Is it a mid-life crisis?
Mid-life crisis. This is usually the term we use when people go off and start doing things that are perhaps out of character for them or they make some real changes, all around that mid-life age, isn’t it? A crisis.
I am unconvinced it’s a crisis. But perhaps it is something.
Typically this is a 40s/50s thing. Which when I look around at my friends all of a similar age to me in my mid-forties, it makes sense. We’re dealing with kids, often teenagers, we might be dealing with bereavements and grief or worrying about parents and family and friends, us women are navigating our way through perimenopause and then on top of that we have that creeping realisation that we are getting old. It’s showing up on our faces and bodies all of a sudden!
It’s no wonder this is a thing, that people talk about crises around this point. There is a lot going on.
It all seems to come around this age, but a crisis?
I checked out the definition of crisis, and apparently it’s ‘a time of intense difficulty or danger’ which feels A LOT.
Stop telling us we are having a crisis, it sounds terrible!
I feel like we should be calling it a mid-life reflect. Or perhaps a mid-life change. It’s not a crisis, it’s just different, let’s embrace it as a new stage.
This is an age where you understand that life is short and it’s for living, for you.
I think when you get to your 40s or 50s you just have a couple of really clear realisations.
You can do what you want and you want to enjoy your life.
And I think you are at an age where perhaps you don’t care as much what other people think of you, if you ever did, so you just go for it.
It might be a time of change, but it can be good, well-thought out change, it needn’t be ‘crisis’ change.
This time in life might also coincide you no longer being at the beck and call of tiny humans and you can get a bit of you back. If you can remember who that is, or perhaps now is the time to find out.
You don’t have to stay in your lane. After all, it’s a lane that you’ve created for yourself at some point, change lanes if you want to.
Mid-life can be a time to enjoy, to shake things up a bit, to re-energise yourself.
Do it. Do whatever it is that you’ve got bubbling around in your brain.
It’s not too late. It is never too late. And no, you’re not too old.
Mid-life needs a rebrand. When you make changes, it isn’t about having a crisis. You’re not panicking about your life, you’re simply addressing anything you’re dissatisfied with, grabbing hold of your life and making sure it’s the one you want to live.
That can only be a good thing, right?
What do you think about this?
You are right, changing the way of your life or having a bit of fun isn’t a crisis, far from it. I am not quite at that point yet but I am getting there, I certainly worry a lot less what people think of me and now that the kids are older I am getting a little bit of freedom back. x
I actually HAD the crisis. My husband, at the time, apparently didn’t like the way his life was going, decided to have an affair (among other things), and thought he was still going to be in charge of MY life and became abusive. Those were not fun times of re-energizing myself–it was about surviving. But I made it through.
It is a time in your life that you have time for yourself. And more time to do more not always for yourself. To explore and do things you saved your hard worked money for. It a nice adventure to do different things in your life. And wonderful to not care even more about what other people are saying. They are usually just jealous anyways. Be happy Not always easy but make the best of all that you can.