Feeling Stuck in Midlife? 7 Holistic Coaching Steps to Find Your True Direction
My role as a life coach means I work with many women in different situations, but the one I work with most often is the feeling of being stuck or lacking direction, especially through the mid-life years.
Now this is something I have had experience with. My coaching practice began as a result of me feeling stuck in the life I was living and wanting more purpose, passion and happiness.
Feeling stuck, restless, or facing the quiet solitude of an empty nest can bring up many emotions and a profound sense of uncertainty and loss.
These emotions are valid and common among midlife women who are trying to live their lives while significant changes are happening all around.
This is where holistic coaching becomes such a valuable tool, as holistic life coaching offers a compassionate approach to help you reconnect with your inner self, uncover new passions, and gain clarity about your next chapter.
When we address the mind, body, and spirit as one whole interconnected entity, you can reclaim your purpose and build a fulfilling, authentic life tailored to your evolving dreams and goals.
Understanding Midlife Stagnation and the Need for Purpose
If you are experiencing feeling stuck, disconnected or lost in your life, you will fully understand how it can take over every area of your life.
There is a need to understand where these feelings of stagnation are coming from and then put in place coping mechanisms.
This involves recognising when life feels stuck, unchanging, or lacking progress, which often signals a deeper need for purpose.
Holistic coaching addresses this by exploring all dimensions of your life, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual, allowing you to uncover limiting beliefs, unresolved emotions, and misaligned goals.
This comprehensive approach helps you reconnect with your core values and passions, building clarity and motivation.
By cultivating a renewed sense of purpose, holistic coaching empowers you to move beyond stagnation and create meaningful, lasting change in your life.
Why Women Feel Stuck After 40 and 50
There are a host of reasons why you often feel stuck after 40 or 50. Often, a combination of societal expectations, life transitions, and internal pressures can bring these feelings to the surface.
You may have dedicated years to careers, family, or caregiving, leading to a sense of lost personal identity or unfulfilled dreams.
Hormonal changes and health concerns at this time in your life can also impact energy and motivation.
Additionally, cultural messages sometimes define this age as a time of decline rather than opportunity (we’ve all experienced, I am sure, the endless adverts about ageing and the power of youth), causing self-doubt and fear about future possibilities.
These factors together can create a powerful feeling of being trapped or unsure about the next chapter, even when a strong desire for growth and change remains within you.
7 Holistic Coaching Steps to Get Unstuck
Step 1: Mindful Self-Reflection to Clarify Midlife Purpose
If you want to understand why you are feeling the way you do, you will need to engage in some mindful self-reflection.
Mindful self-reflection is a powerful tool to help clarify your path during midlife, a period often marked by transition and reevaluation.
By intentionally pausing to observe your thoughts, feelings, and experiences without judgment, you create space for deeper understanding and clarity.
To begin, set aside quiet moments each day to focus inward. Ask yourself meaningful questions, such as:
What brings me joy?
What have I outgrown?
What dreams have I set aside?
Paying attention to these answers allows you to uncover authentic desires and identify areas where change is needed. Journaling can enhance this process, helping you track patterns and insights over time.
Journaling is something I recommend to my clients, and I know from my own practice that it can bring amazing clarity and understanding.
Practising mindfulness meditation encourages presence, reducing the noise of external pressures and internal doubts you may be grappling with.
Step 2: Release Limiting Beliefs Holding You Back After 40
If you find yourself with negative feelings about moving forward in your life, you need to start taking decisive action.
One of the first things is to begin to release limiting beliefs.
To release limiting beliefs, you will need to create conscious mindshifts, starting with identifying the negative thoughts that restrict your growth and will help you to overcome fear.
Reflect on the patterns that have held you back, whether they relate to age, self-worth, or capabilities, and challenge their validity by seeking different evidence that disproves them.
Replace these limiting beliefs with positive affirmations (even when they feel difficult when you first start) and set realistic goals that spur you on to take action.
Also, be mindful of the people you have around you. Supportive, loving people will help you to release limiting beliefs and be the version of yourself you want to become.
Step 3: Reconnect With Your Body Through Gentle Movement & Breathwork
When you are feeling stuck or disconnected, this is your sign to reconnect with your body through gentle movement and breathing.
This practice begins by creating a calm, distraction-free space where you can focus inward.
Start with slow, mindful stretches that awaken the muscles without strain, such as simple neck rolls, shoulder shrugs, or seated spinal twists.
Pair these movements with deep, intentional breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, to enhance your awareness of physical sensations.
This practice helps you tune into your body’s natural rhythms, reduce tension, and start to understand what is going on internally in your mind and body.
The mind-body connection is crucial in holistic coaching.
Breathwork is an important holistic practice because it calms the mind and body, reduces stress and anxiety and has a wealth of physical health benefits.
It is also a good idea to think about joining a yoga class to help with movement and breathing, so you can maximise the benefits of gentle movement and breathing.
Step 4: Align Daily Habits With Your Core Values and Life Vision
When you’re feeling stuck in midlife, aligning your daily habits with your core values and life vision can create a powerful shift.
We all live by core values, whether we are aware of them or not and make life decisions based on them.
When there is confusion in life or you feel lost, it can be because you aren’t living by your core values.
This is one of the first steps I undertake with clients, so they have full clarity as to who they are and what is important to them.
Start by clarifying what truly matters to you, your values, and envision the life you want to lead.
Then, examine your daily routines and identify which habits support or undermine that vision.
Small, intentional changes in your habits can gradually build momentum, helping you break free from stagnation and move toward a life that feels authentic and fulfilling.
Consistency in living according to your values brings clarity, renewed motivation, and a sense of purpose during this transformative time.
Step 5: Cultivate Spiritual Awareness and Inner Guidance
I have found that many women start to cultivate a spiritual awareness as they get older.
This could be because, as we age, we become more aware of who we are, where we are from and where we are going in life.
We can also begin to understand the importance of life and how short it is in the grand scheme of things.
When you are feeling stuck in midlife, cultivating spiritual awareness and inner guidance can provide you with a powerful pathway to clarity and renewal.
Taking time for introspection and connecting with your deeper values allows you to uncover hidden desires and wisdom that often go unnoticed in the busyness of life.
This inner guidance, often acquired by meditation, mindfulness and journaling, can serve as a compass, directing you toward choices that align with your true self and purpose.
It can help you to listen more to your intuition and provide a more purpose-driven midlife.
Embracing this spiritual awareness can transform feelings of stagnation into opportunities for growth, self-discovery, and meaningful change.
Step 6: Set Soulful Goals and Create a Midlife Action Plan
These nagging feelings of being stuck, lost, unfulfilled or adrift in your life often signal a need to reconnect with your deeper desires and aspirations.
When you think back to a younger version of yourself, you will often remember feeling alive, invigorated, full of enthusiasm and direction.
These feelings can be created again by becoming more intentional in your life.
Set soulful goals by reflecting on what genuinely brings you fulfilment and aligns with your core values.
These goals should inspire and motivate you, moving beyond external expectations to celebrate who you truly are.
Once your goals are clear, create a midlife action plan that breaks them down into manageable, realistic steps with deadlines.
This plan serves as a roadmap, helping you regain momentum and purpose while providing structure and accountability.
By combining soulful goal-setting with a practical action plan, you can transform midlife uncertainty into a powerful opportunity for growth and renewed confidence.
I have seen firsthand in many coaching sessions the power of these holistic life-planning exercises and the transformative effect they can have on clients’ lives.
Step 7: Build a Supportive Community and Find the Right Holistic Life Coach
Going through this chapter of your life shouldn’t be faced alone, and there are many ways you can reach out.
There is no denying that feeling stuck in midlife can be overwhelming, as you may question your purpose, direction, and overall fulfilment.
Life can feel disorientating and you can feel like a stranger in your own mind and body.
Therefore, during this time, building a supportive community of like-minded individuals who understand your struggles is crucial for encouragement and shared growth.
Alongside this, finding the right holistic life coach can provide personalised guidance to help you explore your emotions, shift limiting beliefs, and create actionable steps toward a more satisfying and balanced life.
Together, a strong support system and professional coaching empower you to break free from stagnation and embrace new possibilities with confidence.
Never forget, this is your time, and with the right network of trusted people, it can be your best time yet.
How Holistic Life Coaching Transforms Women in Midlife
“I absolutely loved my life coaching with Sharon.
We’ve been on a holistic wellbeing journey together, some of which I didn’t even know I needed when we first started, but I’ve loved it! I learnt so much and got so much out of it.
And…most importantly, it’s all had such a positive impact on my life.”
Nikki
If you are feeling stuck in midlife and need some help, understanding you don’t need to go through it alone is crucial to your mental, emotional and physical well-being.
There are many people you can reach out to, and a trained holistic life coach is a powerful investment for your future.
I have worked with many women who have felt the benefit of coaching in different areas of their lives.
If you are wondering how holistic life coaching can help you, then click the button below and read what some of these amazing women have said and the experiences they have been through.
Final Thoughts
Feeling stuck in midlife can often lead to a sense of frustration and uncertainty about the future, but it doesn’t have to define your path forward. Life coaching offers a structured and supportive approach to help you gain clarity, uncover your true passions, and set achievable goals tailored to your unique journey.
By working with a coach, you can break free from limiting beliefs and create a clear, purposeful direction that aligns with your values and dreams. This process empowers you to take meaningful action, reignite your motivation, and embrace this stage of life as an opportunity for growth and transformation.
Next Steps: Begin Your Midlife Transformation Today
Begin your next chapter today by booking a free discovery call and exploring how life coaching with me can be a truly transformative experience. This session offers a chance to uncover what might be holding you back, helping you get unstuck and gain clarity on your true direction.
Through personalised guidance and supportive coaching, you’ll develop the tools and confidence needed to make meaningful changes and move forward with purpose.
Taking this first step could be the key to unlocking the life you’ve been longing for.
If you would like to listen to the audio version of this post click below
If you have enjoyed this blog post, please comment and share below.
