From a mental fitness perspective there are six long-range strategies for managing the possibility and sometimes reality of midlife crisis.
Although midlife crisis is not a diagnosis in the DSM-IV, it is a condition experienced by many through the course of their relationship or marriage.
How do you prepare for midlife crisis?
From a mental fitness perspective the 6 strategies for preparing and coping with a life crisis are:
1. Educate yourself about midlife crisis. Visit websites like Life Two for learning about midlife crisis or find other resources.
2. Expect that you or your spouse may experience a midlife crisis during the course of your relationship or marriage. Times of discontent in life and marriage are normal. Times of discontent can generate motivation and activities to revitalize life and marriages.
3. Realize that you and your spouse have a good relationship even when you or your significant other experience symptoms of midlife crisis. Hold on to the hope and realization that even in good relationships that are times of disconnect.
3. Accept that you or your spouse may experience the symptoms of a midlife crisis and the time of discontent in life and in your relationship. Although it is hard to accept the reality of a midlife crisis, acceptance of the reality of a life crisis makes it much more easy to cope with it.
4. Recognize the signs of midlife crisis in yourself or your spouse. Denial and avoidance of the signs of a life crisis does not make it go away. Recognition of the signs of a life crisis is necessary to address the discontent.
5. Recommit to finding meaning and spontaneous fun in your life and marriage. The presence of signs of midlife crisis provide opportunities to find greater meaning in life and in marriage. When people are knowledgeable about midlife crisis, they are able to realize that perceive threats to their marriage are really opportunities for re-commitment.
6. Refresh in computer terminology your life and marriage; welcome the process of reconnection; and re-experience the excitement in your life and marriage.
The purpose of the strategies is help you to realize that midlife crisis is part of the course of marriage, and does not have to be associated with the destruction of a marriage.
These strategies will not always be easy to apply. You still feel the pain and disappointment of a midlife crisis. Applying the strategies can give you the mindset, power and hope for making it through a midlife crisis. Many marriages not only survive, but can thrive after a midlife crisis.
Remember, You Live within the Environment Created by Your Choices!
Dr. Hal
Life and Mental Fitness Coach
This is really important. All the work you invested in your relationship during the years before the crisis can create a strong support for the partner that enters into a midlife crisis.
If that foundation wasn't there, the relationship is often the first casualty.
I cannot imagine anything more challenging than hanging in there while your mate becomes like a stranger. Your advice is spot on - learn all you can about the crisis and for the non crisis partner - remember it's not personal or about you. And yes it is painful.
Posted by: Dave | February 21, 2007 at 11:13 PM
RE: 6 Strategies for Mid-Life crisis
Great ideas to remember when the innevitible mid=life crisis occurs!!!
M
Posted by: maria dewitt | February 27, 2007 at 08:30 PM