Do women go through the same midlife crisis as men? Just what does a midlife crisis look like for women, anyway? Is it the use of botox, a major trip to Costa Rica to get a secret face-lift or tummy tuck? Is it a new purchase like a little red car, or a whole new wardrobe? Or perhaps, it's the start of an addiction, an overdose, an affair, a move that represents a geographic cure? Any or none of the above?
The Developmental Cycles
Life is about constant change. When we look at developmental theories, or just look at our lives, we notice how we move from babyhood to childhood. We escape the awkwardness of our teen years and become adult women. And at around the age of forty, we are ready for a new transformation that doesn't have a clear label, but resembles the emergence of a butterfly. Everyone knows that that emergence looks quite traumatic and even treacherous.
The change can be born of sorrow or stress. But, it is also quite clear to those of us who are the supporters of personal reinvention, that this time itself is actually a major, if unexpected, gift. Women, especially, in the baby boomer years, are uncovering a sense of discovery and truly turning what once was looked on crisis as major stepping stones to new opportunity.Baby Boomer women have been blessed to have higher incomes, better education and the unique experience of juggling multiple roles, so they are finding that there has never been a better time to have a midlife crisis than now.
The Change about "The Change"
The national conversation around midlife is in the midst of a major change It's truly time to change the way the world views midlife. There are about 43 million American women alone who are between the ages of 40 and 60 who are forcing this new paradigm.
In fact, the very word crisis is being removed from our collective consciousness and vocabulary. It is entirely the wrong word for this generation's experience.
Unlike our mothers or the men in our lives, we are about creating a whole new model for what midlife looks like. The most profound difference found by researchers in the attitude of men and women at middle age is that women are twice as hopeful about the future. Women are now learning to have less of a challenge with hormones raging because of the newest research and openness to talk about such issues by people like Suzanne Somers and Oprah herself! The Change of Life is now seen, not as a disruption but as a welcome friend. (pardon the pun.)
The New Meaning Emerging
Menopause is now being seen in its totality, as a time that is meant for spiritual and even psychic growth. When women today go through menopause, sometimes accompanied by divorce or failing health, they seem to turn inward and have what can truly be called a spiritual awakening. It becomes a time to ask more cosmic questions, not the least of which is, who am I really? And what am I being called to be and do in this next part of my life? Now that the nest is empty and perhaps even the aging parents are gone, women are finding time to rethink their own priorities and passions. What I have found to be true for most of the clients and friends in this age bracket, is that answering that question often leads to a life of true service - one that does not exclude the self but truly incorporates all the learning and wisdom that has been accumulated in the first half of life.
Baby Boomers in Midlife Transition - Creating a New Paradigm - Especially For Women Over 40