Midlife Blues and All That Jazz

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Work worries killing your sleep? Want to quit and start life again?

Welcome to the midlife blues, a crisis which hits most people around age 35 to 40. And it can linger even up to 60.

Midlife crisis, say, experts, damages the self-confidence and instils fear and anxiety. The mind begins to wander into areas known and unknown. Rational thinking is sometimes clouded by sudden spurts of impulse.

So don’t be surprised that if that girl at work, more than 20 years younger, seems rather attractive to you. Don’t look guilty if you reach for your Facebook and give long, lingering looks at pictures of girlfriends/boyfriends past. Or admire the way you looked many moons ago in your photo collection.

It doesn’t end there. Much thought is given to cover the receding hairline and streaks of grey. The George Clooney look, though appealing, must be avoided at all costs…

It may suit him, but you don’t want people to presume you are 55 when you are a mere 43 or somewhere there. And talking of age, does it really matter if you minus a few? Only your school or college mates can really verify your age.

Suddenly, the obituaries in the newspaper begin to grab your attention. There is this burning curiosity over how some of those dear departed passed on yonder. The mind sifts through evidence to find the least painful ones which will make it easier for you to meet your Maker.

So a life, once sailing smoothly, has now hit troubled waters. “You must ride this,” says Anil Mohite, 62, now comfortably retired. “I had this burning desire to chuck everything and start my own business around 20 years ago.

“I had written out my resignation and was full of over-confidence that I will be the boss and become big. “However, it did not happen. Every morning I made up my mind that today will be the day. It never came.

“I am thankful I did not take that drastic step. I had two children who had to be educated and a house loan on my head. “Now when I think of it, I laugh. Midlife crisis is something which hits all of us,” he added.

Mohan Natrajan, 57, was much braver. A bank employee, he took early retirement at the age of 47. “I worked out that that I had saved enough and I wanted to take it easy and enjoy life.

“Call it the midlife crisis or whatever, I am not regretting my decision. “I wake up in the morning and have a full day to do what I want. That feeling is so good,” he adds.

For Sunita Leonard, 43, it was a little more complex. A former vice-president in a property company, she had to make many decisions recently.

“First I gave up my job because I felt guilty that I was ignoring my kids who were growing up. “Once I quit, I realised I could not stay at home. So I started my own business so I could manage time between home and work. “That did not work too. Handling a business requires full-time attention. Now I have given up that too. “This has happened in midlife. I have to take a decision soon, as I am not a home bird.”

Jayesh Mehta, 45, hit the gym two years ago after years of indulgence in the finer things of life. “I have lost 20kgs and feel fitter than ever. I can wear T-shirts without having to think twice. “I can pass off for 30 now, I still earn a few glances from women, you know.”

He probably doesn’t know. Going after the six-packs later in life is also a sign of midlife crisis.

Babu Kalyanpur
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