Welcome! Everything is Fine” (Except When It’s Not)
Is This… The Bad Place?
You wake up. The world is on fire—figuratively, sometimes literally. Your phone pings with a news alert about something catastrophic, the economy is doing that weird Schrödinger’s Recession thing where it’s both fine and terrible, and someone on social media is either thriving or unraveling (you can’t tell which). With the global crisis, political shifts, economic uncertainty, climate anxiety, you briefly consider renouncing society to live in the woods, but unfortunately, capitalism requires rent. Holy forking shirtballs, is this the Bad Place?
If you’ve ever felt that gnawing dread that something is fundamentally wrong—with the world, with your life, with existence itself—you’re not alone. Welcome to the existential crisis that is 2025, where we’ve upgraded from The Good Place’s innocent, “Welcome! Everything is Fine” to something closer to “Welcome! Everything is… complicated, on fire, and somehow still asking for your login credentials.”
Existential Dread: A Timeless Crisis with a 2025 Twist
Existential dread isn’t new—it’s been plaguing humanity since we first realized we were conscious and hurtling through space on a rock. But something about right now feels extra weird. Maybe it’s the unpredictability (Jeremy Bearimy rules in full effect). Maybe it’s the overwhelming pressure to be a better person, an informed citizen, financially stable, socially engaged, emotionally regulated, and still somehow drinking enough water. Or maybe it’s that we were never given a user manual for this whole life thing, and now we’re just Eleanor Shellstrop-ing our way through it, faking competence and hoping we don’t get caught.
The Good News, The Bad News, and Why It’s Okay
The good news? You’re not alone, and therapy exists. The bad news? Existential dread isn’t something to “fix.” (Sorry, Chidi.) But what if that’s okay? What if, instead of trying to solve the meaning of life like a logic puzzle, we could just… live it?
That’s what this blog post is about—navigating the absurdity of being alive in 2025 without spiraling into despair. We’ll be looking at different ways people cope (or don’t), how psychological frameworks like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Jungian therapy, and Existentialism can help us move through the chaos, and why, despite everything, The Good Place might just hold some answers.
So, let’s do this. Strap in, nerds—we’re going full Chidi on this one.
Holy Forking Shirtballs, Am I in The Bad Place?
Existential Dread, Anxiety, and That Feeling That Everything Is Doomed
There comes a moment in every person’s life when they pause, look around, and think, “Oh no. Something is deeply wrong.” Maybe it happens when you’re doomscrolling at 2 AM, staring into the abyss of global crises. Maybe it hits mid-latte sip when you realize capitalism demands productivity even when you’re running on four hours of sleep. Or maybe it’s when you open your inbox to 76 unread emails, and instead of answering them, you briefly consider faking your own death and starting fresh in a remote village. Congratulations! You’ve unlocked existential dread.
Eleanor Shellstrop had this moment when she arrived in The Good Place—or, well, what she thought was The Good Place. The creeping realization that something wasn’t quite right (“I’m not supposed to be here”) mirrors the feeling many of us have when we look at life and think, “Is this it? Am I doing this wrong? Did I miss some fundamental instruction manual on how to be human?”
Why Do We Feel Like We’re in the Bad Place?
Because, frankly, life is hard. It doesn’t help that we live in an era of hyperawareness—news cycles running 24/7, climate concerns, AI reshaping jobs, economic uncertainty, and social media convincing us that everyone else has their life together while we’re held together by caffeine and sheer willpower.
Psychologically speaking, existential dread comes from the tension between wanting control and facing the vast uncertainty of existence. The world is unpredictable, and our brains hate that. We crave order, purpose, and a sense that we’re on the “right” path—but life is more Jeremy Bearimy than linear, and that can be deeply unsettling.
How to Cope Without Spiraling into the Eternal Shrimp Dispenser
DBT’s Emotion Regulation: Befriending the Dread
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) teaches us that emotions, even uncomfortable ones, aren’t inherently bad. Anxiety, fear, and even the crushing weight of existential dread serve a purpose—they’re signals. They tell us something feels out of alignment, or that we need to pause and reassess instead of numbing or avoiding.
When you feel yourself spiraling into Bad Place thoughts, try:
• Radical Acceptance: This doesn’t mean liking the chaos, but acknowledging it. Yes, life is uncertain. Yes, things are messy. And yes, I can still move forward.
• Opposite Action: If dread tells you to shut down, do the opposite—get up, move, engage with the world in a small way. Even a 5-minute walk can shake loose the existential cobwebs.
• Self-Soothing Skills: Ground yourself in the present. Touch something textured, sip something warm, or put on a song that brings you back to now.
Jungian Shadow Work: What If the “Bad Place” is Just the Unexplored Parts of You?
Jungian therapy suggests that the things we suppress and fear don’t disappear—they just lurk in our unconscious, waiting for the right moment to make us panic. The “Bad Place” feeling isn’t always external—it can also be the parts of ourselves we haven’t fully faced.
Instead of trying to banish existential dread, what if you sat with it? What is it trying to tell you?
✨ Maybe your dread is pointing out that you’re living in a way that doesn’t align with your values.
💡 Maybe it’s a signal that you need more connection, more creativity, or just more joy.
😞 Maybe you’re exhausted from pretending to be fine when you’re really not.
Shadow work invites us to make peace with the parts of ourselves we’d rather ignore—the fear, the uncertainty, the what if I’m not doing life right? thoughts. The goal isn’t to fix them, but to integrate them. To stop running and start listening.
So… Is This The Bad Place?
Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe life is both a dumpster fire and a place where love, laughter, and joy still exist. Maybe meaning isn’t something we find—maybe it’s something we create, even in the weird, unpredictable, often ridiculous mess of it all.
And if you’re still not sure? Take a deep breath, eat some frozen yogurt (or literally anything else, because why is frozen yogurt always the default in afterlife scenarios?), and remember: You are not alone. You’re just human.
Chidi’s Paralysis vs. Eleanor’s Rebellion: Coping with Existential Angst
If existential dread is the door to the Bad Place, then how we respond to it is the key. And let’s be honest—most of us fall into one of two camps: Chidi Anagonye’s Paralyzing Overanalysis or Eleanor Shellstrop’s Rebellious Avoidance.
Chidi: Overthinking Everything Into Oblivion
Chidi is the human embodiment of the buffering symbol. If given a simple choice between two options, he’ll find a way to spiral into a full-blown ethical dilemma that ends with him clutching his stomach and whispering “I have a stomachache.”
His problem? He wants certainty. He wants to make the perfect decision, the one that guarantees he is good, safe, and on the “right” path. But life doesn’t come with a clearly labeled “correct” choice, and the more he tries to analyze his way out of existential uncertainty, the more trapped he becomes.
Chidi’s paralysis isn’t just an endearing character quirk—it’s a very real thing. Analysis paralysis happens when we convince ourselves that there’s a perfect way to live, work, love, or just exist—and until we figure it out, we refuse to move forward. This keeps us stuck, fearing that any action might be the wrong one.
Eleanor: Screw It, Nothing Matters!
On the opposite end, we have Eleanor—who takes one look at existential dread and says, “Welp, time to do whatever I want.” If life is unpredictable and morality is subjective, why bother? Why care? Why not just wing it and hope for the best?
Eleanor’s approach is avoidance disguised as confidence. Deep down, she does care—about whether she’s good, about whether she matters—but caring feels scary and vulnerable, so instead, she buries those fears under snark and selfishness.
This brand of nihilistic avoidance is common, too. When the weight of existence feels too overwhelming, it’s tempting to shut down, disengage, or pretend we don’t care at all. It’s a protective mechanism—if nothing matters, then we can’t get hurt, right?
So, How Do We Find a Middle Ground? (Because Stomachaches and Apathy Aren’t It.)
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) for Existential Flexibility
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) suggests that instead of fighting existential dread, we accept it—and choose our actions anyway.
• For the Chidis: Accept that you will never have complete certainty, and that’s okay. Perfection is an illusion. Instead of searching for the “right” choice, focus on what aligns with your values in the present moment.
• For the Eleanors: Accept that meaning isn’t something you passively receive—it’s something you build. Acting like nothing matters won’t protect you from pain; it just numbs you to everything, including joy.
The Key? Committing to Something, Even When It’s Uncertain.
ACT encourages us to stop asking, “What’s the right choice?” and instead ask, “What do I want to stand for?”
🔍 Instead of obsessing over the perfect career move, ask: Does this path align with what I value?
❤️ Instead of avoiding deep relationships, ask: Is this connection meaningful, even if it might end?
❄️ Instead of fearing failure, ask: Is trying something—anything—better than staying frozen?
Both Chidi’s overthinking and Eleanor’s avoidance come from the same place: fear of uncertainty. But what if uncertainty wasn’t the enemy? What if it was just part of the deal?
Life Isn’t a Philosophy Exam—It’s a Work in Progress
The truth is, no one knows what they’re doing. There is no grand scoreboard tallying up your moral worth, no perfect answer to How Do I Be a Good Person™?. But waiting for certainty before acting just keeps us trapped in a cycle of inaction or avoidance.
So, take a deep breath. Choose something—even if it’s messy, even if you’re unsure. You can always course-correct.
And if that gives you a stomachache, just remember: Chidi survived. So will you.
Whether you’re paralyzed by overthinking like Chidi or embracing chaos like Eleanor, the real existential kicker is realizing that time and progress aren’t even linear. Enter: Jeremy Bearimy and the Sisyphus dilemma.
Sisyphus & The Jeremy Bearimy of It All: When Time & Life Make No Sense
There’s a moment in The Good Place when Michael, the not-so-reformed demon, tries to explain the timeline of the afterlife to the humans. Time, he says, doesn’t work in a straight line. Instead, it loops, bends, and swirls around itself in an incomprehensible squiggle that, when written out, spells “Jeremy Bearimy” in cursive.
Chidi, a man who likes his logic neat and his philosophy structured, completely breaks. His entire sense of reality hinges on the idea that time is linear, cause and effect make sense, and the universe operates in a way that can be understood. But now? Now he’s being told that nothing unfolds the way it’s “supposed to.” His response? Total existential meltdown.
And, honestly? Same, Chidi. Same.
Why Does This Hit So Hard?
Because deep down, most of us like to believe that life follows a predictable, upward trajectory. You work hard, make good choices, and things progress logically—right? Except… no.
💘 Some people find love at 50 and feel alone at 20.
🌱 Some people thrive after years of struggle, while others seem to have their lives together and then suddenly unravel.
🔄 Healing isn’t a straight line—some days, you’re fine; other days, you spiral over something that happened ten years ago.
Life isn’t a straight path. It isn’t even a neat circle. It’s a Jeremy Bearimy. And that? That can be deeply unsettling.
Sisyphus, Camus, and the Absurdity of the Bearimy Timeline
If anyone knows what it’s like to exist inside a Jeremy Bearimy, it’s Sisyphus.
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was condemned to roll a massive boulder up a hill for eternity—only for it to roll back down every time he neared the top. No progress. No resolution. Just an endless, exhausting loop.
Sound familiar? Welcome to the human condition.
The existentialist philosopher Albert Camus saw Sisyphus as the perfect metaphor for human life. We push our own metaphorical boulders—jobs, relationships, mental health struggles, self-improvement—and just when we think we’re getting somewhere… life rolls everything back down.
So, what do we do? Do we despair? Do we give up?
Camus suggests another option: What if we imagined Sisyphus happy?
⛰️ What if meaning isn’t found at the top of the hill, but in the pushing itself?
😊 What if happiness isn’t about achieving a perfect life, but choosing to engage with the one we have?
🔄 What if we stopped trying to “beat” life and instead started participating in it, even when it doesn’t make sense?
And isn’t that exactly what The Good Place asks us to do? To stop fighting the absurdity, and start living within it?
Existential Therapy: Leaning Into the Absurdity
Existential therapy suggests that instead of fighting the unpredictability of life, we embrace it.
✨ You don’t need certainty to move forward.
🌍 You don’t need a perfect life plan to find meaning.
🚶♂️ You don’t need to “figure it all out” before you start living.
Life is absurd. Sometimes things happen for a reason, and sometimes they just happen. Instead of resisting the chaos, existential therapy invites us to find freedom in it—to stop asking, “Why is life like this?” and start asking, “What can I do with the life I have?”
Finding Stability in a Jeremy Bearimy World
Acceptance Over Control (Because Good Luck Controlling Time)
A core principle of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is the idea that we suffer more from fighting reality than from reality itself. The world is messy. Plans fall apart. Change is constant. The more we resist this, the harder life feels.
Instead of trying to force life into a straight, logical line, what if we just… let it be messy? What if we made peace with the fact that some things won’t make sense, at least not in the way we want them to?
Meaning in the Smallest Moments
If life doesn’t follow a clear structure, then meaning isn’t something you find—it’s something you make. And often, it’s not in the big, grand moments but in the smallest, weirdest ones.
🎵 A perfect song at the right time.
😂 Laughing so hard your stomach hurts.
🤝 Sharing a quiet moment with someone who gets you.
🌙 A deep conversation at 1 AM.
Jeremy Bearimy doesn’t mean life is meaningless—it just means meaning doesn’t always show up where we expect it to.
Stop Waiting for the Perfect Moment—It’s Already Here
One of the biggest traps we fall into is believing that life will “start” once things settle down, once we figure it out, once we have more money/time/stability. But life isn’t on pause. It’s happening right now, in the middle of the chaos.
⏳ If you’re waiting for the right time to start a passion project, just start.
😊 If you’re waiting to reach a certain version of yourself before embracing joy, embrace joy now.
🚀 If you’re waiting for certainty before taking a leap, know that certainty may never come—and take the leap anyway.
So, What Do We Do With Jeremy Bearimy?
We stop fighting it. We stop expecting life to follow a clear formula. We stop panicking when things don’t make sense. We learn to exist within the absurdity—because that’s where life happens.
And if all else fails? Just remember:
🧠 Even Chidi recovered from his existential breakdown.
🪨 Even Sisyphus keeps pushing his boulder.
💪 And you? You’re still here. Still trying. And that’s enough.
“You Can Be Better” – Growth in an Uncertain World
If The Good Place taught us anything, it’s that personal growth is messy, nonlinear, and deeply uncomfortable. And yet, it’s still worth it.
One of the show’s most profound themes is the idea that people can change—not because they’re forced to, not because they’re guaranteed a reward, but because they choose to. Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason all start out as deeply flawed individuals, and let’s be honest—they stay flawed. But the difference is, they start trying. They choose to be a little better, day by day, even when it’s hard, even when they don’t have all the answers.
And that? That’s real growth.
Why Does Growth Feel So Hard?
Because it’s terrifying. Changing means leaving behind familiar patterns, even when those patterns are harmful. It means confronting the parts of yourself you’d rather ignore (hello, shadow work!). It means acknowledging that who you are today might not be who you want to be tomorrow.
Growth also doesn’t come with instant gratification. There’s no neon sign telling you, Congratulations! You are now officially a better person™! More often than not, it’s just a long series of small, unglamorous choices—choosing to communicate instead of shutting down, choosing to reflect instead of reacting, choosing to be accountable instead of defensive.
And sometimes, those choices don’t feel like they’re adding up to anything. But they are.
IFS (Internal Family Systems): Making Sense of Your Inner Chaos
Ever feel like there’s a war happening inside your brain? Like one part of you wants to grow, but another part is terrified of change? That’s because we’re not just one unified self—we’re made up of different parts, each with their own fears, desires, and coping mechanisms.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy suggests that instead of fighting these parts, we listen to them.
• The part of you that resists growth? Maybe it’s scared of failure.
• The part that sabotages you? Maybe it learned that survival means keeping things exactly as they are.
• The part that longs for something more? Maybe it just needs permission to want it.
Growth doesn’t mean eliminating these parts—it means understanding them. You don’t have to destroy the old versions of yourself to grow—you just have to make space for something new.
So… How Do You Actually “Be Better” in an Uncertain World?
Ditch Perfection, Aim for Progress
There’s no “perfect” version of you waiting at the finish line. The goal isn’t to become flawless—it’s to become more aware, more intentional, more aligned with what matters to you. Growth is about direction, not destination.
Recognize That Setbacks Aren’t Failures
Even Eleanor, after realizing she wanted to be a better person, messed up constantly. Progress isn’t about never slipping up—it’s about what you do after. Do you give up, or do you try again?
Growth Is a Team Sport—Find Your People
No one changes in isolation. In The Good Place, no one evolved alone—they grew because they had each other. Therapy, friendships, support systems—all of these are crucial.
Accept That You Will Never “Arrive”—And That’s Okay
There is no final version of you. Growth isn’t a box to check—it’s a constant, evolving process. Instead of waiting to be “done,” try to be present in the process.
You Are Already in Motion
You don’t have to overhaul your entire life overnight. You don’t have to have everything figured out. You just have to keep moving, keep choosing, keep trying.
Eleanor didn’t start out as a good person. Neither did Chidi, Tahani, or Jason. They weren’t born into greatness—they chose it.
And you can, too.
What If This Isn’t The Bad Place… but a Work-in-Progress Place?
At some point, between the existential dread, the Jeremy Bearimy chaos, and the deep desire to just be better, a new thought emerges:
What If This Isn’t The Bad Place… but a Work-in-Progress Place?
What if life isn’t meant to feel perfect? What if we’re not failing at it just because it’s hard? What if, instead of looking for an exit, we realized we were in the middle of something unfinished—not a punishment, but a process?
It’s a radical reframe, one that Eleanor & the gang take literal lifetimes to realize.
And maybe, it’s one we can embrace too.
Rewriting the Narrative: From Doom to Development
It’s easy to assume that if life is hard, we must be doing something wrong. That if we’re struggling, we must have made a wrong turn somewhere. But The Good Place challenges that assumption. Maybe the goal isn’t to escape suffering—but to learn how to live within it.
In therapy, we talk a lot about narrative therapy, which is the idea that the stories we tell ourselves shape the way we experience reality. If we tell ourselves, “I’m failing at life,” we’ll feel like failures. If we tell ourselves, “Life is supposed to be easy,” we’ll constantly feel like we’re being cheated.
But what if we told ourselves a different story?
🔄 Instead of “I’m stuck,” what if we reframed it as “I’m in progress”?
📚 Instead of “I should have this figured out,” what if we said “I’m allowed to be learning”?
🌱 Instead of “I don’t belong here,” what if we accepted “I’m growing into myself”?
Reframing doesn’t erase reality—it just helps us interact with it in a way that doesn’t destroy us.
Meaning-Making in a Messy World
Existential therapy tells us that meaning isn’t found—it’s created. You don’t stumble into it like a prize at the end of a scavenger hunt. You build it, moment by moment, even in the middle of uncertainty.
And meaning doesn’t have to be grand or world-changing. Sometimes, it’s small. Sometimes, it’s as simple as:
🗣️ A conversation that makes you feel seen.
🎨 A project that excites you, even if no one else understands why.
🌿 A moment of stillness where you realize you’re okay, even if nothing is resolved.Life doesn’t become meaningful after you solve all your problems. It becomes meaningful while you’re still in the mess of it.
Psychological Tools for Embracing the Work-in-Progress Mindset
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy): Accept the Chaos, Commit Anyway
You don’t have to like uncertainty, but resisting it only makes it harder. ACT encourages us to accept that life is unpredictable—and still commit to what matters. You don’t need certainty to take action. You just need to move in the direction of your values.
DBT: Regulating Emotion Without Needing Immediate Answers
Not knowing where life is headed can feel overwhelming. DBT teaches distress tolerance—how to sit with discomfort, regulate emotions, and keep functioning, even in uncertainty. It’s about learning to hold space for both the fear and the hope.
IFS (Internal Family Systems): Listening to the Parts of You That Struggle
If part of you feels stuck and another part wants growth, IFS helps you listen to both without shame. Instead of rejecting the fearful parts of yourself, you understand them—which makes moving forward easier.
So… What If This Is Just the Middle?
What if we stopped looking for the perfect life and started appreciating the evolving one? What if we let go of the idea that we’re either succeeding or failing—and embraced the fact that we’re simply becoming?
Because here’s the thing:
No one in The Good Place started out as their best self. They didn’t deserve to be there based on their past selves. But they earned it through growth, through connection, through trying.
Maybe that’s all we need to do, too.
And maybe, just maybe—this isn’t The Bad Place at all.
Keep Trying, Keep Failing, Keep Going
At the end of The Good Place, after all the resets, moral dilemmas, trolley problems, and existential breakdowns, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason finally realize something: there is no perfect ending. No moment of cosmic clarity that ties everything up in a neat little bow. There is only the choice to keep going, to keep growing, to keep trying.
And that? That’s enough.
The Truth About Living in a Jeremy Bearimy World
Here’s the thing—life will always be a little weird. A little unpredictable. A little unfair. There will be moments of existential dread, moments of unexpected joy, moments where you feel like you’re absolutely crushing it, and moments where you swear you’re in the Bad Place.
But what if it’s all part of the process?
🧭 What if feeling lost doesn’t mean you’re failing, but that you’re in the middle of something unfinished?
❓ What if not knowing what comes next is just the price of being alive?
🚀 What if, instead of waiting for the perfect moment, you chose to start now—messy, uncertain, and all?
Therapy, Growth, and the Courage to Keep Moving
Mental health work isn’t about erasing existential dread. It’s about learning how to live with it. It’s about:
🧠 Mental health work isn’t about erasing existential dread. It’s about learning how to live with it. It’s about:
🌀 DBT’s distress tolerance—sitting with discomfort without letting it define you.
🎯 ACT’s commitment to values—choosing what matters even in uncertainty.
🧩 IFS’s parts work—understanding that different parts of you might be scared, but they can still move forward together.
🌍 Existential therapy’s meaning-making—creating purpose, even when life doesn’t hand it to you.
You’re Already Doing It.
You don’t have to wait until you feel ready to start living. You don’t have to have all the answers before you make a choice. You don’t have to fix yourself before you allow yourself joy.
Life isn’t a test. It’s not a puzzle to solve. It’s just life. And you? You’re already in motion.
So, What If This Was Never About “The Bad Place” at All?
So, when you feel stuck, when you wonder if you’re in the Bad Place, when you start spiraling about whether or not you’re doing this whole “being a person” thing correctly—just remember:
Keep trying. Keep failing. Keep going.
And, if you need a little help along the way, Storm Haven Counseling & Wellness is here for you.
What If This Was Never About “The Bad Place” at All?
Reframing the Question: What If This Isn’t About “The Bad Place”?
Missteps happen. Growth is messy. Progress isn’t linear—but you’re still moving.
At the end of The Good Place, after all the existential crises, moral dilemmas, and failed reboots, Eleanor realizes something profound: there’s nothing to be afraid of. There is no grand scoreboard, no perfect way to be human, no clear answer to whether we’re “getting it right.” There’s just this moment, and the choice to move forward.
Maybe life has always been a bit of a Jeremy Bearimy. Maybe none of us were supposed to have it figured out. Maybe we were just meant to try, to learn, to care, to grow.
Therapy as a Reboot System
And if you’re sitting with existential dread, asking yourself, “Am I in the Bad Place?”—know this: you’re not alone. The work of figuring out who you are and how to live meaningfully isn’t something you have to do in isolation. In fact, this is exactly the kind of exploration therapy provides.
Because in many ways, therapy is its own version of the afterlife reboot system—each session, you get the chance to reset, reflect, and move closer to the life you actually want. It’s not about achieving some final, enlightened state of being. It’s about getting a little better, a little freer, and a little more yourself—one choice at a time.
And if that still feels overwhelming? Just remember:
Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason had to get rebooted literally hundreds of times before they got it right. You’re allowed to be a work in progress, too.
So when the existential dread creeps in, when you wonder if you’re lost in a cosmic mistake, when life makes no sense and the answers feel out of reach—take a deep breath, make the next best choice, and keep going.
Because maybe, just maybe—this was never the Bad Place at all.
What Would Janet Say?
And if you asked Janet, “Am I in the Bad Place?” she’d probably smile and say, “Inconclusive! But would you like some froyo?”
Because at the end of the day, none of us get all the answers. But we do get choices. And the best we can do? Keep trying, keep growing, and maybe, just maybe, enjoy some frozen yogurt along the way.
So, Should You Be Afraid? Or Should You Keep Going Anyway?
Existentially speaking, fear of the future—especially in uncertain times—is a deeply human experience. 2025 and beyond, like every era before it, will bring challenges, changes, and unknowns. The world has always been a tangled paradox of chaos and beauty, destruction and resilience.
If history has taught us anything, it’s this: every generation has looked at the world and wondered if it was on the brink of collapse. Every generation has wrestled with the feeling that surely this time, the bad news was too bad, the problems too big, the future too unstable. And yet—here we are. Still living, still creating, still laughing at memes about existential dread.
Fear Can Be Useful—But Living in Fear Isn’t Living at All
Anxiety is a survival tool, but it isn’t meant to be your default state. If we zoom out far enough, we can see the pattern: every era has had its existential crises, yet humanity persists. The uncertainty you feel now? It’s been felt before. And the truth is, the future isn’t just doom—it’s also possibility.
Here’s Why Fear Shouldn’t Rule Your Life
Uncertainty Is Inevitable, But So Is Adaptation
The world is unpredictable, but that means it’s also full of potential. We have survived wars, plagues, depressions, and existential dread before. Somehow, we keep innovating, creating, and moving forward—not because we have certainty, but because we adapt.
Meaning Is What You Make It
Existentialist philosophers like Sartre and Camus argued that life doesn’t come with built-in meaning—we create it. The world might feel absurd, but your life? Your life has meaning in the ways you engage with it: the relationships you nurture, the passions you pursue, the moments you decide to show up.
Every Era Feels Like the Apocalypse
Doubt it? Let’s check the historical record.
- The 1930s had the Great Depression and rising fascism.
- The 1960s had the Cuban Missile Crisis and civil rights upheaval.
- The 2000s had 9/11, economic crashes, and new wars.
- Now, we have AI reshaping industries, climate anxiety, and economic uncertainty.
At every turning point, people have wondered if they were living through the beginning of the end. But history hasn’t just been about suffering—it’s also been about rebuilding, reimagining, and rediscovering new ways to exist.
The Future Is Also Full of Joy, Innovation, and Connection
Yes, the world is chaotic. But it’s also full of people who are creating art, forging friendships, building communities, and working to make life better.
Even in difficult times, love, laughter, curiosity, and joy still exist. They always have.
So, What Can You Do?
Control What’s in Your Reach
You can’t personally fix the entire global economy, but you can make your world a little brighter—through kindness, through community, through action where it matters. Even small things create ripples.
Find Your Purpose, Even If It’s Absurd
Camus compared life to Sisyphus endlessly pushing a boulder up a hill, but instead of despair, he concluded: “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
Find a reason to push your own boulder that makes it feel worthwhile. Maybe it’s relationships. Maybe it’s creativity. Maybe it’s just the satisfaction of trying.
Stay Informed, But Don’t Drown in Despair
Doomscrolling won’t fix the world. Take action where you can, but also allow yourself rest, joy, and play. Balance is resistance, too.
Remember: You’re Not Alone
If you’re feeling existential dread, you’re not the only one. Talk about it. Share it. Find people who get it. It’s in connection that we make the absurdity of life not just bearable—but, sometimes, even fun.
Maybe This Was Never the Bad Place—Just a Work-in-Progress Place
At the end of The Good Place, Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason didn’t become perfect. They didn’t get all the answers. But they grew, they loved, they tried.
Maybe that’s all we need to do, too.
And if the existential dread still creeps in, remember:
- Every generation has wondered if they were in the Bad Place.
- Every generation has also found ways to thrive.
- You are already doing the hard thing—living, despite uncertainty.
Maybe we were never supposed to have it all figured out. Maybe life is just one long reboot, one small choice at a time. And if The Good Place taught us anything, it’s this: keep trying, keep failing, keep growing. Because what if this was never the Bad Place at all?”
Written by Jen Hyatt, a licensed psychotherapist at Storm Haven Counseling & Wellness in Temecula, California.
Disclaimer
This blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. While it explores existential themes and mental health concepts through The Good Place, it is not a substitute for professional therapy. If you are experiencing distress, anxiety, or need support, please seek guidance from a licensed mental health professional.
Additionally, this blog post is an independent work and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the views of the creators, writers, or producers of The Good Place (NBC, Michael Schur, or any associated entities). All references to The Good Place are used for discussion and analysis under fair use as a means of exploring mental health themes.
Storm Haven Counseling & Wellness provides compassionate, evidence-based therapy for those navigating life’s challenges. If you’re interested in working with a therapist, feel free to reach out—we’d love to support you on your journey.