Just make sure that when you get back up, you rise as the whole damn fire.... Collette Werden.
George Eliot said "It's never too late to be what you might have been". What a great motivational line! It's tempting sometimes to give up on our dreams. To say "ah well it's too late now". But it's not is it? We limit ourselves by not trying.
"In 20 years you will be more disappointed by what you didn't do than by what you did"Mark Twain
The change of life as it is sometimes referred to..... What better time to make changes and better our coming years. For women our midlife crisis is definitely the Menopause. Changes occur in our bodies that we have no control over. We have to adjust to these physically and emotionally.
For me it was also a time of reflection and taking stock of my life so far. With children grown and work as routine as ever I was feeling restless and anxious. My role in life had changed. I no longer was the caregiver to my children. They had moved away from home and were independent. There was a void not only physically but also emotionally. The Menopause complicated everything. It brought it's own physical challenges like the hot flashes and lack of sleep and also the emotional ones like the anxiety and weepiness.
I felt I needed to take control back and give myself some direction. What could I do? One of the first things I did was get myself fit. I started walking early every morning. A 5km brisk walk. What a difference that made to my mood and my energy levels during the rest of the day. I took bridge classes and I took golf lessons. These got me out in to social settings where I met new people and developed friendships. I also started learning Spanish online with Babbel....great for my holidays to Spain. These activities filled my time and distracted me from the sad and negative feelings I was experiencing.
Self care is actually so important for our physical and mental health. I had spent so many years caring for others that I had forgotten to care for myself. By doing these simple things for myself I started to feel vital and motivated again.
"Start over my darling. Be brave enough to find the life you want and courageous enough to chase it. Then start over and love yourself the way you were always meant to." Madalyn Beck