Has your life come good in mid life - good news to contrast with mid class crisis thread.

[Timefortea99]

There is a thread called Have you had a Mid Life Crisis, which makes for sad reading, and to which I have contributed to (yes I think I am going through one). But to buoy us up a bit, have you come through your mid life crisis and out the other side with a better life, or did you not go through one and your life just got better in mid life naturally?

I went through a very early mid life crisis - at 25 I realised I couldn't stay in my marriage, left, moved country and started again from scratch. Had a few very turbulent years but 12 years on I'm happy, confident, have a lovely family of my own and I know the 'mid life crisis' was the making of me.

Well at 36 I was just married and childless.

In the previous years I had a failed marriage and a pretty ropey job.

11 years later I am a happy mum of 2 DS. I have a career and my DH had a great job too.

We finally got a house big enough for us all to live in and are just beginning renovation work.

I am beyond happy with my lot now but it's taken us a while to get there emotionally and financially.

I am in my 40s, got fed up after a difficult time generally (I lost my mum, work became awful) of my job and am back to studying. There are several people of my age on the course who are all doing particularly well and have lots of plans for the future. Er... and plus i’ve recently gone back to running with times I had in my 20s and started ashtanga yoga. I’m rubbish at that but the best person in my class - ages incredible - must be late 60s! It’s quite possible for crises to be about personal growth. My mother’s death was awful, but made me more determined to do things I care about and enjoy the moment.

Ps sorry for a zillion errors on iPhone and feeding small kids

I've seen the other thread and I'm glad you've started this one. I'm in my 40's and I had a period of about two years where I felt small and invisible and I fell into a depression. Some of it was grief because the feelings came on approximately 6 months after my mom died. I pulled myself out of that thinking and decided to make changes to my life, starting with the career change. I'm back at university halfway through my 2nd degree, worried about ££ and praying every day that the maintenance in my house can wait until I graduate and start earning again.

I'm being honest and realistic about what I can/can't achieve and I'm listening to my body. My body is telling me I need to eat better and lose weight, so that's what I'm going to do!

I refuse to label this as my mid-life crisis, I'm going to call it the period when I finally woke up!

Five years ago I was working nights in a call centre to make ends meet with three children under the age of five.

Now I’m 43 and have a well paid job I love with prospects for development. We have more money and can actually plan holidays, home improvements and I have a pension so hopefully won’t starve when I retire (at 68!)

The best thing is my career taking off - it’s challenging, sometime I feel sick with stress but I love it because I feel I’m moving forward.