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Women's Midlife Crisis

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Women’s Midlife Crisis

A midlife crisis is defined as personal turmoil and coping challenges in people age 39 through 50 brought on by fear and anxieties about growing older, (Lang, 2001). It is associated with the feelings of impending mortality and death. We hear the term used constantly in reference to men, my focus is how does this affect women.
In women we hear menopause as our “midlife crisis”. Menopause has been studied but it’s research is based on the physical changes women’s bodies go through. There is limited research on what our emotional state is during our midlife. That being said, I was wondering besides the hormonal changes and the symptoms of those changes what do women endure emotionally when they are faced with the same aspects of knowing their passed the midpoint. We also must evaluate if we have made our mark on the world and if we have accomplished what we feel we wanted to. So I decided I would like to find out if there are any steps that can be taken to ensure our emotional wellbeing.
I know the “empty nest syndrome” is a major factor for many women. I am just starting the realization that my kids are grown and have their own lives to live. They have been my center, what I define my life by. Now I have to move on and accept they still need me but at a much different level. I must find another concentration in life, and I need to make it about me and what I want for me. So my quest is to find out if the rest of my life can be as fulfilling as the beginning has been. I will always be a mother and a grandmother, hopefully of many more grandchildren, I love being a grandma.
I found that research studies have shown that the majority of women can be just as satisfied with their lives as they were in the first half, if not more so. Women that have been able to grieve their youth and get passed the fact that they are going to have grey hair

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