When you’re in your twenties and thirties, you will have often seen those tragic looking forty somethings with too much aftershave on, wearing a suit two sizes too small and driving a flashy sports car blaring out hipster music. Immediately you know that they are suffering a mid-life crisis and you smile. As a twenty something, you never think that you will hit that moment in your life. A mid-life crisis won’t ever be something that you have to endure. You will get to that age but you aren’t going to fall into the trap of yearning for your youth because you will be fulfilled and happy. Won’t you? A mid-life crisis, while humorous to many, can be hugely debilitating when you are in the midst of one.
Rather than simply wanting to reclaim your youth and wishing back your hair, abs and fitness, a mid-life crisis is a massive decrease in your self confidence, self awareness and ability to look to the future. Suddenly you are confronted by your own mortality as you realise that you have probably hit the midpoint in your life. Rather than seeing a glass as half full, everything begins to look half empty. This can lead to anxiety, stress and depression. However, there are ways to combat any mid-life crisis that might be lurking on the horizon. Take a read of this guide to help you come through one of the most challenging moments of your life.
Be Thankful
This is easier said than done, but looking back on your life, you will have many achievements that you have probably forgotten about. You might be married, have beautiful children, have a good career, own a house, enjoy driving the car on your drive, and have the means to travel. Many people aren’t as fortunate as you and would love half of what you have. Don’t dwell on what you don’t have or haven’t achieved, and instead use your foundation as a springboard to do something new.
Reassessing your life is not necessarily a bad thing; however, you must keep things in perspective. You are alive, you are healthy and you have your life in front of you to achieve a great deal.
Take Care Of Your Health
Your health extends beyond the physical. When you are going through a traumatic event like a mid life crisis, you may find that your emotions start to get the better of you. Anxiety can begin to encroach on your life, meaning that you start eating erratically, you can’t sleep as well, and you struggle to find the motivation to get up in the morning. The information on anxiety and sleep that is available shows a clear link between the quality of your z’s and your emotional well being. Before anything else, you must try to get your rest. Set up a new sleep routine, ensuring that you don’t touch Facebook within two hours of hitting the sack, you read a book instead of watch TV, and you enjoy a soak in the tub to relax your aching muscles.
As well as reclaiming your sleep, you should focus on your diet. It’s all too easy to jump on the bandwagon and opt for the latest fad diet in a quest to reclaim your beach body. However, the cabbage soup or apple cider vinegar diet will leave you with nothing more than bad breath and low energy levels. Instead, overhaul your diet by banning the starchy carbs and eating whole grains. Swap the burgers for lean meats and try to eat a rainbow of fresh vegetables. Doing this will ensure that your diet is more nutritionally balanced, you will enjoy a greater variety of food and you will shift a few pounds in the process.
Eating well goes hand in hand with being more active. Heading for a brisk walk every evening, getting outdoors for a jog or heading to the gym will see your endorphins surge and your mood lift. By being proactive, you can stop the emotional effects of a mid-life crisis in their tracks.
As we grow older, we tend to suffer from a few more aches and niggles. If you do, don’t think that you can no longer run again if your Achilles tendon is acting up. You simply need to adapt and seek treatment when necessary. Having a positive frame of mind aids in recovery. And don’t develop a mid life crisis hypochondriac brain. That headache won’t be a brain tumour and that niggle in your knee won’t mean that you need it replaced.
Love And Lust
Many people who reach a certain age begin to take a look at their lot in a whole different light. It’s not unheard of for men (and women) in their forties who have been married for over a decade to have a fleeting romance or affair with a work colleague or someone they have met in a bar. Don’t do it. However tempting it might be to reclaim the excitement of your youth, and however flattering it is that someone other than your spouse finds you attractive, you will be in for a world of hurt if your liaison is ever discovered. Not to mention the guilt you would feel. This isn’t you, so don’t use your mid-life crisis as an excuse to fool around.
Do Something New
Instead of contemplating an affair, do something new to fill your spare time. Instead of doing the same old routine of getting in after work and settling down in from of the gogglebox for a night of TV, change it up a bit. Think about taking part in an evening class, trying out a new sport or learning something new. If you’ve always fancied learning the cello, book in for a free lesson. If you fancy trying out judo, enrol for a free taster session. And if you have always wanted to learn Spanish, get down to a local class. Filling your time up with new pursuits will show you that you aren’t dead yet, you have plenty of life left in you, and you might even meet some new like minded people to spend your time with.
Being present in the moment and not worrying about the future is vital if you are to get through your mid-life crisis phase. Mindfulness is a wonderful way of reframing your thought processes to help you do just that. Speak to a mindfulness course leader and consider taking part in a session or two. You will learn how to let go of stresses and concerns and fill your mind up with more positive thoughts.
