Hi Midlife Muse,

Experientially, midlife crisis comes to our lives as part of our journey as human being.We craft our personal and professional goals and then the passion and enthusiasm drive us through to achieve them. However, along the way, there are stumbling blocks and work hard to remove them. There are hits and misses, joys and frustrations become a part of our regular routine.One day, the energy is no longer there and you're going to seek for something else to recharge. You want to be alone. That's where midlife crisis begins.

Change your reality…change your perspective my midlife crisis was truly a crisis. A diagnosis of a terminal illness for my beloved husband and traveling that journey together was heartbreaking. However, now that I am on this side of it and rebuilding my new life, I have come to appreciate so many gifts that this crisis brought in the form of growth, confidence and finally feeling comfortable in my own skin. Things that seemed so important during my 20s and 30s have lost their appeal for deeper, richer personality. I don’t know who said it…Grief can either make you bitter or better. You get to choose. I think this also applies to getting older, wiser, smarter and okay so sometimes the body hurts a little but let’s just call it growing pains.

I had a mid-life crisis when I was 26. I resist labels. But I do think this time of life means a whole different set of challenges. In fact I created a career because of being a mid-lifer. A show for women over 40 (and beyond) to celebrate, lament over and laugh at this time of life. I think we need to coin a new "Mid-Life Crisis" term. That could help with the Mid-Life Crisis!

Tracy Pattin

Sizzle in the Middle.com

Yes. I believe in a midlife crisis. I believe it very likely is the result of a person’s physical chemistry as well as life circumstances. I was 51 and floundering in my profession. I needed a change and had decided to take early retirement and start my own business. Not satisfying to me but I did not feel I had other choices. We invited a former Russian exchange student to visit us in the fall and planned a camping trip to Utah. In the meantime, an opportunity opened up for me to take the lead on a project that was in line with all of my life’s efforts to date in my field. My husband was totally caught off guard. I was furious at him for even questioning whether I should take the position. Hadn’t I moved for him all of these years and supported him in his efforts to advance professionally? These are valid questions. But, I was out of balance. I was rude and insensitive to our Russian guest. I was totally absorbed in my preparation for the new job. I had to go back to graduate school to gain additional certification and never questioned the wisdom of sending my husband to Utah with the exchange student…Could have been disastrous. However, it was painful to my husband and I was totally insensitive to this pain. This was totally contrary to how I had lived my life in the past. Fortunately for me, I ended up in counseling due to my sister’s issues. Yet, the counseling helped me gain perspective on my own motivations and gave me perspective on why I totally disregarded people that I so love. It truly was a crisis. I was not happy and needed some grounding. Counseling provided that for me. So, I am a true believer in life coaching. What is maturity? Making decisions with the knowledge of how they affect others. I am still married and so much more grounded. No regrets for the crisis, but I am not sure where I would be without the guidance of our psychologist.

Many a man and many a woman come to me in a midlife crisis...their lives are changing and they want to rejuvenate their smiles. You see, I am a cosmetic dentist with neuromuscular, implant, sedation and orthodontic trainign and we can make those extreme makeovers you see on TV look like child's play. When the time comes for change, people are willing to do anything to get ready for the next phase in their lives. I can't count how many men and women want and get smile makeovers when the midlife crisis hits. They move on to the next level with more confidence, more attractiveness so that they can face their new reality. I guess that makes me a willing accomplice! Creating smiles people love....in Suwanee! Bill Williams, DMD, MAGD, MICCMO suwaneesmiles.com

Hello muse - oh, do I have a lot to discuss about midlife crisis...There's not enough room here! I thought I had journeyed through my life pretty much crisis-free...and then my husband got a new job in a state I didn't want to move to -- at age 52. Let the hell begin...

I don't know if I had a crisis, if I did it was when my daughter went away to college, I came home and was alone. After that I didn't even think about midlife. I feel, I really do, like I have been "reborn". I am not talking about in a religious sense. The issue is our culture (and I have lived in Europe) doesn't value middle aged women:( I guess my crisis is appearing NOW. When I try to connect with men my age most of them don't want a woman in their 50's, they want youth. Maybe that is their midlife crisis and it makes them feel young to be with younger women. I feel the opposite; want to be with someone with experience, intelligence, and my age. So, I just explained my midlife crisis to myself:)