You never know what life has in store for you no matter how well you think you have it planned out. Things can and do change. Often certain milestones will spur you on to re-evaluate your life and one of those times is turning 50. It can be a particularly thought provoking time for women about to turn 50 or even for those that are already over 50 now life as you’ve known it has changed.
After many years of domesticity taking care of family and often not considering their own needs many women start to think more about themselves, what they want and need before it gets too late. The appeal of being a mom and wife may no longer have the same appeal as it once had. Most women want some excitement in their life. The question is will they actually do something about it, and if so what will they do to meet this need? Some will take the bull by the horns and some will stay the course without rocking the boat even if they are not happy with their life as it is.
10 changes that over 50s women have made:
- Change career path. Many women have taken on careers because they fitted in with family life and not because they followed their own career interests. Often they choose to change that and pursue a career that interests them.
- Go back to school. Often women have not reached the level of education they would have liked or maybe they didn’t know what they wanted, so they make the decision to better their education or get trained for a new career.
- Follow a long lost passion (something they put on hold for domesticity) Family life is very consuming so many women give up something they love to raise a family. Often there just isn’t enough time to pursue their passion or it doesn’t fit well with their life as a mother and wife. The 50s is a good time for many to get back to that passion they put on the back burner.
- Leave long term relationships. Sustaining difficult relationships take its toll. Sometimes when things have not been good in a relationship many women feel they have put up with things for far too long. They finally get sick of it and leave sometimes with the intention of finding a more exciting relationship.
- Search For new Experiences. A sense of urgency has a lot of women in their 50s scrambling to discover new experiences. They feel that time is running out and want to find happiness while they can still enjoy it.
- Rediscover Self – after many years of not paying attention to their own needs they search to find themselves once more. Many women feel lost when their family doesn’t need them as much as they once did. The kids are off to college and flown the nest leaving them feeling lost.
- Deal with Conflicting Feelings. Even though they have reached a time in life when they deserve to do some things for themselves many women worry how it will affect others which stops them dead in their tracks and miserable.
- Instigate Divorce from Boredom – We all know relationships change sometimes for the better but often for the worst. Quiet evenings at home with a book or watching TV doesn’t cut it for many women over 50. It’s back to that feeling that time is running out and there are things to explore. This has many women with the desire to be single again. In over 50’s divorces over 60{0eefa93492ed3ec1a557757200f06e244723d602df8d66f18c47536a9e40d3d0} of them are now instigated by women.
- Deal with Menopause. Blame the hormones. The changes that women go through during their mid 40s to mid 50s account for a number of these life changing behaviors.
- Find Confidence – Finding the confidence to finally say enough is enough. Staying in an unsatisfactory relationship is a thing of the past for many women over 50. Staying in a job that they hate is also no longer acceptable for many women in this age group. Or anything else that in unsatisfactory many women just won’t put up with it anymore. They do something about it!
Many women over 50 have the desire to make changes. Material comforts, money and marriage are not always enough. They realize this doesn’t equate to happiness or fulfillment. Some create a whole new life where they find the fulfillment they need. Sometimes it’s found traveling to third world countries to help others less fortunate, sometimes it’s found in a fulfilling career and other times in the right relationship. Everyone is different and we all have needs.
Before you do anything drastic you do need to consider the consequences and how destructive your actions may be. Will the benefits outweigh the sacrifices? Always explore the possibility that there may be a better way. And remember the grass is not always greener elsewhere.