this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2024
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Meh, pretty thin discussion of midlife crisis. And focusing on "happiness" isn't a great way to measure anything.
It seems the midlife crisis comes about because many people "hit their stride" in middle age. All they've known to that point is struggle.
By middle age, the kids are mostly grown (or at least self-sufficient for managing their day and don't "need" mom and dad like toddlers do), you know yourself pretty well, work has become less challenging (it's wash/rinse/repeat).
You've been pushing against a wall for decades, now the wall isn't there, or it's less important to you, and you don't know what to do now - there's a loss of meaning because of this change in perspective.
Meaning in life comes from such things - facing challenges. Without the challenges to which one becomes accustomed, people are adrift for a bit.
This is it. I hit middle aged and wanted a new career challenge. I got it, excelled more than I expected (the peer competition out there sucks ya’ll), and had more time on my hands than I have had for decades. Kids old enough, etc. I had to sit down and decide to stop wasting the day reading the web/social media, and take on some hobbies. Helped immensely. Oh and that new impractical Mazda we bought is fun as hell to drive (most cars are too watered down and boring).