You did everything you were supposed to do.
You got the degree, you secured the job, and you finally have a predictable income. You can pay your rent, cover your bills, and even occasionally treat yourself without checking your bank balance first with a racing heart.
On paper, your life is a success story. You have arrived at the destination society promised would make you happy.
So why do you wake up on a Monday morning feeling a quiet, nagging sense of emptiness? Why does the good life feel so incredibly hollow?
If you are wrestling with this, please know that you are not ungrateful, and you are not broken. You are simply experiencing what the renowned psychiatrist Viktor Frankl called the existential vacuum.
Why the Hustle Trap is Dangerous
In Nigeria, our default setting is survival. We are wired to hustle, to overcome, and to secure the bag against all odds. For years, your entire meaning was wrapped up in just making it to the next level. The struggle was the purpose.
But what happens when you actually secure it?
When the immediate pressure of survival is lifted, a terrifying silence often rushes in to take its place. We realise that we have spent years figuring out what to live on, but we never figured out what to live for.
We filled our days with tasks, meetings, and obligations, but we starved our souls of genuine meaning. We traded our deep, internal purpose for external, societal validation. And now that the external validation has been achieved, the internal tank is running on empty.
Understanding the Existential Vacuum
I recently wrote a review on Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning, and his insights on this exact phenomenon are piercing.
Frankl observed that this vacuum often manifests as boredom. He coined the term “Sunday neurosis” to describe that specific kind of depression that afflicts people when the rush of the workweek stops. When the distraction of the busy week fades, they are suddenly forced to confront the lack of content in their lives.
When people lose their sense of purpose, they often try to numb the vacuum with two things:
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The pursuit of power: Chasing more money, status, or influence, hoping the next promotion will finally fix the feeling.
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The pursuit of pleasure: Endless scrolling, escapism, consumerism, and the desperate need to be entertained every second of the day.
Our entire modern attention economy is practically built to service this existential vacuum. But you cannot cure a lack of meaning by adding more distractions to your life. The cure is much deeper.
How to Fill the Void with Meaning
Escaping the existential vacuum requires a radical shift in how you view your daily life. Here are four ways to begin that shift.
1. Stop Chasing Happiness Directly
Happiness is a terrible goal. It cannot be pursued directly; it must ensue. It is the byproduct of dedicating yourself to a cause greater than yourself. If your only goal is to be happy, you will always feel empty the moment the mood inevitably fades. Aim for meaning, and happiness will follow on its own.
2. Listen to Your Sunday Neurosis
Stop trying to numb the boredom or the quiet dread you feel when you aren’t working. Treat that emptiness as a diagnostic tool, not a disease. That uncomfortable feeling is your mind telling you that your current routine lacks meaning. Lean into the quiet and ask yourself what is actually missing.
3. Differentiate Between Success and Meaning
They are not the same thing. Securing a major client for your business is a success. Taking the time to mentor a junior colleague so they can build their own career is meaningful. You can have a highly successful day that is entirely devoid of meaning. Start tracking your days by the impact you make, not just the boxes you tick.
4. Identify Your Unpaid Why
What is the work you would do even if you weren’t paid for it? For me, it’s teaching people the foundational truths of scripture and writing to challenge conventional thinking. It demands my time, my energy, and a lot of late nights. This pursuit not only combats the existential vacuum we sometimes feel but also creates a sense of purpose and connection that is truly rewarding. It’s about making a difference, one conversation at a time. It gives the struggles context.
5. Step Into Someone Else’s World
The quickest way out of your own head is to serve someone else. Use your skills, your resources, or simply your time to alleviate a burden for another person. Meaning is almost always found in connection and contribution.
Your Next Step
You were not designed to just pay bills and die. You were designed for impact.
If your good life feels empty, don’t ignore the feeling. It’s telling you there is an existential vacuum you need to fill up with something more meaningful. Let the discomfort drive you to search for your true north.
What is one activity or cause that makes you completely lose track of time? Let’s explore that in the comments below.
