Are you feeling stale and stuck? Both at work and in your relationship? By now you’re in the career- success has come. Pretty much peaking. Yes, you can still climb a few more mountains but frankly you are a master of your field, a master of your craft. Why are you feeling listless, frustrated dissatisfied? Life should be good. The work is bearing fruit, however there is still a feeling of regret, things not done and the relationship in the doldrums.
As you get older, you might reflect on your earlier years — perhaps fondly, perhaps you feel relieved, but sometimes you may have feelings of with sadness, nostalgia or regret.
Hitting middle age can instil dread on many and you’re not alone in this feeling of unease. You may feel like your best years are gone and your life pretty well over with nothing to look forward to. Some say they feel their life will only decline in terms of their health and wellbeing.
As you approach middle age you may realise that your life has taken a different direction than you planned, you might begin to think you are headed for a midlife crisis.
Some Soul-searching time is common
Approaching middle age can generate some fairly complex emotions. These feelings might not necessarily evoke a crisis, but it’s important to explore and investigate these feelings..
What are some common signs
A new awareness of our limitations and mortality.
This crisis can bring feelings of depression, anguish, and loss regarding the approach of the end of life.
Along with the first inklings of mortality, the transition to middle age is often suggested to involve other emotional issues such as:
– self-doubt
– feeling unhappy in your relationships, career or life in general
– Loss of life’s purpose
– Declining happiness and fulfillment
– thoughts about death and the meaning of life
– Less interest in attaining goals and enjoying activities you used to like
– frustrations around changing life responsibilities and roles
– dissatisfaction with your appearance and how others perceive you
– changes to energy levels, from increased restlessness to fatigue
– changes to mood and feeling more anger, irritability and sadness
Why does it happen?
Most age-related distress begins as you become aware of your own mortality and you begin to see the perceived restrictions of age.
The vast variety of anti-aging products and procedures available only serve to emphasize the idea that you must maintain youth, or the prime of health and appearance, at any cost.
Cultural assumptions about age also come into play. People commonly associate aging with unwelcome physical and mental changes, like:
– declining in appearance and sexual desire
– loss of financial security and income
– memory loss
– weight gain
– increased pain and poor health
As you approach middle age, you might feel afraid of the aging process before you’ve had the chance to fully experience life — especially if you have yet to achieve certain milestones or personal goals (like owning your own home, having children etc).
At the same time, those very milestones you achieved can also factor into midlife distress:
- Parents who define themselves by their role as parents may feel a sense of loss and purposelessness when their children leave home.
- Parents who juggle work and child care, plus carry a majority of the mental load might be “doing everything,” but they’re more likely snap when faced with even one additional source of stress.
How to handle it
The distress you’re experiencing is valid. Navigating through any complicated and uncomfortable feelings productively is really important. The following strategies can help.
Acknowledge your feelings
You might feel it’s best to ignore your feelings of frustration and hope it goes away, but pushing these feelings aside is not the best approach.
Remember: Your life is growing, not shrinking
Simply acknowledging the onward march of time can empower you to take control of what you can change. You may be getting older but your life is not over and your choices don’t need to align with society’s idea of middle age.
Many people end a point of crisis, not by resigning themselves to limitations, but by realising the wealth of possibilities available to them.
Maybe you feel renewed by embracing new interests and creative outlets, or maybe you realise you’d like to change your lifestyle, dress differently or maybe even go back to study something new.
These opportunities, and others, all start with you. Doing what makes you happy can help you regain a sense of confidence, purpose, and happiness.
Take stock of your relationships
It’s natural for relationships, especially marriages and partnerships, to change with time. Sometimes, these changes lead to unmet needs, along with conflict.
A strained relationship can leave everyone involved feeling miserable, and lasting changes in relationships with children, friends, parents, or partners can leave you feeling alone.
Coming in to Sydney Detox and Rehab for a week of Rejuvenation
Why not come to Sydney Detox and Rehab to recharge your batteries. You don’t need to have addiction issues in your life. Just feel free to take the time out for yourself to explore the bigger you. Get away from the business of life and it’s constant demands- take a week of Rest and Rejuvenation and find yourself again. After all, you are the most important person on your life. It’s important to value you and give yourself the time you need to recalibrate yourself.
Give us a call to check in with us.
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