EPISODE 13 - MIDLIFE PASSAGE AND ITS CHALLENGES

THE midpoint of life--- 35 to 55 years of age and is a period in one’s life when a lot of changes happen to the individual physiologically, sociologically, psychologically, physically and emotionally. To both the man and woman, there is a level inner questioning

Starts with vague feeling of feeling matured or getting old, having achieved little or much, taking stock of one’s direction in life and noticing some physiological signs or discomforts that tend to remind one that life is indeed ticking. Emotionally, most of us are shaken since we lose our old anchors in life (parents) about this time and tend to see ourselves alone.

The women have all kinds of complaints because of their approaching menopause: hot flashes, irregular menstrual flow constant tiredness, fuzzy thinking, irritability, joint pains and so on.

It may surprising to a lot of people that men are being mentioned under the midlife crisis because they don’t have any menses that is stopping but the list of disturbances that happen at this stage in life are much beyond menses.

As often reported in women in their forties and beyond, symptoms of vasomotor instability or changes in the diameter of the blood vessels occur in the males as well. There is heightened anxiety and possible disruption in the tempo and efficiency of their job, chronic fatigue and lassitude which eventually overflows into their sex life. Fats accumulate in the body. And if it is such that blood vessels are narrowed, then there is increased tendency to have heart disease, reduced oxygen inflow to the brain, leading to compromised mental efficiency, and other spiral effects.

The men may sometimes wake up anxiously in the middle of the night, may withdraw into obsessive work, begin to notice reduced libido, pain in the joints become more forgetful, may have problem with urination because of prostate enlargement and generally become apprehensive. The changes in the men are capped under the name—ANDROPAUSE.

THE MIDLIFE IS CHARACTERISED BY A DEEP MALAISE CALLED TIME DIFFUSION WHICH STEMS FROM A SUDDEN LACK OF TRUST IN THE FUTURE AND UNWILLINGNESS TO BELIEVE THERE’S ANYTHING TO HOLD ONTO.

The shake-up that the period evokes is the reason the period is called MIDLIFE CRISIS and the hormonal changes that occurs between the age range of 35 and 60 is known as CLIMACTERIC.

In the next series of episodes we will be taking these symptoms one after the other to see how they can be managed. Set up your reminder so that you don’t miss out on any of the topics. Always remember you can build your own world of contentment and peace around you and no one will be richer than you are.