What do you do when the life you’ve built no longer feels like it’s yours?
For many, midlife arrives not with a crisis of age — but a crisis of purpose.
You’ve ticked the boxes. Built a career. Kept busy. Tried to be responsible. But somewhere along the way, a quiet emptiness sets in. A sense that something’s missing, even if everything looks fine.
It can feel like burnout. Or boredom. Or a creeping sense that your days are filled with motion, but not meaning.
Søren Kierkegaard, writing nearly two centuries ago, saw this coming. In The Sickness Unto Death, he describes a form of despair that doesn’t look dramatic from the outside — but slowly hollows a person from within.
It’s not failure. It’s a disconnection from the self.
When Success Isn’t Enough
Our culture tends to frame purpose around achievement — climb the ladder, hit your goals, stay productive. But what happens when the ladder leans against the wrong wall?
Kierkegaard reminds us that even a “successful” life can feel suffocating if it’s not lived in alignment with the deeper self. The one that’s not defined by titles, output, or how others see you.
Sometimes, midlife isn’t a breakdown.
It’s a wake-up call.
The Danger of the Aesthetic Life
Kierkegaard warns about the “aesthetic” life — a way of living that focuses on pleasure, performance, and appearances, not necessarily in a shallow way, but in a way that avoids responsibility for who you’re becoming.
At midlife, many people realise they’ve built a life around what seemed practical or expected — only to find themselves spiritually adrift.
There’s nothing wrong with comfort or stability. But when those things replace depth, something in the soul starts to ache. That ache, Kierkegaard says, is not your enemy.
It’s a call to return to something truer.
Despair as a Spiritual Symptom
In The Sickness Unto Death, despair isn’t just feeling low. It’s being out of touch with your true self — the self that exists in relationship with God. And one of the most dangerous forms of despair is the one you don’t even notice, because life seems “fine.”
This is why midlife can feel so disorienting. You may not be in crisis… but you’re not at peace either. You’re restless. Spiritually dry. Tired of pretending you’re OK.
Kierkegaard would say: Don’t run from that discomfort.
Lean into it. Listen to it. Let it lead you deeper.
Reclaiming Purpose — Inwardly
The modern world tells us to look outward for validation. Kierkegaard pushes us inward — toward self-examination, honesty, and faith.
He doesn’t offer a five-step plan. What he offers is far more radical: the invitation to become yourself in relation to God. Not the self others expect, not the role you’ve performed — but the person you were meant to be.
That kind of purpose can’t be found in a job title or a retirement plan.
It’s forged through spiritual awakening.
The Courage to Begin Again
Kierkegaard doesn’t pretend this journey is easy. Facing yourself is hard. Letting go of old narratives can be painful. But it’s also where freedom begins.
Midlife doesn’t have to be a dead end. It can be a turning point — from distraction to depth, from burnout to becoming.
💡 If you’re navigating a crisis of meaning or feeling disconnected from the life you’re living, Kierkegaard’s
👉 The Sickness Unto Death: A Modern Translation for the 21st Century
offers insight, hope, and a path towards purpose rooted in faith and authenticity.