Unpacking the Midlife Crisis on a Forest Walk

I am a woman in my midlife and for me, the crisis is one of living, reality and making the best of what I have. So why is that a crisis? I am unpacking the midlife crisis on a forest walk in this blog!

When I reached 55 years on Earth, I reached a huge sigh in my life. My children are teenagers, my husband is very busy with full-time work and I am based at home. My Sagittarian spirit drives me to move and explore my world BUT I am also a hermit introvert who prefers solitude and alone time to socials and busy loud times where people are many. My work has been part-time, freelance, and contract work since I married 18 years ago — a blessing and a challenge!

I juggle being a mom, a housewife, a cleaner, and a worker with exercise, chores, gardening and caring for the pets. I feel as if I am in constant fight-or-flight mode and I think I may have latent ADHD! That being said, I reached a kind of a midlife crisis in my 50s when perimenopause mellowed into menopause and I had time to replan my life. For the first time, I understood the Yin and Yang of Real Life.

I see myself as a mother first and foremost and then I need to give back to my people and planet. The entire planet is in a crisis which adds to my midlife crisis! Environmentalism is at the top of my list and my ideal job would be in the environmental “save the planet” realm. But jobs are scarce in general, especially for a white middle-aged woman in Africa! I take what I can get and that means writing, tutoring, admin, and social media jobs — all at once, in bits and pieces.

Everything I do is clean healthy fun: hiking, walking, yoga, reading, gardening, coffee with good friends, and the like. So, let’s unpack what it means to have a midlife crisis and whether this phenomenon is for real. Is it a biological part of humanity’s mortality or is it just a coined phrase for marketing purposes?

According to the media, a midlife crisis is a period of emotional turmoil and self-doubt that typically occurs between the ages of 40 and 60 (the human midlife). During this time, men and women often grapple with feelings of dissatisfaction, unfulfillment, and a sense of mortality. This phase can trigger a significant re-evaluation of one’s life, achievements, and future direction.

Midlife Crisis Emotional and Psychological Symptoms

• Self-Reflection and Doubt: Individuals may question the choices they’ve made, their career paths, relationships, and overall life purpose.
• Desire for Change: There might be an intense urge to make drastic changes, such as switching careers, ending relationships, or making significant lifestyle alterations.
• Depression and Anxiety: Feelings of sadness, anxiety, and restlessness can be prevalent. There’s often a sense of time running out to achieve personal goals.
• Nostalgia: A longing for the past and a sense of loss for missed opportunities or unfulfilled dreams is common.

Midlife Crisis Behavioural Symptoms

• Impulsive Decisions: People might make sudden, uncharacteristic decisions like buying expensive items, pursuing extramarital affairs, or taking up new, risky hobbies.
• Change in Appearance: An increased focus on physical appearance, including efforts to look younger, such as changes in wardrobe, hairstyle, or even undergoing cosmetic procedures.
• Withdrawal: Some may withdraw from social activities and relationships, preferring solitude to reflect on their feelings and life choices.

Causes and Triggers

• Ageing: Physical signs of ageing and health issues can serve as stark reminders of one’s mortality.
• Career Stagnation: Dissatisfaction with one’s professional achievements or feeling trapped in a monotonous job can trigger a crisis.
• Family Dynamics: Changes in family roles, such as children leaving home or caring for ageing parents, can contribute to stress.
• Unmet Goals: A sense of regret over unachieved personal or professional aspirations can be a significant factor.

Coping Strategies

• Self-Reflection: Engage in introspective practices like journaling, meditation, or seeking therapy to understand underlying emotions and desires.
• Set New Goals: Create realistic and fulfilling short-term and long-term goals to reignite a sense of purpose and direction.
• Communication: Openly discuss feelings with loved ones or seek support from friends, support groups, or professional counsellors.
• Healthy Lifestyle: Embrace a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and activities that promote well-being and stress relief.

Positive Outcomes

While a midlife crisis can be challenging, it can also lead to personal growth and positive changes. It offers an opportunity to reassess life priorities, make meaningful changes, and ultimately find greater satisfaction and fulfilment in the latter half of life. Jennifer Lee Austin sums it up like this: “A midlife crisis is a behaviour burst that often occurs just before settling down, typically rooted in long-ignored desires from the past, the realization of one’s own mortality, and a strong need to assess whether someone is truly living the life they want.”

Midlife is a New Beginning

The concept of a midlife crisis can also be seen as a new beginning, offering a chance for growth, reinvention, and renewed purpose. Whether midlife is experienced as a crisis or a new beginning often depends on an individual’s perspective and how they navigate this transitional phase.

1. Opportunity for Reflection: Midlife offers a natural pause to reflect on past experiences, achievements, and lessons learned, fostering a deeper understanding of oneself.
2. Reinvention and Growth: It’s a time to set new goals, explore new interests, and embrace changes that align with one’s true desires and values.
3. Increased Confidence: With age often comes greater self-assurance and a clearer sense of what truly matters, empowering individuals to make more authentic and fulfilling choices.
4. Focus on Well-Being: Many people in midlife prioritize health and wellness, adopting practices that enhance physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
5. Enhanced Relationships: This period can lead to more meaningful and supportive relationships as individuals become more attuned to their own and others’ needs.

Balancing the Crisis with the New Beginning

• Embracing Change: Viewing midlife as a natural and valuable transition rather than a crisis can shift the experience from one of despair to one of opportunity.
• Seeking Support: Engaging in therapy, support groups, or simply talking with friends and family can provide the emotional support needed to navigate this phase positively.
• Lifelong Learning: Embracing the idea that growth and learning continue throughout life can make midlife an exciting time of personal development.

Taking the Forest Walk Towards a Good Mid-Life Experience

So many people face considerable stress in their daily lives, triggered by various challenges and situations they encounter along the way. We have all learned by our 50s that stress can lead to a range of physical, mental, and emotional health issues. Remember too that as we enter middle age, our bodies naturally start to show signs of ageing, and chronic diseases become more common. This is when our immune systems slow down and our resistance to dis-ease weakens. We need to therefore work harder to maintain our health and resistance to harm, keeping our immune systems fighting strong. This period can be particularly challenging for women, who often experience higher levels of stress due to menopausal symptoms. This is where forest walks and forest therapy enter the midlife crisis picture.

Spending time in forests has been shown to reduce stress, and forest-based wellness programs are gaining traction in preventive medicine. Forest therapy is all about communing in and with nature to boost physical and mental health. Most of us know that forests offer a sensory feast with their stunning landscapes, fresh air, sunlight, soothing sounds, birds, wild animals, fungi, moss, and natural compounds like phytoncides and anions that comfort and heal us.

Theories like Kaplan’s attention restoration theory suggest that the natural environment helps us feel at ease and recover from mental fatigue. Orians and Heerwagen’s Savannah Hypothesis proposes that humans have an innate comfort and reduced stress response in natural settings. Ulrich’s stress reduction theory also supports the idea that nature helps us recover from stress more quickly. These theories highlight our deep-seated connection to nature, suggesting that our evolutionary history has made us attuned to finding solace and healing in natural environments.

In forest therapy, various methods maximize the healing benefits of nature. These include plant therapy, water therapy, diet, psychotherapy, climate therapy, and exercise therapy. Psychotherapy in forest settings often involves meditation, where participants immerse themselves in the sounds of nature, like the rustling wind, flowing water, and birdsong. Some programs focus solely on meditation practices such as breathing and walking meditation. Lennie Noiles acknowledges that “Midlife is the way of the forest. In the third season of life we reach a new stage of maturity coming to terms with who we are. The question is no longer who WILL you become, but who HAVE you become? Welcome to the exciting journey of navigating midlife transitions.”

In a recent study, The Effects of Forest Therapy on Health Promotion among Middle-Aged Women, researchers found that “forest therapy increased serotonin levels. It was verified that forest therapy was effective in promoting health by this action of serotonin. Increasing the serotonin level through the meditation-oriented forest therapy program developed in this study can contribute to illness prevention and improve quality of life.”

Maybe forest walks are for you? What a wonderful way to deal with a midlife crisis or general stress and depression! Forest therapy is a holistic way to enhance overall well-being, reminding us of the profound and nurturing bond we share with the natural world. Nature is a healer.