Age 40's: Midlife crisis or maturity, why the confusion?

Health Tips

By Shean Bedi

As someone in his forties, I have always wondered when the midlife crisis would start. You see, popular culture says that once we reach our forties we’d be entering a period of self doubt and start behaving differently. Men are portrayed as regressing individuals who feel the need to prove their manhood by having affairs with younger women.

I don’t personally experience those but I have to admit that I do notice some behavioral changes. I am now more prone to fatigue and there are things that annoy me now more than ever. But hey, I’m not calling it midlife crisis. I believe experts call it the Male Menopause. Do I hear guys saying no way? Well, think about. If there’s a menopause for females, it makes sense that there’s one for males, right? So let’s see what 40 something men experience.

1 . Hypersensitivity – Like I said earlier, the littlest things set me off.

2 . Anxiety – If I seemed more worried than usual then I guess my wife and colleagues will be the best people who can prove that.

3 . Depression – With my work and travels, I have no time to be depressed. I guess if you enjoy what you do then it would be hard for depression to set in.

4 .Loss of sexual desire – I have YET to experience this. (I hope I won’t get in trouble with this!)

5 . Fatigue – As mentioned before, my energy levels are down at certain times but not all the time. I’m keeping fit with regular exercise and golf sessions with my buddies.

Being in your 40’s is not a crisis. It’s just your body’s way of telling you that you’re getting old. But that doesn’t mean that the fun stops. Consider each year as a year of gained maturity and look for more ways to enjoy life to the fullest and you’d be fine.

P.S. Find out if you’re having menopause. Check out this quiz by Jed Diamond, author the book the Male Menopause.