Mid-Life Crisis: Not just a Male's Issue
What is it about reaching your forties and fifties that causes some individuals to revert back to the action of their twenties? There are many theories on this. Most of them surround the typical mid-life crisi a man has where he buys a sports car or a motorcycle. Maybe he'll start dressing more up to date or looking for a younger woman. But what about the female that hits her forties and fifities? Is it possible for women to have a mid-life crisis too?
The answer is simple: Yes. Everyone starts to evaluate their life's accomplishments around this stage in life. You've usually gone through marriage, having kids, working for a period of time, etc. You start to think about the end of your life- have you accomplished all the things you've wanted? Is there where I thought I'd be at this age? What does my future hold? And there only so many years left, I'm going to get out there and do the things that I should have done when I was younger.
In my experience working with both males and females, I've been told that it feels almost like a switch has been turned on and they can't make sense of it. It may be confused with mania, depression, anxiety, stress, etc. It can also come hand in hand with those emotional issues. It doesn't mean that you are crazy though.
Some sites that I would particularly recommend both males and females to check out are listed below. They help to define what is or isn't "normal" in a mid-life crisis state of mind. They also talk about the differences in what manic behavior might be like as opposed to mid-life crisis thoughts/feelings/actions.
http://www.more.com/2035/2640-midlife-crisis--how-women-cope\
http://cme.medscape.com/viewarticle/487928
http://counsellingresource.com/distress/mood-disorders/manic-symptoms.html
If you feel you can't seem to get a hold of what's going on with you, seek help from your friends, family, and your doctor. It may be helpful to also work these issues out with a therapist/counselor, especially if you feel what's going on is affecting your family and friends (and living your life in general).