The Possibility Crisis of Your Late 20s

If your early twenties are for your Sylvia Plath fig tree allegory crisis, then your late twenties are for your Joan Didion Goodbye to All That crisis. In her famous 1967 essay, Didion writes, “That was the year, my twenty-eighth, when I was discovering that not all of the promises would be kept, that some things are in fact irrevocable and that it had counted after all, every evasion and every procrastination, every mistake, every word, all of it.”This episode explores a strain of existential dread that often shows up in your late twenties: the possibility crisis. Sometimes it hits you after capital-S Something happens. A bad break up, a wounding professional failure, or a friendship ending that felt like betrayal. Other times, there is no one defining moment or incident. You just realize one day that you are no longer as bright eyed, bushy tailed, or hopeful as you used to be, and can’t put your finger on why. Using Didion’s Goodbye to All That as our guide, we break down three key signs you might be experiencing a possibility crisis and what it might be trying to teach you.  Along the way, we talk about how to cope with the realization that certain doors really do close, what to do when new people stop feeling full of promise, and how to let go of the fantasy that someday you’ll magically know what you’re doing. Consider this episode a field guide on the strange grief of growing up. EPISODE OUTLINE00:00 Intro 04:23 What made Joan Didion great?05:13 Signs of a Goodbye to All That crisis05:46 1. You realize future you is just you07:41 Weird girl money 08:22 The 90s’ overly adult depiction of your 30s10:41 2. You stop believing in new faces11:32 Hope springs eternal on Love Island12:09 Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first12:58 POV you’re 28 & have met every person alive13:55 3. Some doors are actually closing14:52 The first time I felt a door close16:14 When the doors start slamming left & right17:03 It’s easy to see beginnings and harder to see ends18:54 Perspective shifts that got me out of this crisis 19:29 1. Idk what I’m doing but neither does anyone else20:59 2. Trust means more when it’s a choice not an instinct21:45 3. On “it’s never too late”22:27 Possibility must be unactualized to exist23:10 The U-shaped happiness curve23:55 Has the internet made the possibility crisis start earlier? 24:28 Socioemotional selectivity theory25:25 The happy ending Joan Didion doesn’t tell youEPISODE LINKS⁠My debut poetry collection MAKE BELIEVE is out everywhere now⁠⁠Follow Soul Gum’s new instagram :-) ⁠Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok