In life, people will face numerous crises. Two of the well-known crises are the quarter-life crisis and midlife crisis. They are the milestones of someone’s life in seeking their true-self, known as the self-discovery moment.
In a quarter-life crisis, someone will feel thrilled to prove to the world that they can be successful. It is when the race happened. People will start comparing their progress with their friends’. The crisis will come when they feel that they are not doing it enough or that their friends leave them behind.
But in comparison to the quarter-life crisis, a midlife crisis can be worse. In a quarter-life, the goal is to catch up with the others. While in midlife, the goal is to survive.
It is a rough journey, especially for women. If you want to know the journey, this article will explain each of the struggles for women in midlife crisis.
The declining physical well-being.
The decreasing ability to recover in a middle-aged person will cause many physical health issues on someone. It can cause the emerge of hereditary illness or the emerge of cancer. In some cases, a middle-aged woman is at a higher risk of certain life events, such as pregnancy.
Chronic Diseases
Research proves that a middle-aged person has a higher risk of cancer than the younger ones. The reason is still under investigation, but most likely, it is because of the cells’ inability to repair themselves.
Other than cancer, a middle-aged person also more vulnerable to hereditary illness. The weakened immune system will cause their body won’t be able to cope with the need of their body to control the disease. Thus, leading to a high number of a middle-aged person who suffers from diabetes or hypertension.
Although chronic diseases often happen in middle-aged people, it doesn’t mean there is no way to prevent them or lower the impact.
Here are how to maintain physical well-being and to prevent yourself from suffering the chronic diseases:
- Maintain a healthy diet. Reduce the amount of junk food or instant meals from your menu. Make sure to fulfill the nutrition that your body needs.
- Exercise regularly. It will boost your immune and prevent the disease. The good news, a regular exercise will also prevent the disease from coming back to you.
- Reduce your smoking or drinking habit. If stopping from drinking and smoking is difficult, reducing the amount of intake will help you. The goal is to get over the unhealthy routines slowly.
Geriatric pregnancy
What makes a middle-aged woman different is the risk of geriatric pregnancy. While a man may have no reproductional problems (except for the higher risk of having a child with genetic defects), women will face many health complications.
That is why a pregnancy over 40 requires a close examination from professionals.
It is not only about the higher risk of miscarriage. It is because the baby will risk the mother’s life. The most common complications for pregnancy over 40 are pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.
Therefore, to save the mother’s life, the family has to take immediate action. If it is too risky and might cause further fatal complications, the only way out is abortion. If the mother prefers to have a private and more natural process, taking an abortion pill with a doctor’s prescription will be helpful. It will allow the mothers to avoid surgery.
The declining psychological well-being.
The hardest moment for a middle-aged woman is to cope up with the alteration of her hormone. The transition to menopause will cause a fluctuation in her mood or sleeping pattern. Other factors might also fuel the disruption of her psychological well-being.
According to research, the mental concerns of middle-aged women are:
- The regrets of her actions led her to the current situation.
- Mother’s anxiety about children’s prospects.
- The constant worry of her family’s financial stability.
- Doing her married children’s housework, which leads to the increase of her responsibilities.
- She has to take care of the elderly (the disabled parents).
While other publications also mentioned that her life events can be the cause of her midlife crisis. The life events, namely, divorce, deaths, the inability to become who she wants to be, and exhausted caregiving.
To cope up with the psychological struggles in a midlife crisis, it is important to acknowledge the feeling of anxiousness. That way, she will be able to do self-assessment and make a health-priority list.
Midlife is a tough year for everyone, although it could be tougher for a woman. She needs perseverance, patients, and self-control.
A woman in her midlife needs support from their surrounding to maintain their well-being. It is because they are struggling to adapt to the hormonal transitions. There might be an increase in the responsibilities that made her burden becomes worse.
If your mother or woman around you is struggling to overcome the midlife crisis, offer your support to her. It means a lot to their well-being.
