ARE YOU HAVING A MIDLIFE CRISIS?

The term “midlife crisis” was first coined by Elliott Jaques in 1965 (Infurna et al., 2020). It is usually used to refer to physical and mental changes suffered by people between the ages of 40 to 60 (Lachman et al., 2015; Infurna et al., 2020). Those changes are usually the result of multiple factors such as career development, financial stability, changes in family composition, and mortality
(Infurna et al., 2020).

When people reach the 40-60 range, they may decide to take care of their parents while supporting their role as parents. Middle age individuals usually provide care, financial, and emotional support to younger adult children and elderly parents (Lachman et al., 2015). It is a period in life in which an adult usually takes multiple roles, such as caretaker, parent, worker, and mentor (Lachman et al., 2015; Infurna et al., 2020). Some people may even start to wonder what they are doing in their lives. When these roles are not in line with the conscious wishes and desires of the individual, the person can experience an increase in health related issues. Personal and professional challenges can be interpreted as stressors with the resulting negative effects on the person’s physical and mental wellbeing.

In fact, they may have been subconsciously walking down a road and realize they have not followed their true path. At this point, some people may try to keep busy to avoid thinking about what their true path is. They may be scared of being their authentic self or starting to walk a new and unknown path. However, others will decide to take the steps to live the lives of their dreams. If you are scared or have doubts, just follow your inner light. I believe in you. Have faith in yourself!

References

• Infurna, F. J., Gerstorf, D., & Lachman, M. E. (2020). Midlife in the 2020s:
  Opportunities and challenges. The American Psychologist, 75(4): 470-485.
  https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000591
• Lachman, M. E., Teshale, S., & Agrigoroaei, S. (2015). Midlife as a pivotal period in
  the life course: Balancing growth and decline at the crossroads of youth and old
  age. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 39(1), 20-31.
  https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025414533223