Buying a red convertible sports car, engaging in a May-December fling, dressing like one did back in their collegiate years, hair plugs, and shoddy plastic surgery. These are tropes associated with a midlife crisis that movies and sitcoms have played upon for decades. But in reality, it’s no laughing matter.
Despite not being recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a midlife crisis feels very real to the 10 to 20% of adults who self-report as experiencing it. It is also palpable to the thousands of Americans who perform a Google search for midlife crisis counseling and semantically associated queries. The following sample from Google’s keyword research tool shows just how many people per U.S. state are looking for help for the same concern that brought you to us today:
It probably comes as no surprise to find that you’re not alone in what you feel as you navigate your middle-aged years. What sets you apart, however, is that you plan to follow through in your call for support. We’re glad that you did because no matter what your path has been like over the past five decades or so, you deserve to be happy. Moreover, we want you to realize that you are armed with years of knowledge and experience that empowers you to take advantage of new opportunities and embark upon exciting (and healthy) journeys with passion and fervor. Counseling can help make that happen by providing the cognitive tools to overcome negative emotions that you’ve been feeling lately. If you’re ready to do the work, Gen Z’ers and early Millennials will soon look to YOU with envy and admiration.
Schedule your first session with a Kindbridge care coordinator right away or read ahead first for more information.
How Kindbridge is Uniquely Qualified to Provide Effective Counseling, Therapy, and Support to Americans Struggling with a Midlife Crisis
Treating Symptoms Associated with Midlife Crisis
Persistent feelings of regret and nostalgia are often reported by those who admit to being in the throes of a midlife crisis, but there are also symptoms that are clinically recognized as mental health concerns. For instance, feelings of anxiety and stress are consistent within those who don’t feel stable in their careers and fear that if they lose their primary income they won’t have the same opportunity to make a “comeback” when up against those in their 20s and 30s. Increased feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression may also set in when there is financial uncertainty about being able to retire when desired. Others feel trapped in their life in middle-aged years, feeling powerless to make changes in relationships, professions, and circumstances that they settled into. On top of it all, both males and females undergo significant hormonal changes at this juncture which can aggravate negative and unhealthy emotions.
It’s also important to note that in some cases, there may be underlying and preexisting mental health issues that went unchecked earlier in life. They may now appear to manifest as symptoms of a midlife crisis when in fact they have been laying-in-wait this whole time.
To summarize, studies find the following symptoms are associated with those who report that they are experiencing a midlife crisis:
- Anger, irritability, and mood swings
- Anxiety
- Chronic stress
- Depression
Related to these are concerns such as compromised libido, insomnia, restlessness, and feelings of isolation, resentment, and unfulfillment. These can aggravate midlife crisis symptoms and perpetuate a vicious cycle.
Whether issues have been dormant until now, or are indeed caused by the transitional period, Kindbridge counselors are have the expertise you require to get healthy. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) among other proven treatments may be employed in your customized strategy.
Confronting Midlife Crisis Coping Mechanisms
To deal with the negative feelings and emotions addressed above, a significant number of men and women who experience a midlife crisis turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms. They temporarily provide a distraction. Detrimental ones include those that quickly release the “feel good” neurotransmitter dopamine, but come with risk of habitual if not compulsive behavior amongst vulnerable members of the population. You may have even turned to some of these coping mechanisms yourself.
Examples of unhealthy coping mechanisms include excessive gambling, gaming, porn consumption, alcohol and substance abuse, binge eating, and even online shopping. They provide fleeting relief and require increased participation (volume and frequency) in order to attain and sustain the same dopamine rush felt in the very beginning. This is where habits and compulsions are formed. Process addictions of this nature are one area that sets Kindbridge Behavioral Health counselors apart from general clinicians. While capable of treating the various symptoms of process addictions, we have counselors with specific expertise in the following:
Midlife Crisis Counseling for Couples Too
The mainstream narrative is that a midlife crisis is experienced by one individual in a marriage or other romantic union. However, it is not uncommon for both spouses/partners to experience it concurrently, especially if they arrived at the same relative age together. And in relationships where a midlife crisis is just experienced by one partner, there are negative mental health outcomes inflicted upon the other, especially if infidelity is suspected or has occurred. In either case, those seeking midlife crisis therapy who are in a committed relationship may consider couples counseling. Kindbridge offers couples counseling in addition to family counseling services.
Virtual Therapy that Works Around Your Schedule
We conclude with a look at one of the most practical benefits of choosing Kindbridge midlife crisis support services. Our counseling and therapy is virtual, offering both telehealth and online sessions. That means we are flexible and work around your busy schedule so that you can connect to your counselor when convenient, and most needed.
You’ve come a long way in life and have had the weight of the world on your shoulders through much of it. It’s time to let someone help and alleviate the mental health burden so that you can be free to experience new and amazing things. Reach out to schedule your very first session today.
Gain Happiness, Fulfillment, and Empowerment with Kindbridge
CALL +1 (877) 426-4258
OR
Email [email protected]
