Dealing with a Midlife Crisis

Midlife Crisis is between the ages of 35-75 depending on who you talk to! Some factors that contribute to this can be worries with relationships, kids playing up, leaving home or even moving back home, aging sick parents, financial hardships, job losses and retirement worries.

Some people choose to stay in the dissatisfied life they have lead for years. They in the same job with the same routine, over committing with kids and family, gaining weight slowly (a couple of kgs per year), holidaying at the same place and time each year. Finding apathy for day to day life with no light and little laughter.

Others find this as a time to be the person they have always dreamt of. Quitting a dissatisfying job to pursue a dream career, buying a sports car (because now they can afford to). They learn to say no…often…and find they now have the time to take part in the latest 8 week challenge at the gym, never feeling healthier. They travel, and take part in death – defying acts like skydiving. They have time to spend reminiscing with friends about the good old times, lots of laughter comes into their lives. They may embark on a spiritual journey, never feeling so at peace. Suddenly the midlife crisis doesn’t sound so bad after all!

5 ways to handle midlife crisis:

1. Come face to face with aspiration and achievements. Your dreams may not have come true. It easy to feel like a failure, but look at your childhood dreams, look how unrealistic they were to start with. Why not look at your legacy, write your life story or build a sculpture, something that will last for generations. Never compare yourself to others. Write a new mission statement and new goals. The secret isn’t in how you succeed professionally, it’s to drop the pretense to please others and set yourself free.

2. Are you always rushing to get it all done? It’s time to slow down. Live each day interacting with nature, kind thoughts and kind words with people and beautiful imperfections of our lives. No need to fix it to make it right, or force it so it fits in with our goals, just let it be. Today we interact with other humans 1/20 less than we did in 1988 – FB, computer games, swiping at the service stations. Listen to your family and friends, not just try and work out what you want to say next, actually listen. Call your parents!

3. Cut out what you don’t need. This comes in the form of technology, difficult and depleting friendships, the investment property, perfectionism. It could also come in the form of creating your own stress. Turn if OFF! Yes, that includes your head. DON’T OVERCOMMIT.

4. Your ability to sleep changes. This is usually hormonal whether it’s the sex hormones or stress hormones. This is the time of your life you can cut out the alcohol and caffeine and enjoy foods with a lovely chemical called tryptophan, it’s found in bananas, oats, milk and honey. Sounds like lovely dessert options to me, not breakfast!

5. Your metabolism can slow down as you age! Calories in must be less than calories out. Your hormones can wreak havoc. Here at Coastal Chiropractic we can check your hormones – we are talking about excess or depletion in adrenal, cortisol, estrogen, progesterone levels, insulin levels and thyroid. Your imbalance can be caused by a change in chemistry, emotional imbalance and misalignments of the spine where the nerve to the gland is compromised. If you know the cause you are able to balance it. Remember the body is a self healing / self repairing mechanism. Feeling tired, irritable, lack luster, gaining weight…this can wall be due to hormonal changes. If you are unsure of whether a food is good or not, ask yourself one question. “Did the hunter gatherers eat it?”

If your life is not congruent to your genetic potential you need to look at changing your environment. We haven’t evolved much within our bodies over the last 200 years. Do we eat and run like the aboriginals did here 200 years ago…no…it’s not rocket science.

If your blood pressure is over 140/80 you’re not the defect. You have a perfect self repairing mechanism that’s working hard in response to your environmental stress – Don’t change you with medication…change your environment! Don’t be afraid of the midlife crisis..be afraid of the midlife HEALTH crisis.

Getting older may feel like an inconvenience but we can look at it as a wake-up call, improve our health, embrace our silly side and our inner wise owl.

Use your Midlife Crisis to propel yourself onto the right path. Book in for a thorough examination with us today, because your body needs to come with you throughout the second half of your life!