Why does the feeling that life has no meaning arise, and how do you tell existential questioning from depression? Read concrete steps to find direction again.
Late at night, after everyone else has gone to sleep, you are sitting alone in the kitchen. The day went by as usual: the commute, meetings, dinner, the washing-up, a bit of a TV series. Nothing went wrong, yet a question is growing inside you: "What is all this for?" Many people, at some point in their lives, come face to face with the feeling that "life has no meaning". Sometimes it arrives as philosophical curiosity and deepens the person. At other times it quietly grows heavier, makes getting out of bed in the morning harder and drains the colour from everything. In this article I look at where this feeling comes from, when it may be a sign of a depressive process, and the steps you can take to rebuild meaning.
What Is the Feeling That "Life Has No Meaning"?
A sense of meaning is an inner intuition that the things we do serve a purpose, that our life is flowing in a direction and that we are part of a whole. Most of the time we do not even notice it; our work, our family, our relationships and our daily habits carry this feeling on their own. Meaning only becomes visible once it is lost.
The feeling of meaninglessness is described in different ways: "Every day is the same", "I work, but I don't know who for or what for", "It's as if I'm living inside a void", "Everyone is rushing somewhere, and I don't know where I'm rushing to." These descriptions tell us that, although things may look fine from the outside, a connection has broken somewhere inside.
Existentialist thinkers say that the question of meaning is an inescapable part of being human. They emphasise that life does not hand us a ready-made meaning, and that we build meaning as we live. From this perspective, the feeling that life has no meaning is not always a sign of a disorder; sometimes it is a threshold showing that a person's old answers are no longer enough and that they are ready to look for new ones.
Existential Questioning or Depression?
Loss of meaning can appear in two different pictures, and it is important to tell them apart.
Existential questioning
In existential questioning, the person asks deep questions about their life: What do I want? What do I value? What am I spending my time on? These questions can be uncomfortable, but the person is still curious, still reading, talking and searching. Their emotions are generally alive; they can enjoy spending time with loved ones, and a beautiful view can still lift their spirits. Questioning usually moves towards a change, a new direction or a more conscious life.
Depressive meaninglessness
In meaninglessness intertwined with depression, the picture is different. The person does not ask questions; they believe they already know the answer: "Nothing means anything." Curiosity gives way to numbness. The capacity for enjoyment decreases, energy drops, sleep and appetite change, and the person may feel worthless or like a burden. Meaninglessness is not the start of a search but part of a shutting down. If you would like to get to know this picture in more detail, the article on when everything feels meaningless may also guide you.
Of course, these two states are not always separated by clear lines. A long period of existential questioning can slide into depression if it finds no support. To make the distinction, you can ask yourself these questions: Am I still curious? Can I still feel something at certain moments? Or has everything turned grey?
Why Does the Thought That Life Has No Meaning Arise?
Life's turning points
The question of meaning is often asked out loud during life's periods of transition. When the children leave for university and the house goes quiet, when retirement takes away the structure of the days, when the question "I'm past the halfway point, so what have I done?" appears in your forties, the roles and goals a person has carried for years can suddenly be left hanging. When goals such as parenthood, a career or owning a home have been completed, the question "What now?" emerges.
Losses and major disasters
The loss of a loved one, a serious diagnosis, or collective disasters such as the 6 February 2023 earthquakes can shake a person's fundamental assumptions about the world. The experience of "However hard you try, everything can vanish in an instant" can call into question the meaning of long-term plans and efforts. This questioning is a natural part of the loss that has been lived through and, over time, can turn into a search for new meaning.
Monotony and alienation
Long commutes in big cities, working hours spent in front of a screen and work whose results you never see can weaken a person's connection with what they do. Updating one cell of a spreadsheet, forwarding an email to someone else, never seeing the big picture of the work... Not being able to see a tangible result of your effort can, over time, give rise to the question "What use am I?"
The emptiness that follows success
Interestingly, the feeling of meaninglessness sometimes appears right after a major goal has been reached. The promotion awaited for years, the exam passed, the house bought... While expecting "I'll be happy once I achieve this", the person feels a strange emptiness after the success. This is because the goal had taken the place of meaning, and once the goal is completed, meaning seems to have ended along with it.
Where Does Meaning Come From?
The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, drawing on his experiences in concentration camps, argued that human beings can find meaning even in the hardest conditions. According to Frankl, meaning is nourished by three main sources: creating something or putting effort into a task, experiencing something or loving someone, and choosing an attitude towards suffering we cannot change.
This perspective takes meaning out of the realm of a grand, abstract answer and brings it down into everyday life. Meaning is often hidden not in the philosophical answer to the question "What is the purpose of life?", but in concrete questions like these:
- Who do I do good for, and who am I important to?
- While doing what do I forget how time passes?
- For which values would I risk discomfort?
- What would I like to see become a little better in this world?
- Which small moments still touch me?
Meaning is often not a treasure waiting to be found, but a web woven every day out of small choices.
Meaning and happiness are not the same thing
The message we often hear today, "Live to be happy", can sometimes leave a person searching for meaning feeling even more alone. Yet a meaningful life is not always an enjoyable one. A woman caring for her sick mother, a nurse coming home from a night shift, or someone who volunteered in the region for months after the earthquake may not feel happy during that time; but they know deeply that what they are doing is meaningful. Happiness is usually momentary and changeable; meaning is a more lasting feeling that can exist alongside difficulty. Noticing this distinction helps to question the inference "I'm not happy, so my life has no meaning." Sometimes what a person needs is not more enjoyment, but to see again that what they do is connected to a value.
Small Steps to Rebuild Meaning
When experiencing a loss of meaning, it can be tempting to make big decisions, such as suddenly quitting your job, moving to another city or ending a relationship. Yet during this period it is often safer to begin with small, reversible steps rather than big changes.
1. Draw up a values compass
Think about areas of life such as family, friendship, learning, creating, nature, faith, justice, health and creativity. For each one, ask yourself two questions: "How important is this area to me?" and "How much time and effort have I given to this area in the last month?" The areas where the gap between importance and effort is greatest may give clues about the sources of your loss of meaning.
2. Make a small contribution to someone else's life
One of the most powerful sources of meaning is making a difference in someone else's life. This does not have to be a large volunteering project: doing the shopping for an elderly neighbour, helping a student with a lesson, leaving food out for a street animal, helping a friend move house. Small contributions like these directly nourish the feeling that "I'm of use." Seeing the effect of the contribution matters too, so where possible, choose small, face-to-face tasks whose results you can follow closely.
3. Make something tangible
In work done at a screen, it becomes harder to see the result of your effort. Try to make something tangible, even if only once a week: a meal, a potted plant, a repaired piece of furniture, a knitted scarf, a handwritten letter. Tasks that have a beginning and an end, whose result you can see, send the mind the message "My effort is leading somewhere."
4. Open conversations about meaning
It is a relief to see that you are not alone with these questions. Talking with someone you trust, "What do you find meaningful in your life?", both brings new perspectives and deepens the relationship. For many people in Turkey, these questions can also be discussed through faith, the life stories of family elders or literature. Whichever language you choose, sharing these questions rather than keeping them inside lightens the load.
5. Place small moments of meaning into your day
Meaning is not only found in big projects, but also in small moments lived attentively. Fifteen phone-free minutes at dinner, tea drunk on the balcony in the morning, a short walk with your child. Paying conscious attention to these moments slows down, a little, the day's tendency to run on autopilot.
6. Postpone big decisions for a while
Sudden decisions taken while the feeling of meaninglessness is intense often add new problems rather than solving the old one. Give yourself some time; first observe what changes with small steps, then evaluate bigger changes with a calm mind.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Questioning meaning does not always require the support of a specialist. However, it is important to talk to a mental health professional in the following situations:
- The feeling of meaninglessness has lasted for weeks and is getting heavier
- It is accompanied by a persistently low mood, loss of enjoyment, and changes in sleep and appetite
- You are having marked difficulty keeping up with your work, your relationships or looking after yourself
- Thoughts such as "It wouldn't matter if I weren't alive" or "If I disappeared, nobody would notice" are crossing your mind
These signs do not in themselves mean a diagnosis; however, they call for attention and support. In particular, if you are having the thoughts in the last point, it is very important to share them with a specialist or someone you trust without delay. If thoughts of harming yourself are becoming more intense, or if you do not feel safe, please call 112 (emergency services) straight away. For more information on this subject, you can read the article on suicidal thoughts.
How Is Loss of Meaning Approached in Therapy?
In therapy, the first step is to understand the ground on which the feeling of meaninglessness has appeared: is it the questioning of a transition period, the shock that follows a loss, or part of a depressive process? This distinction determines which path will be followed.
If depressive symptoms are to the fore, cognitive behavioural therapy methods are used. Thoughts such as "Nothing means anything" or "I'm of no use" are examined, and through behavioural activation, activities connected with the person's values are added back into their life. Where necessary, an assessment by a psychiatrist can also be part of the process.
Acceptance and commitment therapy is particularly useful when working with a loss of meaning, because values are at its centre. In this approach, the aim is not to eliminate the feeling of meaninglessness, but for the person to be able to take steps in the direction they care about even while that feeling is present. The existential approach, meanwhile, makes room for facing directly the fundamental human concerns of death, freedom, isolation and meaning. You can find more information about this approach in the article on existential therapy. For the work carried out when a loss of meaning is accompanied by depressive symptoms, you can take a look at the depression and mood page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is questioning life a mental health problem?
No. Questioning the meaning of life is a natural part of being human, and very often part of personal growth as well. Questioning only calls for attention and support when it turns into numbness, loss of enjoyment and loss of functioning.
Do I have to change my life completely to find meaning?
Usually not. Meaning grows stronger through the accumulation of small choices in line with your values rather than through big changes. Even if big decisions are needed, it is healthier to make them in a calmer period rather than at the moment the feeling of meaninglessness is at its most intense.
Can I experience a loss of meaning even as a person of faith?
Yes. For many people, faith is a powerful source of meaning; however, people of faith can also feel emptiness, questioning or spiritual dryness during difficult periods. This is not a weakness of faith but part of human experience, and being able to talk about these feelings is important.
How long does the feeling of meaninglessness last?
Questioning linked to transition periods usually eases as the person gets used to their new roles and goals. Meaninglessness associated with depression softens as the underlying process is addressed. The duration varies from person to person; what matters is knowing that you do not have to carry this process alone.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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