Life has many stages. Some you might like and some you simply don’t. When you expect something and it didn’t happen makes you disappointed. Midlife crisis is a compilation of many disappointments, regrets, remorses and anxiety over the things that didn’t occur as you expected in life. Midlife crisis influences you that your mortal life is halfway through, rushing you to make quick decisions and do the things before you are too old to do them.
For some people, midlife crisis is not a ‘crisis’ but a phase in life where toughest changes occur and individuals may experience difficulties in accepting the facts. Whatever the term we call it, it will happen to almost everyone who is between 40 and 60 years of age.
The duration of midlife crisis and the way one reacts to it differs based on the gender. Usually, it stays longer in men than women and women will undergo it at a younger age than the age it occurs in men.
The Causes of Midlife Crisis
The triggering factors of midlife crisis vary from person to person. The common causes can be remarked as an age-factor, issues in career and in relationships. The other reasons are…
- Midlife Transition – 40 is the time when women and men undergo many physiological and psychological changes that constantly remind them about their age and its new limitations.
- The Quest for Identity – It occurs when the person feels that he/she is not getting the recognition or appreciation they deserved, both at home or in society. The person may accept more challenges they could not handle, in order to gain the deserved identity.
- Empty Nest Syndrome – It is a psychological phenomenon experienced by many parents who have married off their last child. The experience of letting go of your bloodline, for their greater good could be painful for the parents to handle.
- Fear of Health – The degeneration that occurs in the body during this age can lead to various health conditions. The person may start fearing that they are prone to get a severe medical conditions and their life is over!
The Symptoms of Midlife Crisis
It will be the partner or the family members or the colleagues that diagnose a person’s midlife crisis before the individual who is undergoing could even realize it. The stereotypic symptoms can be seen, such as men buying expensive things to feel young again or women craving for the identity as a mother or as a wife in order to feel recognized. The other symptoms including…
- Becoming impulsive and making quick and aggressive decisions is a common symptom. People in this phase start probing deep questions and regret the choices they have made.
- Sleepless nights become more common and the person may spend the whole night, probably thinking why his career is not as successful as he thought or why her marriage is not as fulfilling as she expected.
- The future becomes dismal, making you think your life has reached a point from where it could not go any further.
Feeling passionless and boredom will become companions and you may get bored of things very quickly. - You may develop a strong desire to feel young again by doing the things that could be seen you doing only in the young age.
- Regret for not spending enough time with family or friends in your young age may trigger. You may try to find terms with the old friends or become close to the family members.
- You may become overly concerned about the way the you appear and feel or completely stops caring about the looks.
Tips to Deal with Mid life Crisis
Overcoming the midlife crisis is quite challenging, but with a little effort and support from the family members, you can easily come out of this crisis.
- Express Yourself – Bottling yourself up does not help in this context. Talk to your loved ones or a counselor about what you feel. Try not to be alone as it may insert unnecessary thoughts in your mind.
- Count Your Blessings – Self-analyzing is important at times, but ensure it is not leading to regrets about the past. Try to be content of what you have achieved in life and be thankful for it.
- Find New Interests – Life is a constant journey and it is never short of introducing you to new things. Conduct a self-audit to find your interests and goals. Fixing new goals always make life interesting.
- Do Not Hesitate to Seek Help – The midlife crisis is a common scenario and almost everybody has to go through it. Seek help from the professionals as the advanced therapies available may help you to come out of it.
- Midlife Crisis After Retirement – For people who experience it post-retirement and living alone, can find a solution in the form of assisted living facilities as they help the elders in experiencing life to its fullest.
The midlife crisis can be changed as a positive and seamless midlife transition. In real context, midlife has the power to make people realize their dreams. If it gives hope, many people who have realized their dreams only after 40. Believe in yourself and explore the new possibilities to make your midlife crisis an opportunity to explore different dimensions of this transition phase.
