So, This is What They Call a Mid-Life Crisis.

I had the absolutely mother, father and grandparents of a middle age crises when I turned 40.......

I absolutely did everything that you can imagine that a guy who suddenly realizes that his life is mundane could do, I dumped my partner, bought a sports car, added a Ducati to my fleet of motorcycles, partied hard in Vegas, ran a marathon with zero training, had relationships with all the 'wrong' women, dated girls in their 20's and early 30's voraciously etc.....

My mid-life crisis was pretty awesome.

Just turned 50 and women my age don't appeal to me any more in a romantic sense.


Looking at buying a sports car for Christmas.


Traveling to a Foreign Country for the lst time in 2013.


Purchase a ticket to go skydiving in 2013.

Regarding your first line? Why the hell NOT?

Most single women I meet my age can't match my energy level. Just sayin!!!

I completely understand this! Which is why I have always dated younger men. However they are usually not in it for the long haul, so I finally decided to try a date with an older man (only 2.5 yrs older) and we are perfect for each other! Granted, he's not very active & complains alot about his knees, back etc, but he doesn't stop me from being young & active so it works!

You are only as old as you feel.

I am only 28, and had my first mid-life crisis at 22, lol!

Pretty easy to say when you are 28, believe me...

By the way OP, you look pretty damn good.

I suppose it is pretty easy to say when I am 28....except that I did not mention the high blood pressure, tachycardia, amount of dental work due to TMJ, or any other day to day woe is me. Oh yeah, and chronic migraines. So, like I said you are only as old as you feel. I feel pretty old.

a mid-life crisis is not about feeling old. it's about when you first realize that you're older than you feel and time is moving forward relentlessly. when i was 28, i didn't understand it. at 45, i now do. a realization like that hits you like a ton of bricks. that's what people mean when they talk about having a mid-life crises.

Thank you so much for the clarification. But, I am pretty sure that I understood what a mid-life crisis was before I posted. I do understand at 28 what a mid-life crisis is, and I understood it very clearly at 22 as well. It was without a doubt a realization that hit me like a ton of bricks. I have severe anxiety, always have. I had a doctor tell me at 22 that despite the fact that I was an otherwise healthy person, anxiety caused my heart rate to raise to over 125 (at a resting rate), and I would be lucky to live until I was 25. FYI........the anxiety was due to the fact that life was moving forward relentlessly, and out of my control. I realized how important my family is, and they deserve better than that. There are also lots of other life defining events that I am not going to mention here.

So again, you are only as young as you feel. I believe that it is never too late to set out to accomplish anything that your heart desires.

i still don't think you understand. it's about realizing that certain things are no longer possible because you're getting older. that's why a lot of guys compensate by going out and getting a Porsche. they want to feel like they are still young, even if they are not. in my case, i never got married and never had kids. now it's too late for me. that's something a lot of people take for granted and it's something i'll never get to do. that's the sort of realization that hits you like a ton of bricks. at 28 you can't understand. intellectually, maybe. but until you get to your mid-40's, you won't really know. it's not about disappointments everyone faces in life due to the stresses of life. a mid-life crisis is about aging and the barriers it starts to put up in front of the grand plans you had for life when you were young. at least that's my take on it.

While you are certainly entitled to your opinion, keep in mind that you DON'T know me. Yes, I am 28. You don't have to be in your mid-40's to come to term with the fact that you may never do certain things. I will most likely never have children of my own. This is not because I am incapable, but because my husband is 38 and does not to have children much later than that.

I have lost a parent, a sibling, just about all grandparents, and my parents are already losing siblings. They were only in their 40's. Ive watched friends lose parents who are in their late 40's early 30's. I realize that life is temporary, and who are you to tell me that I can't realize at 28 that there are barriers. You can't tell me that I will live until tomorrow, much less into my 40's or 50's. I have a friend who is dying of cancer, and a friend who's child is fighting a very courageous battle with cancer. She may not make it into her 40's to realize that she won't accomplish everything that she set out to in life.

I don't think that a close minded "general" approach is really all that applicable in this situation. I don't think that you can judge a person by their age and say that they don't understand the meaning of mid-life crisis.

But again, thanks for the clarification.

Could it be that our understanding and definition of mid-life crisis is different from person to person and evolves over time? I get what Stinkerbelle is saying but I identify very closely with WinnerVictorious and think he said what I was trying to say even better. But maybe you are both "right"?

Edited to say I just didn't want to quote that huge thread...

Age is just a number

Since turning 40, I have lost 60 lbs, PR'd for a half marathon at 1:42, done 3 Century rides, a Tough Mudder, several duathlons & a triathlon.

In 2013, I will have a son in the ARMY & officially become a Grandma! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

You ROCK!!

A 60 pound loss is amazing! Your physical accomplishments are awesome, too!

My decided in her later 40's that her life just wasn't what she wanted it to be. She went from a selling specialist in a department store to a multi-million dollar producing real estate agent. I am so proud of her! She had her first "official" grandbaby earlier this year

Do you get where I'm going with this? I am realizing that I AM BECOMING THAT OLDER LADY!

I want to hear your stories:

What is going on with you in your mid life, are you having a crisis, and what are you going to do about it?

I WAS that older lady. But I'm not any more.

When my son was about 13, he wanted to go to the carnival. I was just getting home from work and didn't really want to, but I took him. I'm waiting for him while he was on the rides, all the young people around me, I'm wearing an ugly shapeless jacket and carrying my huge purse, and I thought, "OMG, I turned into my mother". I pretty much had the attitude that once you hit a certain age, that is it, you get heavier, you dress frumpier, and that's just the way it is. Trying to dress young is ridiculous, you now wear what is practical and what fits.

So, I did that for too many years. My son is now 26. And I'm about to turn 50. But I won't be a fat and frumpy fifty. I'll be a fit and fabulous fifty. Oh, and I went and got my motorcycle license and got myself a Harley. No crisis here.

I'm pretty sure mid-life crisis can come at any age... I am 21, in a horrible financial situation, will probably never be able to get back to school, am stuck working part time at Walgreens and everyday I feel like my 4.0 GPA/Honor student brain is going to mush.

But, on the plus side... living at home means I get to spend everyday with the most amazing little sister ever (she is seven) and my relationship with my mom is better than ever. I may never be able to get to med school like I dreamed of as a little girl, but apparently I stock shelves like a pro and my boss loves me, so I'm not likely to lose the job that took me months to find.

On the best side, I have been able to take my time "off" of school to focus on "me". My mom's insurance covered weight loss surgery and I am down 135lbs and I am healthier than ever. Pretty awesome way to start off my adult life. Now if I could get everything else in order, I would be golden.

quote: "a mid-life crisis is not about feeling old. it's about when you first realize that you're older than you feel and time is moving forward relentlessly"....this is how i am feeling, my age really seemed to hit me when i turned 45 in June.......in my head im not 45, but unfortunetly the mirror is telling me a different truth.... i dont have a bucket list and was reading this thread hoping for some ideas

I'm pretty sure mid-life crisis can come at any age... I am 21, in a horrible financial situation, will probably never be able to get back to school, am stuck working part time at Walgreens and everyday I feel like my 4.0 GPA/Honor student brain is going to mush.

The economy has been particularly vicious to those born in the 1980s/early 1990s.