The “midlife crisis” is a label we often place on others. From afar, we might lack understanding and compassion. The man who buys an expensive two -seater sports car. The woman who “suddenly” leaves her partner.
It’s easy to judge, until we find ourselves in a similar place.
From the outside, it can look like everything is in place in their lives. Like a boat resting quietly on still water. But what we don’t always see is what’s happening beneath the surface.
For many of us, life feels relatively stable for years. We build careers, families, identities. We keep things moving. And then, at some point, often midlife , the «midlife» timing is different for all, something shifts. Questions rise to the surface.
Perhaps I notice this more amongst others because I’ve been there myself.
A period where my own questions felt incredibly unsettling, both for me and for those around me.
And a large percentage of people who choose to work with me in the coaching room are in this phase too. Men and women who reach a point where something can no longer be ignored. Work that once felt meaningful, no longer does. Relationships that feel different than before. Joy that once came easy, now feels harder to access.
Not everyone experiences this as a “crisis.” But many of us, at some point, find ourselves in more uncertain waters. The life we’ve built is somehow a bit up for grabs.
Maybe someone in your life is in this place right now, and
this affects you too…
Midlife, questions might come to the surface like this:
👉 What is happening to me?
👉 Why don’t I feel more grateful for the life I have?
👉 Why is this so hard to talk about with those closest to me?
And in response, many of us try to cope with the uncomfortableness of it all.
👉 We dismiss or utterly deny what we feel
👉We get extra busy, busier than ever in our work/life
👉 We start something new (sometimes as distraction, sometimes as a genuine exploration)
👉 We suppress what feels uncomfortable through unhelpful coping mechanisms
Midlife doesn’t always require dramatic external change. But it often asks for something more honest inside of us. This is courageous and difficult work.
💬 What might we do when we find ourselves here, midlife and asking radical questions about our lives that scare us?
More reflections on this to come 🤍 ( Photo from a local beach Hamresand in Kristiansand, Norway)
