It used to be so easy to spot the signs of a midlife crisis. The purchase of a new sports car, getting a much-younger girlfriend or a plastic surgery makeover were definite tip-offs someone was on the brink. While people are definitely still having them, the signs of an existential breakdown in your forties look a little different today.
For starters, those in that age group won’t admit they’re even having one. According to a recent study, 81% of millennials claim they can’t afford a midlife crisis and more than half say they don’t have time for one. The thing is, that doesn’t stop the nagging feeling of youth slipping away, it just means the older millennials experiencing it are coping with it in different ways.
The Top Signs Of A Modern Midlife Crisis
- High-intensity pursuits - Fitness buffs and thrill-seekers are behind this one, whether it’s marathons, rock climbing, Tough Mudder races or some other extreme activity.
- Becoming an Internet warrior - It starts with an unnecessarily savage comment left on someone’s social media post, but evolves into long rants of venting their frustrations online like the worst Karen.
- Ice baths - Celebs like Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Aniston reportedly swear by them, but if someone suddenly embraces plunging into a vat of arctic temperature water, it could be a sign they’re trying to numb something deeper.
- Divorce memoirs - Bookstores are full of new ones and the genre is booming, so either readers are looking for literary escapism, or they’re searching for an instruction manual.
- Getting a little too into streetwear - Rocking a pair of sneakers is one thing, but swapping a go-to style for a wardrobe full of graphic tees and oversized hoodies and sweatpants may be a red flag.
- Psychedelic retreats - “Finding yourself” today often involves losing yourself first in substances from Ayahuasca tea to hallucinogenic mushrooms. And those who’ve done it can’t wait to share how a shaman changed their life to anyone who’ll listen.
- A sudden over-investment in astrology - There’s nothing wrong with reading your horoscope, but if someone blames mercury retrograde for their problems or trades their therapist for a tarot card reader, a midlife crisis might be behind it.
Source: The Independent