I loved my first job. I would wake up with a bounce in my step, filled with eagerness and anticipation for the day and what it might bring. Four years later, it was a different story. I seriously dreaded my alarm going off. The sense of anxiety I felt was constant, and each morning I hated going to work. I felt stuck, like a hamster on a treadmill, running so fast, so hard, constantly exhausted, but never going anywhere at all.

I realised my assumptions about life had all proven false. I had wrongly believed that if I worked hard, went to Uni, and got a good job, THEN I would be happy.

Turns out, this wasn't the case. I was in my 20’s, I had a good job and a comfortable lifestyle, but I was still not happy. I felt lost, scared and lonely. But do you know what was the worst part? I didn’t know what was happening to me, why it was happening or how to fix it.

Today, I understand. I was in the middle of a quarter-life-crisis, and I didn’t even know it.

Classic symptoms of a quarter-life crisis.

Chances are that if you are doing this program you are in the throws of your own quarter-life crisis.

Are you feeling trapped by your life choices, your job, relationship or pretty much everything? Do you lack direction and feel uncertain about your future? Are you feeling depressed or anxious, but just can’t put your finger on why?

In our 20’s and 30’s, we start to ask ourselves the big life questions:

• "What am I doing with my life?"

• "What's the point of it all?"

• "Do I even matter?"

• "After this, what next?"

These questions can be paralysing.

Why is this happening?

Even though it feels like you’re the only person on earth feeling the way you do, you can be assured that you are not.

Transitioning from adolescence to adulthood and discovering who you are is no easy task, and it takes an emotional toll. Discovering your values and aligning them with how you want to live your life is hard work, and is even harder for Millennials.

Here are four reasons why:

1. We have more stuff

We are living in a golden age of cutting edge technology, advanced medicine and smashed avocado, so why aren't we happy? I can feel the older generation looking at us and thinking "What do you have to be depressed about?" These unspoken expectations create feelings of guilt and shame when our inner world doesn't match our outer world of abundance.

2. Values

I was told that if I didn’t go to university I wouldn't get a good job, I would have no money and life would suck. So I went to university and got a good job. But guess what? Education + (good) job did not equal a happy life.

A steady job may have been an important value for the generations before us but our generation is looking for something different to fill the void. This may be something our parents can't relate to and can cause them great angst when we give up a 'good job' to pursue alternative career paths.

3. Social media

The quarter-life crisis is exacerbated by social media and the constant comparing of our seemingly average lives to the highlight reel from other’s Facebook feeds - torturing ourselves by cyber-stalking ex-boyfriends, married friends with babies, or single friends in exotic lands. We know it’s not reality, but we compare ourselves anyway which only deepens our feelings of inadequacy and failure.

4. Lack of real community

Despite the increase of connectedness via social media, mental illness coupled with social isolation is a growing concern amongst the young Australian demographic. Being in a real-life community provides protective factors such as regular social interaction, receiving practical and emotional support and most importantly, creating purpose through deep and meaningful relationships with one another. Busy lifestyles and condensed city-living has resulted in people becoming disconnected from their communities, which can make it harder to find appropriate resources and the support to help when we are going through a crisis.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S HOPE!

You have come to the right place. This program is going to help you break free from you own quarter-life crisis. By embracing the journey of self-discovery and taking the time to learn who you are you will gain greater job, relationship and life satisfaction.

Let's begin....