Why Meaning in Life Matters

A long year into the global pandemic and we see the first academic studies being published, confirming what we all feel: a significant rise in anxiety, depression, boredom, fear, social isolation and general lockdown fatigue.

Sadly, this does not come as a surprise.

So let’s cut to the chase:

What can we learn from the research to help us deal with the current situation better?

Positive Psychology looks at how concepts like optimism, positivity, hope and grit can act as a buffer against the negative feelings that come with the current global crisis.

What stands out in latest research are the positive effects a sense of meaning in life can have on our mood and outlook on life during the current pandemic. Before we look into how meaning can help us in the current situation, let’s unpack what meaning means.

Meaning in life in scientific terms.

Meaning in life refers to the degree to which you have a sense of coherence, significance (or mattering) and purpose. A coherent life is experienced when you feel you have made sense of your life and the world and people around you. You feel higher level of significance or mattering when you perceive your life to be valuable to you and worth living. A sense of purpose is connected with living and working towards highly valued long-term goals or aspirations, these grand goals in life that make you get up in the morning. All three of these elements combined build your sense of meaning in life (Martela & Steger, 2016).

People with a high sense of meaning generally report higher wellbeing & happiness, a positive outlook on life, better physical health, less stress and better relationships.

The key finding on the connection between a sense of meaning and the pandemic, points to a powerful two-way relationship:

Not only can a higher sense of meaning buffer against the negative feelings of depression, anxiety and boredom. A sense of meaning can actually be built and enhanced because of the crisis (Waters et al., 2021).

Huh, hold on a second!

Does that mean we can find meaning while we are slightly depressed, bored and socially isolated at home all the time?

Yes, that is exactly what is happening! The change in our routine forced upon us by the pandemic threatens our sense of coherence, because everything feels up and down. It threatens our sense of mattering because - let’s be honest - not many things feel like they matter at the moment. And the crisis can also have us questioning our purpose, because all our plans are on hold and the things we used to do outside of our day-to-day responsibilities that gave us purpose are probably not possible right now.

But there is hope, because the human mind is a wonderful thing! It is wired to make sense of things, it is wired to look for things that matter, and it is wired to find meaning and purpose in what we do.

How is your sense of meaning right now?

If you are finding yourself questioning things and habits you used to hold dear before the pandemic, but they don’t really make sense to you anymore, chances are that your brain is trying to rewire your sense of meaning.

This is a big thing! These big questions might force you to reconsider your values, your motivations and your social connections. They might make you wonder if your job is still what you want to do in your life. Big dreams that you had when you were younger, but that you put aside because life took over, might pop back into your thoughts and you are wondering: why did I not follow that idea back then?

This is normal when you are reevaluating your sense of meaning.

As a fellow human being living through this pandemic, I can tell you that I have been there myself. These big questions came to me last summer, and at first it felt scary. I could also not quite grasp what was going on, but I had a strong sense I needed to explore this and reevaluate what is meaningful to me. Long story short, I followed my inner voice and started to set up my coaching business. Since then, my sense of meaning is increasing every day. And while I am still annoyed and frustrated about ongoing restrictions, I notice that I am able to focus more on the positive things, the things that are possible to do. The laughter and joy in our house has increased as a result of that.

As a Positive Psychology Coach I understand why you feel this way and what you can do to boost your sense of meaning. This process can be scary. It can feel a bit chaotic in your head. As a Coach, I can help you bring order to that chaos and help you work this all out, so that you can emerge from this crisis with a renewed sense of meaning in life.

Are you ready to find your new meaning?

To explore your sense of meaning further, I invite you to book a free chemistry session with me and we can map out a coaching plan for you.

References

Martela, F., & Steger, M. (2016). The three meanings of meaning in life: Distinguishing coherence, purpose, and significance. The Journal Of Positive Psychology, 11(5), 531-545. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2015.1137623

Waters, L., Algoe, S., Dutton, J., Emmons, R., Fredrickson, B., & Heaphy, E. et al. (2021). Positive psychology in a pandemic: buffering, bolstering, and building mental health. The Journal Of Positive Psychology, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2021.1871945