Mastering the midlife moment
GREED MAY HAVE BEEN GOOD ONCE: NOW THESE GEN XERS OFFER TIPS ON WAYS TO AVOID A CRISIS
Between COVID, kids and economic calamity, generation X might be forgiven a little midlife crisis this year.
But signs are strong the onetime ‘slacker generation’ is stepping up and stretching its middle-aged spine instead.
As Talking Heads’ midlife crisis anthem says, you may ask yourself, ‘How did I get here?’ but Melbourne University psychology professor Nicholas Haslam says the concept of midlife crisis is indeed “pop psychology” rather than something studied seriously by researchers.
“There’s little consensus about when midlife even is, or evidence any particular stage in the adult years is especially prone to crisis, existential despair or sports car buying,” Haslam says.
Nonetheless, he points to the 2012 Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, which found the lowest life satisfaction was at age 45. In the same period, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported Australians aged 45 to54 were ‘the least likely to be at least satisfied with their lives’.
Haslam acknowledges studies show most people believe ‘midlife crisis’ is real.
“Almost half of adults over 50 claim to have had one,” he says. Social researcher Mark McCrindle says that figure is unsurprising for “the sandwich generation,” wedged between caring for both children and ageing parents.
“They’re really in the midst of it all … They’re still parenting, paying school fees, still in debt, still working hard and trying to keep all the balls in the air. It’s understandable why there might be a crisis at that point,” McCrindle says.
Even though gen X came of age with the immortal words of Wall Street’s Gordon Gekko ringing in its ears, ‘greed is good’ is not a driving sentiment. McCrindle says gen X is pedalling away from cliches.
“They’re more likely to spend money on a new bike … (or) run a half marathon or some other bucket list achievement. The markers of midlife have been very much positive rather than negative from a lifestyle and health perspective,” he says. “Gone are the days of those overt displays of masculinity or success or status … This generation is well aware of the importance of maintaining their health so they can have a longer life.”
Communications strategist and single dad Gary Peace, 49, took up daily ocean swimming, cycling and a plant-based diet when COVID wiped his business diary clean. “(With) different demands on our time, from work, our parents, our kids, often the thing that I would sacrifice would be the exercise and looking after myself,” he says.
“I decided to make ‘funemployment’ all about me and about getting back to doing regular exercising and enjoying the things I like best in life: swimming, surfing, cycling, safe in the knowledge that sooner or later the world’s going to come back together again.”
For re-partnered mother of two Deborah Rice, 54, watching her 96-year-old father live 30-plus years past retirement led to a career change four years ago.
“I had to stop and say, ‘this is not necessarily my career for life, even though it’s been my career for 30 years. Now what’s going to be the rest of my career?’ ” she says. “I wanted something I could sustain and (to) work from home more, having a bit more of a work/life balance than I had previously.”