Existential dread is a feeling state that can arise when people think about big issues and questions in their life, such as who they are, what the meaning of life is, or what really matters. It is a feeling of despair, insecurity, uneasiness, or anxiety, and not an actual diagnosis or mental illness. Existential dread often disguises itself as emotional burnout or stress. Symptoms of existential dread include anxiety, depression, loneliness, and isolation. Existential dread can cause depressive symptoms such as apathy, prolonged periods of sadness, helplessness, and loss of enjoyment. It can happen to anyone at any time, and often occurs during times of deep uncertainty or transition, in middle age, or in older adulthood.

Existential dread can be a turning point, the start of a new stage in life. Some people may discover that questioning life leads them down new paths or motivates them to make important life changes. However, it can also overlap with symptoms of certain mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and emotional burnout.

There are self-help strategies that can be done to ease existential dread, such as understanding that an existential crisis can be a chance for growth, reaching out to others and strengthening social connections, writing in a journal, practicing mindfulness, and being sure to have a work-life balance and make time for hobbies.