Age Crisis – Every Stage of Life Comes with Its Own Worries

An age crisis doesn’t arrive loudly. It appears quietly, in moments when you look back at your life and suddenly realize… things don’t look the way you once imagined. It’s not exactly failure, but it’s not peace either. Not painful enough to quit, yet exhausting enough to make you doubt yourself.

Between the ages of 22 and 30, many people experience a sense of being lost in life. You’re working, you’re functioning, you’re “doing okay” on the surface—but deep down, one unanswered question lingers: “Where am I going, and am I even going the right way?”

1.An Age Crisis Begins with Very Familiar Milestones

An age crisis is often tied to numbers that seem harmless at first.

At 18, you struggle to choose a school or major, afraid of making the wrong decision right from the starting line.
At 23, you wrestle with your first job—wanting to quit, yet fearing unemployment.
At 27, you look around and see friends settling down, while you still don’t fully understand what “stability” even means.
By 30, some people lie awake at night asking themselves: “Whose life am I actually living?”

What makes an age crisis feel heavier isn’t being slow—it’s comparison. When others seem to have “arrived” while you’re still searching for direction, the sense of being lost quietly grows, even if no one talks about it out loud.

2.When Feeling Lost Is No Longer a Personal Issue

We often think we’re the only ones feeling confused. But the truth is, many people around you are carrying their own version of an age crisis.

Some appear stable on the outside but are exhausted within. Some are advancing in their careers but no longer feel joy. Others seem behind, yet are quietly laying the foundation for a different path. Feeling lost in life has no fixed form-it’s simply the sense that you don’t yet understand what you’re truly living for.

Society subtly imposes a “standard timeline”: graduate at the right age, succeed at the right age, settle down at the right age. But life doesn’t operate on a single schedule. When your rhythm doesn’t match that timeline, feeling lost is a very natural response.

3.An Age Crisis Is Not Failure—It’s a Signal of Growth

Here’s a truth rarely talked about: age crises often appear in people who are genuinely growing. Those who never question themselves rarely change.

Just as a tree must shed leaves to grow taller, people must pass through periods of uncertainty to move forward. Feeling lost doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path—it may mean you’re about to turn toward a direction that fits who you are now.

What matters isn’t how fast or slow you go, but that you keep moving. Even with small steps, even without a clear destination, continuing forward is the healthiest way to move through an age crisis.

4.HRI Vietnam’s Perspective on the Age Crisis

>>> Read more: TOP 10 MOST REPUTABLE HEADHUNTING COMPANIES IN VIETNAM 2026

From the perspective of HRI Vietnam-a company consistently ranked among the Top 10 headhunting firms in Vietnam-age crises have become increasingly common among young professionals, especially those aged 22–30.

HRI Vietnam observes that many candidates are not lacking in ability, but feel lost due to social comparison, external expectations, and the absence of suitable guidance at each life stage. Those who move through this period successfully are not necessarily “more talented,” but are often supported by environments that allow experimentation, mistakes, and recalibration.

According to HRI Vietnam, truly sustainable organizations understand that age-related crises are not phases to avoid, but moments that require the right kind of support. When people are respected for their individual pace of growth, they don’t just stay longer-they grow deeper.

This phase, like all others, will pass. And one day, looking back, you may realize that those moments of feeling lost were when you were learning to understand yourself, accept yourself, and slow down-so you could ultimately go further.

Customer Support: hr@hri.com.vn

Hotline: 024 7300 6665