Midlife Crisis Symptoms
- Author Fred Horowitz
- Published October 6, 2010
- Word count 520
The age at which midlife crisis symptoms ensue varies from one individual to the next, although the average age was discovered to be 46 in men and women. However, the length of time when midlife crisis lasts will vary in men (3 to 10 years) and women (2 to 5 years).
First introduced into mainstream consciousness by Elliot Jacques in 1965, the term midlife crisis (we at Happiness After Midlife prefer to use the term "midlife transition") refers to a period of dramatic self-doubt experienced during the middle age of life.
The many aspects of midlife crisis symptoms can be caused by aging itself; also normal difficulties and regrets we may have complicate life. Thus, changes in work, spousal relationships, maturation of children, death of parents and physical changes can all play a role in the onset of midlife crisis. Interestingly, men appear to have work issues as their primary trigger.
The symptoms of midlife crisis itself show up in many ways so much so that no two individuals will experience the same set of symptoms in the same degrees of intensity, frequency and severity. There are three categories of symptoms relating to emotional feelings, actual behaviours, and physical signs.
Often, the emotional feelings border on depression such that it is necessary to consult a psychiatrist to rule out the mental disorder. The individual will feel extreme boredom, obsess about mortality, question purpose in life and simply be stuck in a rut of routines.
As for actual behaviour, midlife crisis symptoms in men and women often take on similar signs. These include unexplainable fatigue, irritability, sadness and mood swings coupled with bouts of excessive consumption of whatever is being fancied at the moment. Although many will experience the loss of libido, others will swing the opposite way by engaging in sexual adventures that may have been unthinkable had midlife crisis not ensued.
We can attribute physical signs of a midlife crisis to aging itself although these symptoms appear to be greater in intensity because of the above mentioned emotional aspects. These signs include sudden weight gain or weight loss, sudden obsession with physical appearance including fears of hair loss and wrinkles, as well as stiffness of the body, to name a few.
All of these midlife crisis symptoms require time, effort and energy to cope with successfully. There is no magic bullet; each of us experience midlife transition differently. Many sufferers have to undergo trial and error to arrive at an effective program to combat the symptoms.
Many coping mechanisms, nonetheless, can be effective. These include rediscovering yourself, accepting and sharing of feelings; rediscovering the excitement in the spousal relationship; spending quality time with the children and grandchildren as well as with friends; meeting new people; setting new goals in life; trying new things in hobbies or sports; volunteering in causes close to the heart; adopting healthier lifestyle habits; and even seeking therapy.
Experiencing so-called midlife crisis symptoms may be inevitable for most, if not all, individuals. The good news is that there are ways to successfully overcome this turning point so that a fuller, healthier and longer life can be enjoyed in midlife and beyond.
Dr. Fred Horowitz and Dr. Frank Bonkowski offer midlife crisis coping strategies to leverage your midlife transition into lifelong happiness at Happiness-After-Midlife.com. Learn more midlife crisis symptoms by visiting their Web site.
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- Three Steps to Eliminating Beliefs That Limit You
- The Journey to Self-Love: Embracing Your Inner Worth
- Time Is Collapsing
- Insider's Guide to Wellness Retreats
- 7 Daily Choices That Make Up 95% of Your Success in Life
- The Best Books Written By Dr.Mani
- Coexilia: Embracing Unity for a Harmonious Future
- Grief is Ghetto
- 17 Fun & Simple ways to find your Inner Peace
- Please Stay 6 Feet Apart: Navigating Emotional Growth in a Post – COVID Society
- Everything Happens For A Reason Part 1
- First Day of Middle School
- Need a Mood Boost? Here’s How Smiling Can Help!
- Get rid of the "If only" mindset
- Happiness is a Dynamic Tool to Increase Productivity in The Workplace
- Change your Day--Change your Life
- The Search for Meaning
- “Happiness Hormones” – The reasons why it is so hard to achieve happiness by utilizing them
- The Secret to Happy Life
- The Strangest Thing Men Desire. (And how it can make him crazy for you.)
- Most 3 Things Men Do Want
- Anime Who Breaks Your Heart
- Your Authentic Self: Love Who You Are Right Now
- Best Tips for Getting Rid from Head lice in Sydney
- To Create Change, You Have To Change
- Tired Of Fighting Without Resolution?
- 3 Steps To Building Connection Habits™
- Enhance Your Life With Better Boundaries!
- Need Fathering In Your Life?
- How Did 8 Simple daily habits give you a happier life