Life Coaching for Women Blog
Why Do So Many Women Feel Lost in Midlife?
Recently, in a yoga class, one of the ladies described her situation as a little babushka doll in a set, and I knew exactly what she meant.
She is sandwiched between older relatives who are beginning to need more from her, younger children who still need her in different ways, a full-time job, a partner, friends and all the everyday responsibilities that seem to accumulate as we get older, and somewhere in the middle of all of this, she has started to lose sight of who she actually is.
The thing is, from the outside, she has what most people would probably describe as a good life. She has a good job and people she loves; she is intelligent, funny and articulate.
There is nothing about her life that would necessarily make somebody think that she should be struggling with her sense of identity or wondering what happened to the person she used to be.
So why does she, and why do so many other women reach their 40s and 50s and find themselves feeling lost, stuck or strangely disconnected from their own lives?
I think this is one of the things about midlife that we don't always talk about very honestly.
What To Do When You Feel Lost in Your 50s: 7 Signs It’s Time to Rethink Your Life
Many women feel lost in their fifties, but somehow it’s not something we talk about. It’s almost as if to admit you feel lost means you have somehow failed. But something I want to reassure you is that feeling lost in your fifties doesn’t mean you have failed; it often means you’re pausing to reassess with more self-knowledge and life experience than ever before.
Feeling uncertain is a natural part of growth, not a verdict on your worth; indeed, if you didn’t feel differently in your fifties than in your twenties, you almost certainly wouldn’t have grown in many areas.
So, if you're feeling lost in your 50s, start by asking what has changed rather than what's wrong with you.
Because your priorities, identity, relationships, career, or sense of purpose may have changed, and the life that once fit you may no longer fit you in the same way.