. We do not have to spend time with people who make us feel anxious or uncomfortable.

It’s about releasing our people pleasing tendencies and knowing that we’re allowed to stand up for ourselves and what we believe in without placing ourselves in environments that are not good for our mental health.

You can’t “logic” your way out of existential dread if your body thinks you’re under threat. And you can’t float your way out of existential dread if your mind is feeling burned out.

We’ve got a regulate our nervous system’s because although we didn’t consent to be here, we are here, and we are doing this human experience in human bodies that require maintenance and upkeep.

Physical maintenance and mental maintenance are crucial. Our upkeep requires taking showers and brushing our teeth, but it also requires taking care of our minds.

If that means journaling to dump all the toxic thoughts out of our brain and onto a piece of paper, then we should do that.

We’ve got to do whatever steps are necessary to feel safe within our bodies to cope with existential dread.