your thoughts on the midlife crisis

[throwaway4372]

[38/m] I've been thinking about how I'm losing satisfaction my career and becoming aware of my mum's mortality, and generally wanting to go back and get a second shot at old decisions. I've heard these are signs of midlife crisis. I did some googling, but the results are poor quality - makes me think it was written by a woman, or society doesn't care about men's health /rant.

So I thought I'd ask the forum, plenty of guys here my age or older, so maybe you can chime in with your thoughts on the midlife crisis. What do you understand it to be, do you believe in it at all, what were your experiences or experiences of guys you know? How long did it last, any tips for handling it well or what to expect afterwards?

 

[throwaway4372]

However I think it's a matter of perception & attitude - is it really a "crisis" if it prompts you to make positive changes to your life?

I thought that too at first, so I looked up the definition of 'crisis'. There are multiple definitions, I think it's this one which applies, written a couple of different ways:
- A crucial or decisive point or situation, especially a difficult or unstable situation involving an impending change.
- A stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, especially for better or for worse, is determined; turning point.