Coping With Mid Life Crisis 

Mid-life crisis is a term that has been around for years, but there seems to be a change in attitude towards it within society at the moment. The New York Magazine has even given sufferers their own name, ‘grups’. Mid-life crisis is generally defined as middle-aged people trying to reclaim their youth as they become more disillusioned with growing older.

‘Grup’ appears in an episode of Star Trek and combines the two words of the term grown-ups. Ironic really considering the sufferers of mid-life crisis seem anything but. The need to hold on to what can only be described as the fantasy of how their younger years used to be appears to be all-consuming. It generally tends to change all aspects of behaviour, from the way a person dresses to the way they deal with overwhelming situations.

Mid-life crisis is usually brought on by a mixture of jealousy and resentment. For example, ever needed your child to show you how to work a computer, cell phone or ipod? Children grow up learning how to work and use new technology. Adults tend to take a lot longer to learn something new but get frustrated that a child has to be the one to teach them. It can seem patronising and thus brews resentment.

There are millions of grups out there, and most of them do not recognise their status as a grup. Anything can start your trip down the road to becoming a grup, from younger people at the office getting promotion over you to your children leaving home. Either way, you will feel distinctly out of touch with the youth of today. As a result you may begin to panic and feel old. It is then that the grup in you begins to rear its ugly head!

Mid-life crisis does generally tend to sneak up on people, and coming out the other side happens just as unexpectedly. It is just a matter of riding out the storm before you wake up one day and realise how ridiculous it all is. Only then can your truly appreciate growing older and get on with your life. Would you really want to go through being young again?