How to Deal With a Midlife Crisis: 11 Tips to Help You Get Through
Are you there, right now? Are you starting to feel ‘funny’ or like something in your life just isn’t right? You could be starting your midlife crisis. Today I want to talk about how to deal with a midlife crisis so you can chill out and enjoy life.
And let’s be honest here, this is no fun. Amirite?
You have a million questions and a million different thoughts and feelings are going through your mind and soul, you have no answers and you’re starting to feel a little scared. I mean, you’ve never felt this way before!!
I totally understand where you’re coming from.
Not only that, our bodies are changing, things aren’t as perky as they used to be, menopause has kicked in for some, there are so many confusing changes, none of them we like.
(and because I’m probably gonna say midlife crisis a million times in this article I’m going to use the letters MC here and there)
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It’s all scary and overwhelming, right?
I remember when I reached middle age I was kinda freaking out a bit. I started noticing changes not only in my physical health but my mental health too.
Heck I even started questioning my own mortality. Truth! Our minds do weird things when we all hit our midlife crises.
Before we get too deep into this, I think it’s important to determine if you are indeed having a midlife crisis and then we’ll discuss some of the signs of a midlife crisis.
Am I Having a Midlife Crisis?
Some of us may be experiencing all these odd different feels and not even be aware that what they are actually going through, or starting, is in fact, a MC. So if you’ve stopped and asked yourself lately, “am I having a midlife crisis”?, chances are, you probably are.
And let’s be clear about something, a MC doesn’t necessarily begin at 50 like most people think. You can actually have a midlife crisis at 35. Yup. I said. It’s true.
Oh and while I usually write for women take note of something. You know that whole cliche of white men going out and buying a sports car? Ya. That’s a male midlife crisis.
Middle-aged people are the ones who generally deal with marital problems and end up in divorce unfortunately.
I think it’s important to note that as get older, people experience very different life changes and we are faced with new challenges all the time such as:
- death of a parent
- job loss
- career change
- happiness slump
- impulsive behavior
Weird things are happening to us!
The problems we solved in our 20’s and 30’s are so different now and couples won’t always see eye to eye.
Let’s have a look at some of the signs and symptoms before we get into how to deal with a midlife crisis.
Symptoms of a Midlife Crisis
I think before we move on it’s important to know what some of the signs of a midlife crisis for women are. Now keep in mind they will be different for all women. And there may be symptoms not listed here. If you have any other ones, share them with us below in the comments section!
Some symptoms for women having a midlife crisis
- sudden anxiety, sadness and/or loneliness lack of clarity
- feelings of depression and/or frustration
- drastic changes in behaviour
- feeling like life is meaningless
- low self worth
- feel like you’re having an identity crisis
Now I get that other things can cause these feelings but if you are feeling any of those lately, then you’re probably at the door of your MC.
So When Does a Midlife Crisis Happen?
Well to be perfectly honest, mine happened right around 52. I had just left my abusive relationship, had lost everything and had hit rock bottom. On my climb out I had to go through all those feelings and make the tough decision to reinvent my life.
You could probably say that hitting rock bottom was the beginning of my MC. And I’m kinda glad it happened like that too!
And trust me when I tell you I didn’t know how to deal with a midlife crisis while my entire life was falling apart, but I figured it out.
But for others, when does a midlife crisis happen? That’s a good question. It doesn’t just happen at 50 and you could start your midlife crisis at 35 so you have to know there’s no definitive answer or age for this question.
According to Wikipedia.com
A midlife crisis is a transition of identity and self-confidence that can occur in middle-aged individuals, typically 45 to 65 years old.
Wikipedia.com
And Healthline.com says
Midlife is generally accepted as the years between ages 40 and 60, but there’s about 10 years of wiggle room on either side of this range.
Healthline.com
Oy. None of us are safe! So it could start at 30 and end at 70. Good times for everyone!
How Long Does This Last?
This is a question, again, that doesn’t have a definitive answer. It really all depends on how long you want to prolong it, nurse it, if you will, or how soon you want to start dealing with it and learning how to get through it.
So how long does a midlife crisis last for?
Well it could last 2-5 years. That all really depends on you. It could last a hell of a lot longer if you don’t do anything about it. How long do you want to go through it is the better question here?
Let’s get into the 11 ways on how to deal with a midlife crisis.
How to Deal With a Midlife Crisis: 11 Tips
Here are 11 simple ways on how to deal with a midlife crisis. If you have any other methods that have worked for you please share them down below in the comments with the other readers!
1 Journal your feelings
Writing is very therapeutic. When we express what’s inside of us, down on paper, it allows us to release all those thoughts from inside so they don’t consume us and keep us stuck or sad.
When you’re done writing you can sit back and reread what you wrote and sometimes that can help us rationalize our feelings better. We can make a wee bit more sense out of them.
2 Try meditation
If you don’t already, meditate. If you don’t think you can or you don’t know how, just sit with some nice guided meditation (you can find several on YouTube like this one) and breathe.
Just calm yourself down when your anxious thoughts surface and stop them before they turn into more like sadness and depression. Our thoughts have power to cripple us so you need to get to them before they do that to you.
3 Make small changes
If you feel you are being called to do something, then do it. Even if it’s only a small change. When we make these little life changes, we learn more about ourselves and embrace our brave side.
When you ignore your intuition or your heart’s calling, you will become even more frustrated and your anxiety will happen more often. Just listen to your gut and embrace change.
4 Talk to a friend
Remember you’re not alone here. You probably have one or more friends who are going through or went through the same thing. Ask them how they coped/are coping and see if they have techniques that worked for them.
It’s best to have someone you can talk to especially when you are having moments of sadness or depression. They will help you by sitting and listening or offering gentle advice or loving words.
If you have any family members who may understand what you are going through, try reaching out to them too!
5 Daily gratitude
Take time each day to be grateful for some of the amazing things in your life. It’s easy to fall into a self pity ‘whoa is me’ trap but that can be crippling too.
A great way to stop that is to remind yourself of how blessed you are.
When you are feeling low or sad think of a few things you have in your life that you are really grateful for. It could be things like your family your house or even just for seeing the sunshine or some pretty birds flying around. Gratitude is very comforting.
6 Get outside/exercise more
It may sound super cliche but fresh air does clear the mind and helps you see and think about things clearer. And it’s no secret that regular exercise is great for sadness, mood swings and depression.
Sometimes we overlook even the simplest little things that can help us and there’s nothing more healing than the great outdoors!
Not to mention that taking extra good care of your physical health can’t hurt either! So grab your earbuds and your phone and get out there!
7 Learn a new skill
Always wanted to learn a new language or maybe how to knit or crochet? Now’s the best time to do that and NO, you’re not too old.
I’ve recently started Spanish classes again and I now add reading in Spanish to my daily routine. Recent research shows learning a new skill is great for your brain health too.
8 Seek professional help
Hey listen, we don’t all handle stressful situations or the sudden changes that go hand in hand with aging process the same way. Sometimes, we need professional help and you need to know that that’s ok.
There are some big changes going on in your life and you can’t expect to understand them all. Some of them are terrifying. Talking to a professional therapist might be the best thing for you.
Check out at online-therapy.com, get the help you need and find the right therapist for you.
9 Change up your daily diet
I know I know, that’s a hard one to do but did you know that what we eat plays a significant role, not only in our physical health but our emotional health as well (as well as many other health issues you might have!).
Cutting out sugar and alcohol will have a huge impact on your mental health.
Did you know that alcohol and some foods can be the catalysts to depression. I know, it’s kinda crazy. Suicide rates in older people in the United States is 18%. That’s kinda high!
According to cdc.gov – the age group of 45-64 (the midlife years) has the second highest rates of depression.
Daily diet and alcohol also play a big role in that.
10 Have a me day
Like really take some time and love yourself up! I know, hard to do for some of us BUT so worth it! So many of us women have forgotten who we are while taking care of everyone around us.
It’s time for you babe!
The next few years can be the best years of your life, it you want them to be. Do things YOU love doing. Go places YOU want to go to. Put yourself first and watch how your life will transform.
11 Spend less time on social media
As fun and entertaining as social media can be, it can also be borderline depressing as we watch other women our age completely embracing their lives and aging gracefully while we’re over here depressed and in emotional distress.
Do yourself a favour, spend less time scrolling through Facebook and more time on you and doing things you love to do.
Too often we waste our time comparing our lives with others and that’s so bad. We are all in a different stage of life. You can’t compare your journey with someone else’s.
Making the Rest of Your Life the Best Time
I know what you’re going through but I also want you to know that you absolutely can make the rest of your life, the best of your life. I hope these 11 tips on how to deal with a midlife crisis will help you.
The last 8 years for me have been amaze-balls. I didn’t realize that my 50’s were going to be some of the best friggin years of my life so if you are feeling down or frustrated, please know, the best is yet to come. As long as you embrace midlife, listen to your heart and embrace change!!!
mad love
ox iva xo
