An existential psychologist on making a meaningful life

August 21, 2026 - 17:55

Psychologist Clay Routledge is raising a concern about how we talk about mental health these days. He argues that our increased focus on psychological well-being has a downside, which he calls the "pathologizing of ordinary life." In short, we are turning normal human experiences into conditions that need fixing.

Routledge, who studies existential psychology, points out that feeling sad after a breakup, anxious before a big presentation, or uncertain about the future are not signs of a disorder. They are part of being alive. But when we label these moments as problems, we lose the ability to sit with them and learn from them. He warns that this mindset can actually make us feel worse, because we start to believe that any discomfort is a threat to our mental health.

The bigger issue, he says, is that this approach undermines the search for meaning. Meaning is not found in a stress-free life. It is built through struggle, commitment, and even pain. When we rush to medicate or diagnose every low point, we rob ourselves of the chance to grow. Routledge suggests that instead of asking "what is wrong with me," we should ask "what is this feeling telling me about what I care about?" That shift, he believes, is the real path to a meaningful life.