40 Signs You’re Probably Having A Midlife Crisis

Are you over the age of 40? Do you dream of hitting up music festivals like Glastonbury or Bonnaroo? Have you been obsessively reading the obituaries? If so, you’re probably having a midlife crisis.

A study in the UK shows that a modern midlife crisis tends to be experienced by men starting at age 43 (the same age as actor Matthew McConaughey) but doesn’t affect women until they’re 44 (the same age as actress Renée Zellweger).

First coined in 1965, the term “midlife crisis” was thought to occur anywhere between ages 40 and 60. Now, due to the fact that younger men and women are beginning their careers much earlier in life, the symptoms are popping up much sooner.

Statistics show the average age of chief executives has lowered from 59 to 48 in the last generation.

Some signs you may be experiencing a midlife crisis include taking up a new hobby, revisiting childhood holiday destinations, taking zero pleasure in the successes of your friends, and stalking your ex-partners on Facebook.

You may also find yourself unable to visualize the possibility of retirement or paying off your mortgage.

Body image issues are also at the top of midlife crisis worries.

A surgeon from the Crown Clinic – a hair transplant centre in Manchester – says as men and women get older, recapturing their youth is a high priority.

“We have found that people are far less shy about making quite radical changes to their appearance as they get older,” he explains, noting that men are now less embarrassed to seek transplants to battle baldness.

“They worry about losing their jobs and know that a more youthful appearance will make their more attractive not just to the opposite sex but employers as well.”

So, if you’ve noticed that you’re desperately covering your greys, desiring a simpler life, and have realized that you only get to read books when you’re on vacation – you may just be experiencing a midlife crisis.

But don’t worry, according to the study, it’ll only last three to ten years for men, and two to five years for women.

40 Signs You’re Probably Having A Midlife Crisis

1 Desiring a simpler life
2 Still going to music festivals like Glastonbury
3 Start looking up old boyfriends or girlfriends on Facebook
4 Realising you will never afford to pay off your mortgage
5 Joining Twitter so your bosses will think you ‘get’ digital
6 Excessively reminisce about your childhood
7 Taking no pleasure in your friends’ successes
8 Splashing out on a very expensive bicycle
9 Sudden desire to play an instrument
10 Worry over thinning hair
11 Take up a new hobby
12 Want to make the world a better place
13 Longingly look at old pictures of yourself
14 Dread calls at unexpected times from your parents (fearing the worst)
15 Go to reunion tours of your favourite bands from the 70s and 80s
16 Switch from Radio 2 to indie stations like 6 Music
17 Revisit holiday destinations you visited as a child
18 Cannot envisage a time when you will be able to afford to retire
19 Read obituaries in the newspapers with far greater interest and always check how people die
20 Obsessively compare your appearance with others the same age

See the full list here.

[Image via ShutterStock]