Change is a part of life at any stage and the middle years are no exception. This is such a special time when children are growing older and in the process of becoming independent adults. Parents are also growing older and may need more help. Careers reach a peak and while this might be the time to relish the fruit of years of work, the demands of work pile up faster than ever. Health needs attention too – good habits learned now, lay the foundation for a fit and active future.
Changing social attitude means that middle years are increasingly seen and lived as the prime of life rather than the start of old age. There has probably never been a better time to be middle-aged. The physical consequences of aging make little practical difference to most people until well into their fifties or even older.
Apart from menopause, middle age today is more of a psychological than a physical challenge. Events such as significant birthdays, the appearance of wrinkles and grey hair, noticing the adult status and success of much younger people, often prompt a certain amount of life-assessment.
Such a period of stock-taking can be positive, provided you do not panic and it often opens the door to a new phase of maturity, with added confidence and creativity and greater awareness of personal achievements, needs, and limits. Middle life often has other compensations too – material comfort, financial security, increased influence, and status.
Middle life means facing the downhill slope for the first time- counting the years left rather than the years gone. Once, the tasks of early adulthood – finding work, setting up home independently, starting and rearing a family – are accomplished, people begin to assess their progress.
Most people come to terms with increasing maturity and a pause for assessment can encourage you to make the most of life. While you may have to abandon some dreams – For example, it is probably too late to become a world-class gymnast or an astronaut – there are few absolute limitations on your capacities in middle age and then are would be benefits such as enhanced confidence and wisdom.
