Top image: Cherry blossoms at Inwood Hill Park
Photo credit: Sloka Iyengar
Photo credit: Sloka Iyengar
How to get over the bumps of a midlife crisis
- by Teresa Greenhill
- by Teresa Greenhill
About the author:
Teresa Greenhill is the co-creator of MentalHealthforSeniors.com, which is dedicated to providing seniors with information on physical and mental fitness. Being a senior herself, Teresa, with some help from her granddaughter, manages the website as a way to keep herself busy and help other seniors be active and happy in their golden years.
Teresa Greenhill is the co-creator of MentalHealthforSeniors.com, which is dedicated to providing seniors with information on physical and mental fitness. Being a senior herself, Teresa, with some help from her granddaughter, manages the website as a way to keep herself busy and help other seniors be active and happy in their golden years.
Image via Unsplash
Many people dread the idea of a midlife crisis, especially since movies and television make it out to be an incredibly difficult time during which most people make glaringly terrible decisions. But a midlife crisis doesn’t have to look or feel this way. Instead, it can be a time when you reevaluate where you are in life and start to make changes to make life more aligned with your current goals. Today, Teresa Greenhill shares some tips to help you use this time of your life for growth and realignment instead of drama and poor choices.
Focus on Your Health
If you feel like everything else is out of your control, focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle because it is fully in control. So if you feel like you need a positive distraction, getting healthy is the way to go if you have not already done so. There are a variety of changes you can make to help your overall health, but eating a nutritious diet and being active are two of the biggest options.
And you don’t have to join a gym or take spin class to get your heart rate up. Look into gardening as a way to get some exercise and fresh air while facilitating healthier eating. If your neighborhood is walkable, then make it a point to walk at least once per day and, when possible, walk to errands and appointments. Or meet a friend in an area with a high walk score and enjoy wandering around together while you catch up.
If you are feeling alone in your situation, then the best thing you can also do is reach out to others in the same boat as you. Perhaps look at joining an exercise club to expand your social circles at a time when you might be feeling isolated.
Don't Withdraw
You may be tempted to withdraw during a midlife crisis to help you deal with this phase of life. However, if you are prone to depression or anxiety, this can be made worse, especially if you feel unsure about the future. Hence, the importance of reaching out to others, such as a therapist or even a good friend, to lean on them for support.
Furthermore, it is relatively easy to reconnect with old friends to see if they live anywhere near you. All you need to do is search online with their name at their last high school institution and their graduation date, and you're likely to come across search results that will enable you to connect with them once again.
Seek Continued Support for Addiction Recovery
Addiction can be an incredibly difficult obstacle to overcome, but seeking continued support is crucial to maintaining sobriety. Outpatient rehab and weekly support meetings are effective options to receive the necessary guidance and encouragement. Fortunately, there are a variety of rehab centers in New York City to choose from. These centers provide a safe environment to address addiction and offer personalized treatment plans to fit individual needs.
Weekly support meetings also provide an open and non-judgmental space to share experiences and connect with others going through similar struggles. Seeking continued support through outpatient rehab and support meetings is a brave and important step towards a healthy, sober life.
Look Inward for Peace and Inspiration
A midlife crisis is really just a moment in time when you decide to look critically at your life, what you have done, and where you are going. People who are less satisfied with their current journey tend to struggle in these moments, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Use this opportunity to look inward and learn more about who you are and who you want to be. Then, you can focus on the steps you need to take to manifest that identity.
Yoga and meditation can provide a great opportunity to pause and look inward. Plus, they provide significant mental health benefits. Engaging in these practices stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which induces a relaxation response that helps to reduce anxiety and stress. By cultivating a deeper awareness of the present moment, yoga and meditation can help individuals manage their emotions and cope with difficult life challenges. These practices are a great way to achieve a state of mental clarity, inner peace, and overall wellness.
You can find great guided meditations through apps and websites, but sometimes it is better to work with someone who can walk you through the process and help you talk about what you discovered.
Consider a Career Change
Perhaps you have been in your current career for so long that you want to break out of your comfort zone and try something new. This could be the perfect step towards avoiding getting distracted for too long by a midlife crisis. It could also be the perfect opportunity to start afresh in life by doing something that fits your personality more.
If you're not that keen on going to work for an employer, you can choose to start your own business instead. Choosing an appropriate business structure will be necessary if you want to start off strong. For instance, if you want to start a limited liability company, this is a simple and convenient business structure that provides limited liability, tax advantages, and more flexibility to accommodate your changing lifestyle.
Next, it’s time to market! In addition to spreading the word via social media, you might want to consider putting out a newsletter. If you aren’t sure how to get started, make sure you include lots of information about your products or services, updated hours and contact info, and high quality photos about any sales you’re offering. It’s best to save your newsletter as a PDF so that it can be sent electronically more easily.
If starting your own business isn’t quite what you had in mind, pursuing a new degree during a midlife crisis can be a challenging yet rewarding experience, as well. Many individuals in their later years may feel unfulfilled in their current career path and desire a change. If you love working with kids, consider an online degree program in education where you learn about developing lesson plans, manage classrooms, and assess students. While it may seem daunting to embark on a new academic journey, the rewards of personal growth and professional fulfillment can make it all worth it in the end.
Embrace Mid-Life Changes
One thing's for sure, getting through a midlife crisis is entirely possible. Depending on what you want to achieve going forward, you may need to take drastic steps, such as finding a new job. Or you may opt for not-so-drastic steps, such as choosing to live more healthily to help you get through this rough patch. No matter how you address the areas of your life you’re less happy about, do your best to stay positive and see this as an exciting time for growth.
Focus on Your Health
If you feel like everything else is out of your control, focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle because it is fully in control. So if you feel like you need a positive distraction, getting healthy is the way to go if you have not already done so. There are a variety of changes you can make to help your overall health, but eating a nutritious diet and being active are two of the biggest options.
And you don’t have to join a gym or take spin class to get your heart rate up. Look into gardening as a way to get some exercise and fresh air while facilitating healthier eating. If your neighborhood is walkable, then make it a point to walk at least once per day and, when possible, walk to errands and appointments. Or meet a friend in an area with a high walk score and enjoy wandering around together while you catch up.
If you are feeling alone in your situation, then the best thing you can also do is reach out to others in the same boat as you. Perhaps look at joining an exercise club to expand your social circles at a time when you might be feeling isolated.
Don't Withdraw
You may be tempted to withdraw during a midlife crisis to help you deal with this phase of life. However, if you are prone to depression or anxiety, this can be made worse, especially if you feel unsure about the future. Hence, the importance of reaching out to others, such as a therapist or even a good friend, to lean on them for support.
Furthermore, it is relatively easy to reconnect with old friends to see if they live anywhere near you. All you need to do is search online with their name at their last high school institution and their graduation date, and you're likely to come across search results that will enable you to connect with them once again.
Seek Continued Support for Addiction Recovery
Addiction can be an incredibly difficult obstacle to overcome, but seeking continued support is crucial to maintaining sobriety. Outpatient rehab and weekly support meetings are effective options to receive the necessary guidance and encouragement. Fortunately, there are a variety of rehab centers in New York City to choose from. These centers provide a safe environment to address addiction and offer personalized treatment plans to fit individual needs.
Weekly support meetings also provide an open and non-judgmental space to share experiences and connect with others going through similar struggles. Seeking continued support through outpatient rehab and support meetings is a brave and important step towards a healthy, sober life.
Look Inward for Peace and Inspiration
A midlife crisis is really just a moment in time when you decide to look critically at your life, what you have done, and where you are going. People who are less satisfied with their current journey tend to struggle in these moments, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Use this opportunity to look inward and learn more about who you are and who you want to be. Then, you can focus on the steps you need to take to manifest that identity.
Yoga and meditation can provide a great opportunity to pause and look inward. Plus, they provide significant mental health benefits. Engaging in these practices stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which induces a relaxation response that helps to reduce anxiety and stress. By cultivating a deeper awareness of the present moment, yoga and meditation can help individuals manage their emotions and cope with difficult life challenges. These practices are a great way to achieve a state of mental clarity, inner peace, and overall wellness.
You can find great guided meditations through apps and websites, but sometimes it is better to work with someone who can walk you through the process and help you talk about what you discovered.
Consider a Career Change
Perhaps you have been in your current career for so long that you want to break out of your comfort zone and try something new. This could be the perfect step towards avoiding getting distracted for too long by a midlife crisis. It could also be the perfect opportunity to start afresh in life by doing something that fits your personality more.
If you're not that keen on going to work for an employer, you can choose to start your own business instead. Choosing an appropriate business structure will be necessary if you want to start off strong. For instance, if you want to start a limited liability company, this is a simple and convenient business structure that provides limited liability, tax advantages, and more flexibility to accommodate your changing lifestyle.
Next, it’s time to market! In addition to spreading the word via social media, you might want to consider putting out a newsletter. If you aren’t sure how to get started, make sure you include lots of information about your products or services, updated hours and contact info, and high quality photos about any sales you’re offering. It’s best to save your newsletter as a PDF so that it can be sent electronically more easily.
If starting your own business isn’t quite what you had in mind, pursuing a new degree during a midlife crisis can be a challenging yet rewarding experience, as well. Many individuals in their later years may feel unfulfilled in their current career path and desire a change. If you love working with kids, consider an online degree program in education where you learn about developing lesson plans, manage classrooms, and assess students. While it may seem daunting to embark on a new academic journey, the rewards of personal growth and professional fulfillment can make it all worth it in the end.
Embrace Mid-Life Changes
One thing's for sure, getting through a midlife crisis is entirely possible. Depending on what you want to achieve going forward, you may need to take drastic steps, such as finding a new job. Or you may opt for not-so-drastic steps, such as choosing to live more healthily to help you get through this rough patch. No matter how you address the areas of your life you’re less happy about, do your best to stay positive and see this as an exciting time for growth.