Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

These 9 Words From a Therapist Cured My Midlife Blues

I recently turned 45 and, while I wouldn’t say I’m in the midst of a midlife crisis, I would admit that, like a lot of 40 somethings, I spend more time than I’d like worrying whether I’ve ended up in the right place in life.

Don’t get me wrong. Objectively I know I have nothing to complain about. I have a strong marriage, an amazing kid, and a business that utilizes my talents and allows me the flexibility to enjoy my family.

But there are always buts. I also live 5,000 miles from my closest friends and family. Expat life might look glamorous on social media. And it does have real advantages. In large part thanks to the lifestyle here in Cyprus, we enjoy good physical and financial health (knock on wood).

Living so far from your comfort zone is often hard and lonely though. Also, career limiting. Like many people my age, I wonder if I should have made more strategic and ambitious decisions. Could I have made a greater impact if I had chosen other paths?

All in all it makes for a bittersweet birthday — thrilled for another spin around the sun with the people I love, but nagged by regrets and worries.

I’ve been chewing over these questions for years (and writing about the process), so I wasn’t super hopeful of finding anything new to help lift the fog…