About 2 months ago shortly before my birthday, I could have sworn I was going through something akin to a midlife crisis. I was exhibiting some of the tell tale signs for sure.
I wasn't trying to buy a red sports car or anything like that (like I could even afford one) but I was having more mood swings, feeling slightly more than obsessed with my appearance all of a sudden and feeling like I was stuck in a rut. Thankfully this didn't trigger my depression but I did feel like I was reliving recent personal trauma over and over again and it was causing me to be quite irritable.
For one, I thought it was people in their mid 40s and 60s that went through a midlife crisis so I'm not sure why this was happening to me at only 39. Since I'm talking about it now, obviously I successfully dealt with it and have since moved on but do you find that you have been through or are going through something similar? Making impulsive decisions, feeling bored with your life or showing signs of depression could very well be an indication that what you are experiencing is a midlife crisis.
Related: How To Boost Your Mental Wellness With A Mini Mental Vacay
So what tips could help you cope or deal with a midlife crisis? The first thing to do is acknowledge that what you may be going through is in fact a midlife crisis and not something else. Doing this will help you find ways to move past it. Second, understand that midlife crises do not necessarily need to be a bad thing if you can use your thoughts in a positive way to improve your attitude. What this does is to lessen the effects of the crisis.
Sadly sometimes, there are those who do not believe that a midlife crisis is a real thing so they do not understand how to address it when it happens in their own lives or know how to help when it happens to others. It is important to have loved ones in trusted friends, partners or family members who you can discuss your feelings with openly and honestly. Research says that midlife crises last about 2-5 years in women (and about 3-10 years in men). Again, thankfully mines lasted only a few weeks making it a mini one but these numbers are discouraging to say the least.
In today's world, the term 'midlife crisis' mental health experts say 'doesn't fit and so prefer to call this period in life a midlife transition because it can mark a period of tremendous growth'. More and more this is looked at as a normal part of life that adults go through to reevaluate their goals and priorities. However, be careful to take note when a midlife crisis appears to be more intense or gets progressively worse. This could mean clinical depression and in cases like this, a combination of medication and behavior/talk therapy would be helpful.
How have you dealt with a midlife crisis or do you know anyone going through it at the moment? How have you helped them deal with it? Please share in the comments below..
Always Love 💕
ibogirl
Hmmmm so I was feeling exactly like this from the 1st week of the new year and I termed it anxiety. But now, mini midlife transition cos I like the sound of that. ðŸ¤
ReplyDeleteHa ha....midlife transition does indeed sound better. It doesn't make what we are feeling seem so terrible and negative. I hope you are doing much better though and continue to remain on top of those emotions.
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