Are you past 50 and think life is passing by, leaving you in the dust? Don’t worry; you’re not the only one. Midlife men all over the world experience the same pain. With cases like Chris Cornell and others, extensive studies have been done on the subject. They all guarantee, that if you are strong enough to endure this pain, things will definitely begin to look up.
The Happiness Curve And Midlife Blues
A research of two million people in eighty countries was conducted by Dartmouth College in Hanover. With thirty-five years of data, they were able to reach a conclusion that the patterns of depression were very real. They also noticed that midlife blues is absolutely an age related form of depression.
This study went on to publish that the graph of happiness against age forms a U-shaped curve. This illustrates that happiness is at its highest in the beginning and end of our lives; and the lowest in the middle. The peak of depression was found around people on the verge of their 50s in seventy countries. The reason for the similarity in the happiness graph around the world was hard to determine but it was consistent through various cultures and environments.
They, however, were able to come up with a range of causal reasons. The most relatable of these was the fact that in midlife, people reflect the most on what they have achieved from their respective aspirations. This means, that they realize how short life is, and they think they have reached the end. Or are about to!
The Upward Curve
The shape of this graph begins to take an upward turn again and often this is because people learn to count their blessings and make the best of what they have. How quickly this happens is really completely up to you. The good news is that people make their way out of this low all around the world.
This research also found that people in their 70s agreed they were as happy as they were in their 20s. The reason (according to them) for their happiness was their physical and mental health. These people also acknowledged how they faced their worst around midlife, and thought it would never get better. But guess what? It did.
The Boat In A Treacherous Sea
Knowing that there is a definite way out of this slump, we only need to realize what or where this deliverance lies for us. This is naturally different for every individual and every respective circumstance out there. However, there is a metaphorical narrative designed for everyone, everywhere to reflect on.
Every individual in their midlife is denoted by a boat in their life, which finds itself on a treacherous sea. The sea has its moments of breathtaking beauty, which lets the boat float away happily into the sunset. Undoubtedly, there will also always be moments where the sea is anything but calm.
Every individual must realize that they have no control over nature and therefore the sea will do as it wishes. What this individual can do instead, is to make his boat indestructible. If he succeeds in doing so, he will be able to see the beautiful sunset of tomorrow.
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