Approaching middle age and my personality is changing considerably. Is this common?

[MiddleAgeApproaches]

I know that everyone's personality changes to an extent throughout their life and I know plenty of women in their 60s and also elderly people who are far more outgoing and active than me, not that it'd be difficult but I wondered if many people have experienced similar changes?

I'm 39 and in the past year or so I've gone from being a real night owl to going to sleep at 10 at the latest and waking up at 6:30 or 7 at weekends. My taste in music has changed, I still like metal and hard rock but now I'm listening to far more old pop, soul and disco. Autumn used to be my favourite season now I despise it and long for Summer. I'm starting to prefer vegetarian and vegan dishes.There are other examples but I don't want to bore you with them i just feel as though I've changed in so many ways over the past year or two.

Of course I don't expect to remain static but I just wondered if it's common to experience so many changes at once as middle age approaches.

TIA

Apart from the sleep I can’t see how any of that has anything to do with middle age. I don’t know why your tastes are changing…
The sleep thing could be menopause.

I don’t think any of this sounds concerning. If anything the fact that you are shifting towards a more veg based diet is pretty progressive and it’s a diet that’s associated with young people rather than aging.

I’m around your age and also go to bed around the same time. Lots of this sounds like me apart from the fact I love Autumn.

Also thirties isn’t middle age… I just noticed your age. Could still be menopause, but it would be 10 years earlier than is average.

Thanks all. It isn't concerning me. I'm just curious to know if it may be related to going through a time of change. No sign of the menopause yet but that could be it. My Mother was 60 before she went through the menopause. I'm wondering if it may be similar for me but perhaps not.

40 is the start of middle age isn't it?

I'm certainly feeling older though. I've just started a job that I did in my early 30s and I'm finding it considerably more physically challenging now than back then. I do have disabilities though but I had the same ones in my early 30s too.

Around 38 I started to see a real shift in how I viewed things and I started to feel old like an adult for the first time. I definitely get more tired and need to go to bed early, and can't sleep in at the weekends. I started buying jigsaws and really marvelling deeply in simple things such as a nice view or tree. Even my TV viewing has changed, I can't keep up with what is going on and it drives my dc mad!

All sounds normal to me. A lot of people find they can't handle late nights the same as they get older, and your nutritional needs do change. I don't think the music thing is that unusual either- hard rock and metal music is great but it can be quite intense and high energy so it's not surprising that you find yourself in the mood for something more mellow.

Oh yeah this happens alright. Up at 6 and bed at 10 is a much more fulfilling rota for me personally

I'm 39 and really starting to feel I am actually way more competent than some, getting over imposter syndrome maybe.

I got stroppy. Before that I was too passive looking back. OH doesn't like it though.

I wouldn't worry about it - it's not as if there's any danger of waking up one day to find you've morphed, Kafkaesque, into Harry Styles or whoever. You'll always be you because... impossible not to be.
Pretty normal for tastes and likes to evolve with age and time.

Doesn’t this happen continuously as you age? You grow, progress, have new experiences and gradually change habits.

Ie- When I was 8 I hated vegetables, at 13, I became vegetarian and ate only vegetables. I also went to bed at 8:30pm rather than 6:30pm and my taste in music went from poppy hit songs to alt rock.

Doesn’t sound like your personality has changed just your taste in food and music, perfectly normal as time moves on.

I had my one and only DC at 40 so no time for mellowing out in middle-age! I've always been a heavy metal fan.. teen of the 80s... had to happen! Now at 51 I'm horrified to find myself agreeing with DF that modern music is all screeching and tuneless!! Aagghh, help me, I'm becoming an old git!!

I think these types of changes are normal throughout life, not really anything to do with middle age.

I’m 31 and recently became much more of an autumn/winter lover and always preferring summer. My taste in music is a bit different to 5 years ago. I enjoy going to bed and getting up earlier.

Well I am 59 and recently started really enjoying nature programmes. So yes I think we do change as we age.

Yes all perfectly normal. I'm 53 and so many of my habits, preferences and attitudes have altered since I was younger. I look back at some of things I used to do, eat and enjoy and I wonder who that person was.

I enjoy going to bed and getting up earlier.

Yes me too. That's something that's definitely changed in me. I can hear my mum saying at 8am when everyone was emerging from bed, that half the day had gone and the best part at that!! But all those years I hated her saying it, I realise she was right all along!

I'm 44 and can't sleep in anymore. I naturally wake up around 6:30-7. Added bonus is that I need less sleep than ten years ago. I used to need 9 hours of sleep, now it's 6.5-7 hours. I love having more time in the day. My music taste has also mellowed and my taste for art and furniture has modernised strangely enough. I used to love jugendstil and boho stuff, now I really like a mix of midcentury modern and minimalism.

Thanks all. It's interesting to read everyone's experiences.

I'm not at concerned by these changes, merely curious. Of course I expect change but I've never experienced so many changes in such a short space of time and I wondered if it might be hormone related or just a sign I'm getting older. Interesting to see that the switch in sleeping habits may be common.

When I say a short space of time it's probably 18 months at most.

I've always been a bit of an old soul (like listening to Radio 2 in my late teens) but since I hit my forties I've found myself listening to Radio 3 more and more. Even Classic FM seems too 'in your face' sometimes.

And also, I've never been a huge meat eater, but just lately veggies and veggie dishes are my automatic go to.

I'm 40. I've always been an early bird. I work at a uni and have tweens which keep me connected to developments. Mentally, but not physically tired. Listening to advice about bone density, I've focused on adding strength based activities into my running schedule. It's actually really improved my races times. I've noticed my peers getting a bit stuck in their ways. No doubt I am too. Not a significant personality shift though.

Approaching 40, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what is important to me and planning/implementing it. There's nothing like middle age to make you reassess where your life is/heading.

I'm 43.

I've noticed lots of my likes and disclaimers have changed over the past 5 years.

Even my clothing style.

But I've also become a lot less of a people pleaser and a lot more about my own needs so I wondered if it's more that I care less what others think?!

That's something I imagine comes with age.

I'm still a very passive person but I'm not passive to the point of being walked over now.

I'm passive to the point I just live my own life

I've lost all my sense of positivity. Problems I could blithely ignore in my youth now haunt me. Music and TV taste wise though I'm more immature than ever. Can't take any fictional 'grit' when real life is so bloody depressing.