The middle of life: end or beginning? Fokina N.

The transition period usually occurs somewhere between the 35th and 50s (however, this can happen earlier and later-everything is very individual) and lasts several years. His frequent companions anxiety, distraction, fatigue, depression and collapse of illusions, general disappointment in life or in specific people, a spiritual confusion and a vague feeling of an abyss that open underfoot. Youth dreams were scattered by that time, a person no longer dreams of happiness and almost does not hope to fulfill his desires. His time runs rapidly, and he did not begin to live, although his gaze in the mirror, alas, convinces of the opposite... The former “I” of a person who correctly served half his life is dilapidated, is gradually destroying.

When the crisis begins, (regardless of whether it occurs suddenly or gradually), a person covers a sense of loss. Yes, his youth eludes, however, the depth and complexity of the experience are much superior to sadness from the loss of youth. He is visited by dull moods and longing for the past, a feeling of limb of life is growing, panic flashes at the thought of his own inevitable death. Attempts to cope with all this with the help of the arguments of reason or the usual denial are no longer successful.

The crisis, the onset of which is customary to be afraid, is actually a powerful impetus for the update, making a person understand who he is. The main experience of the crisis in the middle of life is the struggle between the self and the socialized personality: “Who am I - the one who always felt myself, or is the one who taught me how to count?”