Midlife crises happen to people who want to feel confident that they made satisfying choices in life. The fact that the uncertainty of feeling satisfied bothers the crisis-stricken person says much about their transition into being over 40. Midlife crises can strike at almost any adult age, though.
A sense of facing end-of-life issues, regret at missed or mishandled opportunities, a curiosity about what to do about self-doubt, and how to behave for the rest of life are aspects of that sense of crisis. Apathy might complicate matters. Losing interest in life borders on self-sabotage. The question “can a midlife crisis be resolved?” grows with apathy.
The answers to the question, apathy or not, depend on how the affected person handles themselves, fears, doubts, and all, in general – and during crises. We also need to consider what set off the crisis; employment issues, death of a loved one, interacting with someone with a different and startling worldview, relationship issues, jealousy, a deep dissatisfaction with life, a health problem or even a legal matter.
The list is open to more possibilities and to several at once. One might even find themselves in an “all of the above” type of situation in which numerous triggers push them in crisis.
Upbeat people tend not to experience midlife crises. They’re open to new experiences, comfortable with the sagging skin, weight gain, gray hair, loss of muscle tone, and wrinkles of aging. They blend their intuition, self-awareness, and forthright behavior automatically.
It’s the people who don’t do those things on auto-pilot, are more pessimistic who tend to suffer middle age self-recrimination, a painful sense of disappointment and/or boredom with life, impulsive behavior, and sexual longing. Happier people don’t have those midlife crisis problems.
Coping With Midlife Crisis
Resolving a midlife crisis can happen in several ways. If part of the problem is the hormonal shift that goes with aging past 40, it can be addressed with bio-identical hormone therapy, or with the synthetic hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that some doctors use.
HRT tends to have more pronounced effects that take getting used to, if they don’t require adjustment in the prescription. Bio-identical hormone therapy (crèmes rubbed into the inner thigh or inside the upper arm, pellets inserted below the skin, melt-in-the-mouth pellets, or capsules to be swallowed) is gentler and more easily absorbed into the body, though some people might need for their prescriber to improve on the mixture of ingredients. Either form of therapy can clear up some sexual dysfunction issues, and relax some minds.
Another aspect of resolving midlife crisis is to face bothersome issues rather than to try to compensate for them with sexual affairs, spending sprees, social withdrawal, or rapid-fire lifestyle changes. Focusing on unfulfilled desires and potentially rewarding lifestyle alterations can yield helpful insights for productive changes.
Friends, colleagues, relatives, and relevant reading materials can help a person to better focus on their midlife crisis issues and identifying possible solutions for them. Talking out the issues with a psychotherapist can help, too. This can may require either finding a local therapist you trust or simply working with a professional available on one of the more reputable online therapy platforms to work through the issues and gain perspective.