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Is my life over?

54 replies

SadAt50 · 04/12/2020 22:09

Not sure if chat is the best place for this but I could really do with some encouragement and advice please.

I turned 50 this year and it has really hit me hard. Have elderly parents and teenage children which is exhausting at times.
Been married 20 years. Marriage is ok but definitely lost its spark.
Have put on weight and been drinking too much but have now cut back on alcohol a lot.
I really want to concentrate on myself a bit. I have started to eat healthier and exercise more as I know this will make me feel better.
Unfortunately (please don't flame me for this) I gave up work when my eldest was born and haven't worked since.

I really feel that a job would help me with my self esteem and confidence, but I just keep feeling I've left it too late.
I have no great qualifications but did have jobs in banking and sales before the children and was quite successful.
I can't even apply for jobs at the moment as I hate how I look and my confidence is on the floor.

I really want to sort my life out, children will be leaving for uni and I want something for myself. But have I left it too late? I really feel like my life is over and have no joy and just dread the future. Thank you for any advice you can give.

OP posts:
Tinselette · 05/12/2020 00:30

Annie Deadman is fabulous - she's fun and so full of common sense regarding diet and exercise. I'm pretty much in the same boat OP but with a younger child and (dysfunctional) parents living overseas.

I found this interview in the Guardian with Tracey Emin very moving, she is recovering from cancer surgery:

'Before we finish the interview, Emin eyes me cheekily and says: “Men only ejaculate once, but women have multiple orgasms.” Excellent, I reply. What are you on about? “Men tend to tail off as they get older. They do their best work between 40 and 50, then they’re done. Women often keep going and do their best work after 50.”

She wants to emulate those women. She sees her life as a trilogy. “When I was 18, I was more honest and had more clarity than I did when I was 35, when I was confused and lost my way. I was a silly twat in some of the things I did – and a lot of the criticism of me was fair. Now I’m in part three. I’m more mature. I’m softer but tougher. I want to project myself into the future and not think about the past. Regret doesn’t help anyone. I’ve got time now, perhaps 30 years. I want to use them to make my best art.”

Go make your best art OP.

Anycrispsleft · 05/12/2020 07:52

Just seconding the idea of counselling as a career - it has the advantage that age and varied life experience are for once seen as an asset, as they should be!

I wish you the very best of luck - I am in a similar position, having stopped working when my other half's job relocated abroad five years ago.

CrazyToast · 05/12/2020 08:15

I have a friend who at 52 came out of a terrible divorce which seemed like it would never be over. Kids at uni. She has now moved to a different city, new house, has men chasing her for dates, jets off to Switzerland to meet friends. She is vital and busy and fun, lots of new things happening and possibilities for the future. 50s isnt old at all!

FippertyGibbett · 05/12/2020 08:17

Get a job, any job. This will give you a reference and the ability to move on to a better job.

SlightDrizzle · 05/12/2020 08:35

Well, I’m two years younger than you with an eight year old, and I quit my job and just moved countries to go in a completely new direction while renovating a wreck of a house and doing some freelance work in my old field to keep the wolf from the door.

I feel interested and optimistic about my life at the start of a new stage in a new place.

Best wishes, OP. You can do it.

Mischance · 05/12/2020 09:45

But have I left it too late to study and then find a job?

I was a medical social worker in a very demanding job. When I was 50 I took a part-time college course in photography alongside my work and came away with a C&G qualification. I then spent the next 10 years working in freelance photography, curating exhibitions, working as a picture editor for a magazine, running photography workshops and singing workshops, organising a community choirs workshop for the 3 Choirs Festival and lots more.......!

Life did not end at 50 - it began!

madcatladyforever · 05/12/2020 09:52

Why don't you go to uni yourself?
I went when my son went in my 40's and did an NHS degree in podiatry. I've always worked but needed to change direction. Going to university or to train for something eases you in gently rather than just going straight into work when you haven't worked for years.
It gets you in the mindset for work.
There were people in their 60's doing the course and of course you can work as a podiatrist forever.
I work in the NHS because I like the buzz but a lot of the people I trained with work in private clinics and some of them earn £5k a month on a good month.
My aunt did a degree in geography her 50's and got a great job afterwards and then when she retired she trained to be a church of england vicar and has been doing that ever since.

SadAt50 · 05/12/2020 10:10

My goodness thank you all so much. You have all really lifted me! Tinselette what a great interview, thank you for posting that.

I feel so much more positive about things. Some of you have said I'm trying to do too much in one go and I think you are spot in. Been feeling very overwhelmed with stuff. I'm going to keep up the exercise and healthy eating and start making some plans.
I can't thank you all enough for the positive comments and advice.

OP posts:
Mischance · 05/12/2020 10:35

My Mum got her OU degree when she was 60.

PoulePouletteEternellement · 05/12/2020 10:39

That's good to read, OP.

By the way, I can attest that middle-aged university study ensures the dropping of not one but two dress sizes, with no focussed effort whatsoever. Stone cold solid truth!

Tinselette · 05/12/2020 10:42

No problem sad. I'm so glad you found it as uplifting as I did. I also found this book helpful : www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0091955289/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_Ao2YFb3XCQZ14

I have a lovely husband but the family I come from is very dysfunctional and I'm 50 next year so I've been a bit lost myself. Onwards and upwards...!

Tinselette · 05/12/2020 10:46

poule - it must be the study bit because working at a University is not having the same effect on me (drops biscuit to prod tummy) 🤣😁

Tinselette · 05/12/2020 10:47

Some seriously inspirational women on this thread - looking forward to my 50s now!

Silvercatowner · 05/12/2020 10:57

@SadAt50

Would be lively to hear of anyone who has started a journey at my age
I sort of did - career change and new job in my late 40s. I'm now early 60s and loving my job.
Gettingthereslowly2020 · 05/12/2020 11:11

Start volunteering now, even if it's just a few hours a week. That will increase your confidence and ease you in gently to get into working. Then apply for the Access course or any college course that suits you and will challenge you. College courses usually start in September. If you have a local adult learning centre, they usually do short courses that are around 6-12 weeks and day workshops. These would be good to get you into studying and could help you to decide on a career.

PoulePouletteEternellement · 05/12/2020 11:14

@Tinselette

poule - it must be the study bit because working at a University is not having the same effect on me (drops biscuit to prod tummy) 🤣😁
Yes, probably.

It's shock, (if one has been leading a relatively quiet life) and racing to keep up, mentally, with people half one's age, and brutal new commuting. Realising you can't hack an all night essay crisis in quite the same way as thirty years ago. Having to be permanently 'switched on' when days and weeks previously merged one into another ... It was by far the most challenging and exhausting thing I've ever done. (And that's after pursuing a proper, serious career in the distant past.)

LindaEllen · 05/12/2020 11:33

My best friend at uni was 49 when she started with us. She did her degree, then did a couple of years working, then a 3 year mental health nursing degree. She started work as a mental health nurse at the age of 58 and is absolutely loving her job.

It is never too late to try something new, or to get to where you want to be.

I feel that work could bring you a new lease of life. There is no reason for you to be at home now that your children are independent. The worst thing would be for you to still be at home once they've left.

IMO, start to make the change now, and you'll never look back.

Also, your marriage will be much better if you have a life outside of it, too! :)

notafanoftheman · 05/12/2020 11:49

Do couch to 5 k. You will feel amazingly proud of yourself in just over two months.

topcat2014 · 05/12/2020 11:54

My DW was in a similar situation, low confidence etc.
She started a job as a school cleaner in Sept. It is two hours a day, and they are a good employer.
(she has a degree, btw, but hasn't worked for over 10 years).

The change in her is dramatic - and she is back to looking forward to the future etc.

So, don't be too hard on yourself, and remember no-one is keeping score and you don't get medals :)

PurpleSpaceyTwinkles · 05/12/2020 12:03

My cousin did her degree in her 40s and my mum, aunt and uncle all did degrees in their 70s. My mum’s science degree led to her running an astronomy group and my uncle’s humanities degree led to him becoming a Living History interpreter at a historic site. You never know what the future will bring - good luck!

MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 05/12/2020 12:44

I turned 50 a few weeks ago, having left H in the summer and moved to a city 3 hours away that I'd only visited briefly before, and where I knew no-one. Am planning an access course next September, with a view to a specific degree in a subject I've always been really interested in. And another house move in a few months. I do have a job though, so it's potentially been easier for me. Youngest DC went off to uni in September, I had a perfect storm of mid life crisis/lockdown separation/empty nest stuff going on.

Re weight, I'm half way through my target weight loss, once I get there I intend to completely overhaul my wardrobe (I'm fancying the little dresses and boots combos I used to wear back in the day, maybe not quite a short as they used to be though!).

OP, pick something you want to change, and do something about that. I echo volunteering, that would give you a reference for a job application, as well as giving you a confidence boost. Or do a get fit/lose weight focus. Or see where your relationship could be improved. Just pick one thing, and do that for a couple of months, see how it goes. Then pick another thing and add in working on that.

But yes, it's perfectly possible to start over/start again, I hadn't put into words how I'd been feeling for a very long time, and it was only when I did, that I twigged I had a good thirty years left, and I didn't want to waste them as I'd been doing for the previous fifteen. I'm really excited about the possibilities in my future, I might meet someone, I might not (and if not there's Lovehoney Wink), but everything I do now feels like an adventure, even just eating what I want to eat, when I want to eat it, without having to factor in other people's tastes and moods. Grab the next phase of your life by the scruff of its neck, and go for it Flowers

BIRDSbirds · 05/12/2020 13:10

You are absolutely not too late!! My mum was
SAHM who then did an OU course while I was a teen with the aim to be a teacher. However in the meantime the volunteering she did turned into a paid role, but the OU was amazing, improved her confidence no end and she really enjoyed it.

It's probably seeming overwhelming at the moment, but you don't have to do everything all at once. Just focus on one thing at a time. And please don't think your looks should stop you applying for jobs etc. Good luck!

SadAt50 · 06/12/2020 00:42

Sorry I have been busy all day and just managed to read all the posts.

I have ordered the book recommended and look forward to reading it. I'm definitely focusing on my weight and fitness first. As I know I will feel so much better if I feel healthier.

I have some money out aside from my birthday and am going to treat myself to some new clothes and make up. Then start focusing on which job I would really like to do ( the hard bit). But after reading all your replies I now know that the future isn't as bleak as I thought.

I just want to thank you all so very much, you have helped me feel so much better about things.
Mumsnet at its finest Flowers

OP posts:
SadAt50 · 06/12/2020 00:46

Sorry that should say I have some money set aside!

Oh and I'm going to keep coming back to this thread and reading it to keep me going x

OP posts: