Is 38/39 a little soon for me to have a midlife crisis?
blitzkrieg
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Joined: 8 Jun 2011
Age: 115
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I got mine out of the way at 35. It was more efficient than waiting another 5 years! I'm now on my way to 40, but I've already done all the panicking about that and have reached the acceptance and solutions stage.
I don't think there is a set age for a mid life crisis. I think it hits you at whatever point you realise that the gap between what you imagined your life would be and what your life actually is has grown so wide that there is no chance of the two versions ever meeting. Then you have to go through the painful process of accepting that the plans you had for your life are not going to happen (basically mourning the 'death of your self', as a therapist once described it to me), then either jump off a bridge or create an alternative set of plans for however many decades you have left.
But once you find a new version of your self and get over the loss of the old person, you can calm down a bit and start living your new life. It's very hard while you're actually going through it, but it does get easier.
I thought this was an odd phrase. Did you complete a GED? If so, you have graduated from high school. You simply chose an alternative route.
I don't think it's ever too late to learn. If you have your GED, why not consider community college? Community college is easier than a 4 year traditional college. To pursue a career, you don't even need a 4 year degree. You could pursue a vocational career for far less in terms of time and expenses.
You could for example, become a paramedic. You could go to culinary school. You could learn to be a firefighter. You could learn plumbing or become an electrician.
Never is a long time. Have you done anything to help yourself in this regard? You could meet people by joining clubs or volunteer groups. There's a really good site called Meetups. You enter your zip code and see what groups come up in your local area. You could also join a dating website.
There's no rule that says that you have to wait for a guy to ask you out. You could ask a guy out. The worst that will happen is that the guy says no. if that happens you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go on to the next guy.
This is one reason why dating sites can be so interesting. I think, but am by no means certain, that there are far more guys on these sites than women. You have the ability to sort through various profiles. Look at the profile pictures. Read what they wrote. If they didn't bother taking the time to write about themselves, I would give such profiles a hard pass.
If you find someone interesting whose interests seem to align with yours, send that person an email. Correspond with that person for a while to see how both of you feel. If you seem to be getting along, you could take the first step by asking the other person out.
With so many people in the world, I firmly believe that there's someone out there for everyone who wants a significant other. You just have to look.
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Life with Autism blog and YouTube channel
https://lifewithautismorg.wordpress.com/
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I had a midlife crisis in my early 40s. I went back to college and took many classes. It was one of the best things I have done in my life and I felt I have been recharged with vitality. Plus I proved my worth by beating all my young classmates in grades. My mom went to college in her late 40s and graduated at 50. Using her education she got very nice jobs and just retired at age 78. I highly recommend learning as a way of dealing with midlife crisis.
If you feel that you're not into smart things there are simpler things to learn. Like gardening, sewing, cooking, woodwork...etc. Everything can enrich your life and possibly make new friends.
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AQ score: 44
Aspie mom to two autistic sons (21 & 20 )
In essence, yes.
Mid-life doesn't come with an exact number but it does come with that reflection on "what have I done/been doing with my life".