When I Turned 30: The Psychology of the “30-Something Syndrome”
Welcome to the age of questioning! Values, personal identity, and personal goals. The list is endless. Body, appearances, talk of career uncertainty, ever-changing social environment; it is concern after concern. STOP! Before stress and anxiety get the best of you. They call it the 30-Year Syndrome. How would you survive the 30-something syndrome?! Huh! It depends on one, your challenges, your situation, and God! Do not forget, it is God; it has always been God.
What Is the 30-Something Syndrome?
An existential crisis that used to unfortunately befall humanity in their 40s and 50s – 30-something syndrome. More than anything, in our 30s, we are now questioning our entire lives more than anything. Check for the symptoms. I mean, the anxiety, the restlessness, or the frustration you feel towards changes in relations, past goals you haven’t fulfilled, or uncertainties in your career? You see, these things morph into undiagnosed depression, loss of confidence, and an intense feeling that life is passing “you” by quickly. To the women, do you feel that pressure to have a family and children? Struggles with your own values? Is it concerning weight loss or gain? Relax, it is a transitional period.
Let us unpack this together. We could blame it on inflation, but no, a shift to developmental psychology. It is not a midlife crisis. Let me explain, a midlife crisis is that point where you have it all, the family, the dream house, the flourishing career, but you are not happy. It could happen somewhere in say 40s. Right? I just checked, midlife crisis is just a façade, a concept, for the expression “changing life circumstances.” Research shows that the adult brain never stops growing and changing. Again, relax!
The Blessing and the Burden
Any transition might trigger 30-something syndrome: divorce, marriage, sexuality reconsiderations, or back to grad school? What matters, actually? It is a world of many choices, really. And we are really privileged to have such choices. For instance, if you don’t like your job, you can do something else; you don’t want children, you don’t have to. 30-something thus is a blessing and a curse. Gen Z onward, for example, are just going to wing it and do whatever the hell they want.
Reframing the Experience
I say, 30-something syndrome is a good thing. It creates an incredible opportunity for you to shape your desires beyond anyone’s expectations. These feelings – anxiety, existential crisis, and burnout- do not numb them with a wild vacation or “medication.” Do not fight it, look into the future, believe in yourself. I would quote Jordan Peterson, “If you do not listen to that thing that beckons you forward, you will pay for it like you cannot possibly imagine!” So, go yee and pursue that which interests you, because the baseline is failure.
