It's funny, you spend so much of your life doing things for everyone else—raising kids, building a career, taking care of family—that you sometimes forget to check in with yourself. I know I did. Mid-life, for me, was a whole new world. It wasn't a crisis, but it was definitely a metamorphosis.
At one point, my life was all about my family and my work. Then, the kids started getting older, needing me less, and I found myself asking, "Who am I now?" It was a really unsettling question at first, but it was also a gift. It forced me to look inside and rediscover the things that lit me up long before I was a mum or had this career. I started painting again, something I hadn't done in years. It sounds simple, but it helped me reconnect with my core self, beyond all the roles I'd been playing.
And let's not forget the physical stuff, right? Perimenopause and menopause can be a real rollercoaster. One minute you're fine, the next you're a ball of anxiety and can't figure out why. What really helped me was learning to recognize those hormonal shifts for what they were. Once I understood what was happening inside my body, I could be more gentle with myself and figure out how to manage it, whether it was through a good diet, exercise, or just giving myself a break when I needed one. It was all about listening to what my body was telling me.
I also had to learn how to set boundaries, and let me tell you, that was a game-changer. For so long, I had been the "yes" person, always there for everyone else. But mid-life made me realize I couldn't keep doing that without burning myself out. It took some practice, but I finally got comfortable saying, "I can't right now, but I'll check in with you later." It helped me protect my energy and actually made my relationships with my kids, my partner at the time, my friends and my family, stronger because they knew they were getting the real me, not the exhausted version of me.
Ultimately, that particular period of my life had been all about self-awareness—about really knowing and accepting myself, who I was, flaws and all. It’s given me the confidence to handle whatever comes my way and to build a life that feels authentic to me. It's an incredible time of life, a chance to really come into your own.
What's been on your mind about all of this?