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Writer's pictureBridget Belden

Embracing the Seasons of Change: Transforming in Midlife

Updated: Sep 2, 2023


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"Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength." Betty Friedan


We are wrapping up our month exploring what it means to be in a midlife transition – one that leads to a larger transformation of you – and I couldn’t help but see a parallel in the seasonal transition we’re about to go through right now. Just as the changing seasons bring about new growth and shifts in nature, the midlife transition can also bring profound changes and self-discoveries for midlife women's associates. Just as the autumn leaves fall, making way for new spring blossoms, these women, too, may be shedding the old and embracing the new in their personal journeys. It's essential to support and uplift one another as we navigate these transitions together.


This coming weekend marks our transition from summer to fall, and it has me thinking about how much I loved summer when my kids were little. There was something so liberating about not having to follow a schedule, or oversee homework, or pack lunches. Everyone got to sleep in, our days were long and lazy, and everything felt so easy. As I reminisce about those carefree days, I also find myself reflecting on the signs of a midlife crisis woman, a time when some women may experience a sense of restlessness, a desire for change, or a questioning of their life's direction. Just as the seasons change, so too can the internal landscape of midlife women's associates evolve. It's essential to be mindful of these shifts and to offer support and understanding as they navigate through this transformative phase of life.


Then around this time, when the back-to-school supply lists came out (and I came up with my strategy for avoiding the crowds on our trip to Target) I would start to get a little melancholy and start grieving summer’s imminent ending. It didn’t help that I had a bit of a selective memory – focusing solely on the things I loved and forgetting the constant chorus of ‘I’m bored’ along with my endless nagging reminders to everyone to finish their summer reading lists!


Despite my best efforts to wish away the coming season, midlife women found that the days inevitably grew shorter, the nights became cooler, and the landscape transformed.


And there was nothing I could do about it.

 

Monday Mindshift


It’s the 1° shift that makes the biggest difference over time.


At some point I realized that clinging to the way things were was making me miserable. I was suffering because I wanted things to be different than they were.


The seasonal transition was inevitable. The difficulty I was having was not – I created it by resisting something that I was completely powerless to control.


So I decided to embrace the coming fall by focusing on all the things I did like about it:


♥ Having the kids back in a routine

♥ More free time for me

♥ The start of football season

♥ Cooler weather

♥ Thanksgiving and all its trimmings


I chose to focus on the beauty and the possibility of what lay ahead.


And that’s what this stage of life represents. It is an opportunity to rewrite your story so that you are the heroine (shero?). In this story you get to choose whatever most nurtures your soul. You get to discover who you are as you excavate your authentic self from all the roles that you have taken on up until now.


This story is full of nothing but possibility for you.


I’m not saying it will be easy. As we’ve talked about, the doubts and fears and stories about what you can and can’t do will be fighting with you to get into the driver’s seat.


Don’t think of those struggles as an indicator that something is going wrong though. See them instead as a sign that you are on the right path.


The more fiercely you fear something, the more certain you can be that it is the right thing to do.


And above all, remember this: there is nothing ‘wrong’ with you for wanting more.


Because just like the seasons, you are not in crisis. You are in transformation.

Bridget



 

Living BRIGHTer is...


B - Be Brave

R - Cultivate Relationships

I - Live with Intention

G - Practice Gratitude

H - Prioritize Health

T - Live your Truth


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The color magenta is one of universal harmony and emotional balance. It is spiritual yet practical, encouraging common sense and a balanced outlook on life. Magenta helps to create harmony and balance in every aspect of life; physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.


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