Something I found on the web on "How to deal with an existential crisis", on 4th Nov 2009.

  1. Understand that the problem you are facing is not your thoughts--it is your attachment to the thoughts. Your thoughts come from your conditioning, your society, your reaction to experiences.
  2. Your thoughts are really not your own. At their core, the thoughts are made up of units of societally-created things called words. Your language is not yours, it is from others. So to be attached to language will ultimately make anyone miserable.
  3. Therefore, first of all drop the "story." To do this, one can partake in any activity that allows them to flow--especially moving one's body vigorously. Don't try to force yourself to "feel" by fighting against your conditioned repulsion from your own feelings.
  4. You need to, piece by piece, take apart the structures which dull your ability to experience feeling. Most of the time these structures are self imposed, other times they are environmental. A handy tool is to no longer focus on what other people "should" do, or what other people think you "should" do (the dragon with a thousand scales, each one shining the word "shall") and replace it with "will".
  5. Forget the past, tomorrow never really happens. Your ability to experience joy will grow dramatically when you drop comparing yourself to other people and only compare yourself to yourself, if anything at all; in an ironic twist of fate, this can be achieved incrementally by holding a more stoic subjectivity. Relax all reasoning which extends beyond your projected experience in space and time, and if possible, your immediate sensuous experience. Try getting in better shape but don't put all your stock in it, don't be afraid to fall in love with yourself alongside everything else.
  6. Everything of value is a projection of the body in this or that regression, so most negativity is a just an amplified body phantasm. Everything is tied to the body like a kite. There is more to life than physics; emotions, as body projections, are as real as physical objects, your valuation is as real as a physical object. A good massage and steaming can do wonders however! Try getting more to nature. Then, look into the world with the help of people who have attained more happiness than the average Joe--any pillar of exemplary morals or knowledge would be relevant. Yet remember they can only communicate words, not Reality itself. They can only use words, like a finger, to point at the moon. Don't confuse the words/finger for the moon/Reality.
  7. This is your investigation to uncover your values, if this advice doesn't help, don't be afraid to make up your own rules. Remember to let go of "should", you are in charge. This message is a "should", so take it with a grain of salt. You are the lightning of your values, and don't forget that, ultimately, value is genetically grounded in the body, even if it appears to be emotion; so if you feel anxiety about "what to do", now that nobody else is telling you what to do, that's the most exciting part of the journey...remember childhood? mystery? adventure? Smelling new smells and feeling new fabrics? New foods? Remember those things before you made up the excuse "it's idealistic to have feelings and be unprepared" and used "preparedness" as a way of rubbing yourself out of existence. Turn your house upside down, shave your eyebrows, quit your job, get a tongue ring, be a kid again. But do it to challenge yourself, shove out other peoples reactions or how you value your behavior through the idea of how other people feel, and don't try to be "Mr.Random", I think (yes, I am a person writing this not an organization) that valuation is found in emotional and sensation, not "randomness". Do something to improve your experience of joy. And think, maybe being rich is stupid and being homeless is intelligent; reevaluate reality and do whatever you want.
  8. Be prepared to face consequences.
  9. Try to see life and your place in it as they really are. Question everything and attempt to see past all social, political, spiritual and personal conditioning and falsehoods.
  10. Know that we humans often feel that we are stuck in a game designed and controlled by others who do not have you or humanity's best interests in mind. When you're in crisis it looks like others succeed through ignorance, fear and the ability to lead you around by the nose. Research the history of civilization and how this rat race began, and how it is perpetuated, then begin to formulate your own understanding as to where it may be heading.
  11. Begin to adjust your attitude and actions accordingly to reflect this new understanding. Once you know how we are being conditioned to think and act it is a little easier to think and act for our own interests (and for those we love). Once we begin to do this we will have a new blueprint for our personal as well as collective existence. The rest is up to you.
  12. Turn on a light, preferably 75 watts or brighter.
  13. Drink a cool glass of water.
  14. Clean whatever room you're in. This will help you clarify your power over the world and give you a few minutes to do some basic problem-solving. Don't just straighten things up, but clean. Use a cleaning product.
  15. Try to voice what your problem is. Some people write full-length sentences to help determine what their issues are. Others start by writing a poem in order to get their thoughts and feelings flowing. Later, you can elaborate in prose.
  16. Imagine several different people you like or respect giving you advice. Don't pick anyone abusive. Try Mr. Rogers, your first grade teacher, or that person you had a crush on in 9th grade. They don't help very much, do they? But it's fun talking to them.
  17. Imagine giving advice to someone else in your situation. Would you still think this was as big a problem?
  18. Talk to someone who loves you, like a friend or a parent.
  19. Problem solve. Remember how you figured out how to use that cleaning product? If you can't figure out your problem, that means it's legitimate. If your solution involves making big changes, take a few days to think about it.
  20. If you can't do anything about your problem right now, accept it. If it's late, go to sleep; if you can't sleep, find something to do that does not involve a television or computer screen. Blue light causes insomnia. You'll want to go to sleep later. If it's daytime, get some exercise or finish your job. Be professional. A few successes never hurt anyone.
  21. Consider how well orchestrated life seems to be. Some type of consistency does appear to exist, at least on a micro level.
  22. Although there is arguably no reason to not commit suicide, existentialist thinkers, beginning with Nietzsche on, have foreseen a wave of nihilistic thought among future generations. Nietzsche welcomed the wave of nihilism as he saw it as a phase between the death of old beliefs and a birth of the overman. It is something that must be overcome by the will to power, he states. Though every philosopher who wrote regarding the birth of new meaning in life authored it in such a way that was notoriously vague, it is nonetheless something to research heavily before making any decisions. Notable authors include Nietzsche, Sartre and Camus. Researching their views will lead you to other interpretations of what comes after nihilism.
  23. If after exhausting research you still feel unsatisfied, you still have gained a lot of insight into the philosophy of the situation. You must know by now that a will to truth is absurd (to use the terminology). Since we truly don't know whether there is meaning to existence or not, we can always fall back on risk assessment. If you put life and death in two columns, and meaningful/meaningless existence into two rows, you will find that living out the rest of your life is the best option (no matter what horror existence may be).
  24. In whatever situation you find yourself, do no harm to yourself or others, and aim to create peace and enjoyment of your experiences. Even though sometimes it hurts, it will pass. Find meaning in the simple pleasures of life through your senses. Stop to smell the roses, feel the sunlight, taste the food, see the beauty and listen to your heart calling. You can create your own meaning for yourself your own life. After all, it is your life, your game, your experiment. Play your game with respect for others, and deal with your circumstances to the best of your ability. To really succeed, respectfully enlist the help of others.
  25. Remember that tomorrow is a new day and another opportunity for you to make changes in your life to seek happiness and self fulfillment. This power is yours, claim it.