As per Psychology Today, midlife is the central period of a person’s life, spanning from 40 to age 65. But is midlife just about how old you are? And if yes, is the age when midlife starts the same for everybody?
Here’s how you know you are entering midlife and why it matters.
Is it an age thing?
So, are you entering midlife at a specific age? Is it 40, 45, or 50? Is chronological age or biological age?
Most people connect midlife with a period when things start going south, and they feel they are going through a “Midlife Crisis.”
Many connect it with the peak of their career. But, does it make sense? How do you know that the highest point of your career is behind you? What about those young computer geniuses in Silicon Valley? Some feel that they have reached their peak as programmers in their mid/late 20s and it’s downhill after that. The same goes for professional athletes. Are they entering midlife in their early 30s?
You may connect midlife with your children and parenthood. But, when is your peak in this case? When they are born or when they leave home? How early have you become a parent?
How can we know we have entered midlife?
In my case, I am sure I’m in midlife at age 49. Not because of my age, either chronological or biological. It is not connected to my career, and I have no idea if I am before, at or beyond the peak. And, I have no children, so I cannot connect it to parenthood.
I knew I had entered midlife when I realized that my life would come to an end at some point. Yes, I am talking about death.
At an intellectual level, I knew I would die, sure. But, death did not seem real when I was younger. It’s as if it was something that would happen to others, but not to me. I was young. I could not even imagine myself growing older, let alone dying.
And it wasn’t until I could visualize the end of life as something real that I realized I was in midlife.
Instead of feeling scared or depressed, I found the thought of death liberating. Not because it was something to look forward to, but because it took away a sense of suspense and uncertainty. Suddenly, I felt more clarity like someone flipped a light switch.
This certainty – and the clarity it gave me – forced me to recognize the importance of every day of my life. I know that my time here is limited, and I do not want to waste it.
Why is it important to know?
Realizing that you will not live forever has tremendous benefits. It can give you a positive sense of urgency.
Why wait until you feel unwell to adopt a healthy lifestyle? Why wait until you are unfit, to start working out? Why wait for your relationships to deteriorate with time? Why wait to start truly enjoying life?
When death is an abstract, faraway concept, it’s easy to postpone things forever. But when you realize that nothing in the world is as certain as death (except taxes), you know that you have to act now. The sooner, the better.
Despite its bad rap, midlife is not something to dread. It is a time to celebrate, make the most of your life, and achieve your greatest feats on all fronts.
So what are you waiting for? Go on, be a midlife contrarian, and enjoy life!
