Ways To Cope With A Mid-Career Crisis
Many people experience a mid-career crisis at some point in their working lives. A mid-career crisis occurs between 10 and 25 years in the same sector. Facing a career crisis can act as a catalyst to finding what you are passionate about which can lead to happiness, fulfillment, and personal growth.
What Is Mid-Career?
There are different career stages that an individual passes through. The mid-career stage is the stage that covers the age bracket of 35 to 45 years. At this level, the person is no longer considered to be a novice. At this stage, the employee must evaluate his/her current career position to find out if he/she is growing, stabilized, stagnant, or has started to decline in the workplace. This phase of life requires that the employee strikes a balance between his/her career and personal life to enhance productivity.
What Is Mid-Career Crisis?
A mid-career crisis is defined by a sensation of feeling stuck in your career. Every career has its wrong turn, some may have more than others. When you are experiencing a mid-career crisis, you will find yourself reflecting on what might have been. For example, an individual can give up a promising career in banking to become a musician to find fulfillment and happiness.
Signs Of A Mid-Career Crisis
Here are a few signs that signify that you are going through a mid-career crisis.
- Lack of motivation: When you are no longer interested in the things that make you happy. You start to avoid being committed to your job and going back to your shell always looks like the best escape plan. Look closely, you are experiencing a mid-career crisis.
- Unhappiness: When you spend the weekend worrying about Monday morning, something might be wrong somewhere. Your job might not be a huge source of happiness in your life, it should not make you miserable.
- Aggressiveness: When facing a mid-career crisis, you will find it difficult to have a healthy relationship with your colleagues. You will always find yourself countering the opinions of your colleagues unnecessary.
- Constant tiredness: Being tired after a hectic day at work is normal, but if you are constantly lacking the zeal to work, you could be emotionally exhausted: that is one important physical sign that tells you that you are in the middle of a career crisis.
- Low-self esteem: When you start doubting your competence, knowledge, skills, and expertise, you are experiencing a mid-career crisis.
Ways To Cope With Mid-Career Crisis
According to researchers, the job satisfaction of the average employee reduces drastically in mid-life. The good news is that you don’t have to feel unmotivated for a long period of time. You can snap out of it, get your drive back, and smash your career goals.
Here are a few tips to cope with the mid-career crisis:
- Take a break to recharge: As an employee, it is advisable to take a break from work. Now, is the best time to give yourself that treatment that your body and soul need. You can apply for leave and go on a vacation. While observing the break, stay away from any work-related projects. Relax and clear your mind. Sometimes a well-deserved break is what you need to ignite the fire in you and get back on your feet.
- Introspection: It is important to sit down, look back and reflect on how your career journey has been. What do you think led to the lack of motivation and unproductivity at the workplace? Is it accumulated stress from work or issues that are yet to be tackled? Knowing the reasons behind how you feel is a quick way in coping with a mid-career crisis.
- Find meaning in your job: Take an in-depth and critical look at your life and career: How are you contributing to the growth of the organization? How is your organization contributing to the growth of society? How much does your job contribute to your personal growth and development? Everyone wants to find meaning in life, and providing an answer to these questions will help you find meaning in your job.
Once the burden has been lifted from your shoulders, you will discover that things are not as bad as they initially seemed. In addition, look back at the milestones you have achieved: recalling the great feats you have achieved will help you to develop a new and healthy approach to your job.
- Setting goals: You can get rid of the inadequate feeling by setting achievable goals for yourself at work. This could include finishing a task within a specific time frame. Finishing the task within a stipulated time will help you to regain your confidence and encourage you to move to set bigger goals.
- Do something different: It is normal to get fed up in a role especially if you have been doing the same thing for a long period of time. At this stage, it is advisable to learn a new skill, look for new and better ways to solve problems or collaborate on a different project with a new team.
- Be positive: It is easy to show a lack of interest in your career path because you are not achieving what you want. Rather than complaining about the things that have gone wrong in the cause of pursuing your career, a less damaging approach would be to focus on the positive side: Think about the great network you have and the amazing places you were able to access because of your job.
- Change career path: One of the major causes of the mid-career crisis is wasted time on the wrong career path. You invested your time, skill, and resources into a career that you are passionate about neither did you grow a passion for the job along the way. It’s time to change your career. Pursue a career that you are passionate about. For example, if you are passionate about shoemaking, you can enroll in an academy that teaches and train people in shoemaking. It’s not just enough that you are passionate about something, it’s important that you get the education/ training required to excel in the field that you have chosen.
- Change your circle of friends: The people you spend time with can have a huge influence on your mood and attitude. The need to surround yourself with people who inspire, motivate and support you is not negotiable. This may mean distancing yourself from people that whose presence affects your mental health.
- Freelance: Freelancing is another great way to overcome a mid-career crisis. You can become a freelancer in a different career area to determine your interest.
- Make the tough decision: This is the part that may not go down well with you. If after trying everything and you are still unfulfilled and unhappy, you may need to make the tough decision to leave your job, but before you make this decision, make sure that you have laid out plans on what you will do after resigning from your job.
In summary, when facing a mid-career crisis, always remember that it’s a phase that will definitely pass.