Few years back, I was going through a strange phase of my life where I was unable to figure out my needs and purpose of life.
I rang my old friend in Canada. We not only graduated together but also started our career in the same organization. He was kind enough to give ear to my problem, listened to me patiently and concluded a long talk with just one sentence – just chill yaar (friend), it’s called mid-life crisis, just accept it and move on.
I couldn’t make out much of this deep meaning sentence. So, I googled mid-life crisis and spent a few days researching the topic. Soon, I was able to connect the dots of my learnings to my life. It goes like this.
Midlife Crisis – Signs And Ways To Deal With It
In our 20s and 30s, we are too busy securing our career, getting married, having kids and raising them well.
It’s in our 40s that we got time for ourselves as kids have grown up and our once sparking relationship with spouse has turned into an aligned and adjusted one.
We reflect upon our life: questions our identity and purpose of life. We want to have a unique identity and give back to society. Russell Brunson’s book Expert Secrets is all about the latter.
Those into books, feel it is time to read/re-read Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E Frankl.
Your quest for identity, needs and purpose of life is all justified as is your anger, resentment and frustrations for past decades of your life. After all, you are human and have feelings.
Now, either get overwhelmed with these thoughts or take this mid-life crisis as an awakening. It’s up to you. The challenges always come with choices.
My suggestion is to take this as a start of new life. Enjoy the freedom you now have. Let your entrepreneurial spirit soar high. Unleash your niche to build your side hustle you once dreamed of. Take out your bucket list and implement a few of the items in it. Go to new places and learn about new cultures. Enroll for a course. The Internet is flooded with free online courses that you can take up at your convenient time.
Rebuild the bond with your spouse. If things don’t work then better to go for new relationships. Honoring your need for human connection is important. Meet and speak to your old childhood friends and relish good old memories. It’s such a soothing experience.
Choices are numerous.
If nothing comes to your mind then simply, play with words to share your experiences, opinions, feelings, knowledge and skills with the world that is eagerly waiting for new content everyday. You can even post comments on other’s posts. Before commenting, remember there is a difference between critical review and criticizing. There are many platforms to do so- you can blog on blogger or WordPress, make YouTube videos and Instagram reels. AI has taken over the world and there are many AI tools which can generate your content in a few clicks.
Prioritize your emotions so that stressed brains can transition to the calm, then curious, state that helps you bounce forward into your later life. Throw away learnt self-denial and explore ways of evolving and growing.
Once overwhelmed with a mid-life crisis, I now take it as a midlife awakening. This transition was not easy and took its time. It’s all about changing your mindset. I am now enjoying this freedom to explore my creative instinct, being in touch with my loved ones and relishing old memories. At the same time, I keep myself abreast with the latest happenings and innovations in the world.
With this, I end and congratulate you for your new awakening to understanding this midlife crisis and stop struggling with your identity and self-confidence.