Mind, Body & Midlife

last week we talked about midlife and today i want to present the gifts of midlife it is a gift it lives in the change from let me over explain myself to i don't have to explain myself to anyone not one person

how liberating

it is it's liberating i don't want to stay up late and if you want to see me our plans will have to be earlier

i'm in early bird

early bird period and the statement no explanation needed and just because if you have friends you are a friend in midlife or beyond They give you that knowing not of mutual understanding, right? That's like the camaraderie of we have gotten through our people-pleasing phase, or we're working on

it,

or the pushing harder to prove ourselves phase, and into an acceptance of and an understanding of ourselves and what we need.

We just say no, finally, like our D.A.R.E. officers encouraged.

As a young child, and we went through, I feel like when you were in the elementary and middle school and high school phase i mean high school it starts to dwindle quite a bit but like i know when i was in positions to get volunteers like i would get people to do it get people to say yes and they would because that's the stage of life you're in you still want to please people you want your children's community you've got to feel like you're part of something midlife it's

the gift of this it

is

of what we're doing what wasn't working what serves us now we're working to differentiate in mental health that means so differentiation means the ability to keep your own identity thoughts and feelings while staying emotionally close to other people so you can do this work outside of midlife but if you haven't been working on it before then well now is the time to do it right time figure out how do i emotionally regulate external to other people How do I tolerate discomfort? How do I manage my own reactivity to distress? There's no better time than the present.

We can tolerate differences without thinking we have to change it or losing our identity in any relationship.

We could either judge ourselves and others harshly, or we can use self-compassion, and self-compassion will always be a winner.

It will.

Always.

Your story.

You can't beat midlife changes and the transition and transformation it offers.

We can only join it.

So today we talk about the journey to exploring new ways of connecting to ourselves and others as we move through this transformation.

And if you aren't in midlife, but just want some new ways to take care of yourself, boost your mood and improve your community connections, then this can help you too.

Welcome to FitMind Chats.

Get comfortable, join us in our virtual therapy office, and get ready to gain insight into motivation that drives behaviors you might not understand.

I'm Abby Smeedy, a co-owner with Sarah of FitMind Cleveland, a mental health private practice in Cleveland, with grounded therapists that are approachable and meet you where you are in life, a place where you can see your strength and grow your greatness.

And I'm Sarah Della Vella, a licensed independent social worker.