After you work tirelessly to reach your goal, you will realize that you are getting older. At some point in your life, you start to feel tired, both emotionally or physically. The works that you can do in a day now requires two to three days to finish.
Perhaps, it is hard to accept the fact that you are not as productive as you were. To overcome this feeling, some people need support from other people around them. It won’t be a big problem if you have close friends to share your feelings comfortably.
But sometimes, you start to notice that you were too focused on your career and forgot to maintain a close relationship with your friends. And it is harder for a single woman to tackle this feeling. To overcome your mental struggles, also known as a midlife crisis, acknowledge your issue first and find a way to make yourself feel better.
Mid-life Crisis Mental Issues
As you age and noticing the declining productivity, some mental health issues might come to you. There are some issues that you might encounter when you are reaching a midlife crisis. Here are the common mental health problems after you are in your 40s.
Stress
It is a state when your body responds to the pressure from an unexpected situation. The trigger can vary, such as the failure of reaching your lifelong goal, divorce, death of your loved ones, or economic crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to be in this state.
Although stress can trigger someone’s productivity and brings a beneficial reaction, too much pressure will lead you to the next stage: anxiety.
Anxiety
The overwhelming stress because of an unexpected situation might lead to someone’s mind filled with negative thoughts and self-doubt. It affects their physical health with increased blood pressure, nausea, and even breathing difficulty.
You can’t be sure of whether someone is having an anxiety issue or not. It is because people with anxiety exhibit various actions that people without that issue do. But if you feel that it’s hard to concentrate, followed by overthinking habits that prevent you from doing something you love, you might be in the first stage of anxiety.
Seek help when you need it. You have to know who to reach to make you feel better. Or, perhaps, you can do relaxation techniques or a hobby to lessen anxiety.
Depression
Someone with chronic anxiety tends to show a sign of feeling depressed. According to researchers, the highest rate of people with depression is women between the ages of 40 and 59.
The feeling of depression is terribly common among people nowadays. It is a critical state that can trigger someone to do something that will harm themselves. It is the feeling that can make people feel sad and lonely without any reason. The endless feeling of loneliness will make them worse, and in some cases, they start to pull themselves from society.
If you ever feel that you are worthless and failed to seek the reason to live, be mindful of other depression symptoms. When you start losing your passion for doing something that you used to enjoy, or you tend to shut yourself from people around you, it is a serious sign that you feel depressed.
It can be a hard moment for you to reach out to someone immediately. If you feel comfortable with spending your time alone before reaching out to someone else, art therapy will be suitable for you. ;
Activity and Self-expression Improves Your Mental Health
You are not ready to share your thoughts with someone else yet. It will be helpful for you to let out your feelings instead of keeping them inside yourself. Sometimes, words can’t describe the pain that you feel. And it can be the reason why it is hard for you to reach out to someone else. You are afraid that they won’t fully understand your feelings, and you have a hard time explaining them.
There is a way for you to express yourself other than through words. You can explore art and creativity to express your feelings. Paint something on a canvas or a piece of paper. You don’t have to be good at drawing to do this. You can experiment and make mistakes; it’s therapy, not a contest. You don’t have to be afraid of the paints staining your outfits. Let the dry cleaners do their job, and you can focus more on expressing your thoughts.
Art therapy is valuable for someone who is struggling to overcome issues associated with intense emotion. But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t find a therapist after you are doing the art therapy. When you feel that you’re ready, find the one that is suitable for you.
