Understanding and Taking Action During Midlife Crisis
- Austin Pederson
- Nov 19, 2021
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 8
Experiencing a midlife crisis can feel incredibly overwhelming, especially when you’re dealing with feelings of depression, regret, or a sense of unfulfillment. It's a challenging time, but understanding the signs and symptoms is the first step toward navigating this difficult period. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of what a midlife crisis entails and offers practical, healthy ways to cope and move forward.
What are the main symptoms of a midlife crisis?
Symptoms of a midlife crisis can include a sense of unfulfillment, dissatisfaction with life, increased impulsive behavior, relationship complications, and a newfound feeling of meaninglessness in one’s job. These signs often point to a period of transition and reassessment.
The feelings of depression and regret that come with a midlife crisis can be stressful, but you don't have to let them compromise your happiness. Keep reading to discover healthy coping mechanisms and actionable steps you can take to embrace structured change and find new purpose.
Is a Midlife Crisis Inevitable, and What Are the Signs to Look For?
Midlife crises are complicated to navigate, often bringing a tumultuous mix of emotions like depression and guilt. Even those who have achieved significant milestones in their personal lives and professional careers—such as executives, CEOs, and others in high-ranking positions—are not immune.
In fact, the struggle to balance professional obligations with personal ambitions can become a major source of distress. Taking action during midlife crisis is essential, especially for high achievers who may feel overwhelmed by the pressure to maintain success while reassessing their sense of purpose.
Experiencing a midlife crisis is exceptionally complex. However, it is possible to combat these crises and emerge with a newfound sense of fulfillment and new goals for the future. Being vigilant of the signs and symptoms of midlife crises can help each individual be more prepared to acknowledge, address, and overcome the difficulties of a midlife crisis if it surfaces.
What Is a Midlife Crisis?
A midlife crisis is a period of time in one's life that feels dictated by depression, guilt, shame, or regret, often surfacing between 40 to 60 years of age, on average. However, with the newfound stresses of the world, volatile political and social climates, economic shifts, and much more, midlife crises can set in much sooner.
These feelings of depression often come coupled with a feeling of “lost time" as an individual looks back on their accomplishments and life. They may consider, unfairly, how much they “should” have done or how they could have changed their lives some 20 years in retrospect.
Depression, regret, and being incapable of changing the past can all congregate into a midlife crisis, leaving an individual at a major transition point in their perspective of identity, accomplishments, and priorities in life. This transition can be extraordinarily difficult to navigate, and one may find themselves doing whatever they can to reshape their current life into a more “ideal” version.
Taking Action During Midlife Crisis: The Symptoms of a Midlife Crisis
While age is a factor in determining if one is suffering from a midlife crisis, there are also other symptoms to consider. Some signs of a midlife crisis can include:
Sense of unfulfillment or dissatisfaction with one's life
Attachment to nostalgia
A newfound sense of meaninglessness in one's job
Relationship complications, such as a growing distance between one's partner or courting infidelity
Major behavioral changes
Changing one's appearance
Thoughts of finality or death
Negative judgment of one's own life choices
Disinterest in hobbies
Increased impulsive behavior or decision-making
Pervasive feelings of regret
Emotional fragility and mood swings
Withdrawal from social life or self-isolation
Increased use of addictive substances or the development of addiction
These are not the only symptoms possible that one may experience as a result of a midlife crisis. However, they are common signs that one should remain vigilant of when confronting feelings of depression or regret during one's midlife years.
Coping With a Midlife Crisis
Feeling the detrimental effects of a midlife crisis is incredibly stressful, compromising much of one's happiness or sense of accomplishment. However, it is possible to overcome these trials in a safe and healthy way. While feelings of depression and regret can cause one to make self-destructive decisions, actively inviting structured change into one's life can also be a healthy way to navigate and explore one's new, developing identity.
Structuring Change
The complicated feelings brought about by a midlife crisis can tempt an individual to change their whole lives, upending their entire sense of identity to overhaul their current lifestyle. However, while such drastic change can lead to additional stresses or irrational and destructive decisions, inviting a degree of change can also be healthy.
Rather than deciding that “everything must change,” it can be incredibly helpful to embrace a creative outlet or choose what changes to begin with instead. Taking up art therapy, picking up an instrument, or embracing any other type of creative outlet can allow one's emotions and desires to take a concrete form. This can provide a better illustration of the changes one wants to make while granting a safe emotional outlet to process these desires.
Embracing Gratitude
Experiencing a midlife crisis can feel overwhelming, and one's feelings of regret or dissatisfaction can overshadow the more positive elements of one's life. Practicing gratitude by saying "thank you," giving gifts, or writing down one's gratefulness or appreciation in a journal, can all be ways of highlighting the aspects of one's life that continue to be a positive influence.
An atmosphere of negativity and pessimism can loom over an individual during a midlife crisis. Practicing gratitude can help them better understand which aspects of their lives may truly need change while injecting a feeling of thankfulness and positivity into one's life.
Avoiding Comparisons
Comparisons are the bane of fair progress and self-esteem. Avoiding comparing oneself to others in as many aspects as possible is essential to remain focused on one's personal needs and goals. Detaching from social media and reminding oneself that one's accomplishments are valid and important is crucial in relinquishing the power of others' opinions that could otherwise be a detriment in one's life.
Frequently Asked Questions:
• What is a midlife crisis?
A midlife crisis is a period of intense depression, guilt, or regret, typically occurring between the ages of 40 and 60, as individuals re-evaluate their identity and life accomplishments.
• What are some of the signs of a midlife crisis?
Common signs include a sense of dissatisfaction with life, a feeling of meaninglessness at work, relationship difficulties, and a tendency toward impulsive behaviors.
• What are some healthy ways to cope with a midlife crisis?
Healthy ways to cope include embracing structured change, practicing gratitude to highlight positive aspects of life, and avoiding comparing yourself to others.
• How can practicing gratitude help during a midlife crisis?
Practicing gratitude can help inject positivity into your life and allow you to better understand which aspects of your life are fulfilling and which may need to be changed.
• Why is it important to avoid comparisons during a midlife crisis?
Avoiding comparisons with others, especially on social media, helps you focus on your personal needs and goals and reminds you that your own accomplishments are valid and important.
If you or someone you know is struggling with the emotions and challenges of a midlife crisis, please know you're not alone. We at Chateau Health and Wellness Treatment Center understand the complexity of these feelings and are here to provide the support and guidance you need. Our team is dedicated to helping you navigate this transitional period and find a path toward renewed purpose and fulfillment. We believe in taking a collaborative approach to your well-being, and we're committed to helping you find healthy ways to cope. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us at (435) 222-5225 to begin your journey toward a more positive and stable future.
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About The Author
Austin Pederson, Executive Director of Chateau Health and Wellness
Brings over eight years of experience revolutionizing mental health and substance abuse treatment through compassionate care and innovative business strategies. Inspired by his own recovery journey, Austin has developed impactful programs tailored to individuals facing trauma and stress while fostering comprehensive support systems that prioritize holistic wellness. His empathetic leadership extends to educating and assisting families, ensuring lasting recovery for clients and their loved ones.
Danny Warner, CEO of Chateau Health and Wellness
Brings a wealth of experience in business operations, strategic alliances, and turnaround management, with prior leadership roles at Mediconnect Global, Klever Marketing, and WO Investing, Inc. A graduate of Brigham Young University in Economics and History, Danny has a proven track record of delivering results across diverse industries. His most transformative role, however, was as a trail walker and counselor for troubled teens at the Anasazi Foundation, where he directly impacted young lives, a personal commitment to transformation that now drives his leadership at Chateau.
Ben Pearson, LCSW - Clinical Director
With 19 years of experience, Ben Pearson specializes in adolescent and family therapy, de-escalation, and high-risk interventions. As a former Clinical Director of an intensive outpatient program, he played a key role in clinical interventions and group therapy. With 15+ years in wilderness treatment and over a decade as a clinician, Ben has helped countless individuals and families navigate mental health and recovery challenges.