Countless teenagers deal with existential crises even if they cannot put a name to the feeling. They are the soul-crushing realizations that your existence is completely and utterly pointless, and your life has no significance whatsoever in the scale of the universe. The victims begin to question the value of their lives and realize there is not a reason as to why they exist. Although this awareness of their place in the cosmos can almost drive one to insanity through making them endlessly question of the fundamentals of their existence, there are some comforting aspects of acknowledging our insignificance.

For example, you do not owe anything to the universe, nor to anyone else for that matter. Stop exhausting yourself trying to please other people, and start living for yourself. Your happiness is one of the only things you can control in your life, so do what makes you happy and do not worry about what anyone else has to say about it. Who cares about other people’s expectations of you? They can worry about their own immaterial lives. What others think of you is not important; living up to your own standards and making yourself happy is all that matters in the grand scheme of things.

The universe will not care that you messed up that audition, or that you got a low grade, or about whatever else happens to be worrying you at the moment. Your poor choices will not influence all of creation, so do not stress about them too much. Even if you let your dread consume you, your anxiety will not change your unfortunate circumstances, and your mistakes will not change the world.

You are absolutely free to do anything you desire. Whether it be as trivial as admitting your feelings to your crush or as exciting as skydiving, nothing is stopping you from doing as you please. If it is not considered “socially acceptable,” who cares? The only thing stopping you is your own embarrassment or fear. Push those feelings aside, and embrace your unconditional freedom. Live life as if you will die the next day because, for all you know, you might. Do not die without ever really living. As they say, you only live once.

Although doing what you love is extremely important in order to maintain a happy life, do not engage in dangerous activities. Do what you love, but do it within a safe boundary. Reckless behavior could end your one and only opportunity to live, and you would not want to waste that. You only get one opportunity to make your life as great as you possibly can; do not throw it away.

Even if the epiphany that you can in no way effect the universe can throw you into a void of depression, it can be, in some ways, strangely comforting.