What is a Midlife Renaissance
I like to think of a midlife renaissance as a coming of age for the mature adult. All of your trials, challenges, gifts and talents have primed you to step into a new role of your choosing.
A midlife renaissance feels like a brilliant sunrise after a long and tranquil night. Just as the sun rises, casting its vibrant hues across the sky, a midlife renaissance represents a period of renewal and awakening. It signifies the emergence of a new chapter in your life, where your passions, desires, and potential can soar to their fullest extent.
During a midlife renaissance, you will experience a rejuvenation of your spirit as you finally feel ready to embrace fresh opportunities and create an inspiring new vision for this next stage of life.
A midlife renaissance heralds the start of something extraordinary. It symbolizes a period of personal growth, self-discovery, and the pursuit of dreams that may have been dormant or overlooked. Just as the sunrise brings warmth and illumination to the world, a midlife renaissance can illuminate your path, revealing new possibilities and casting away the shadows of doubt and uncertainty.
Stuck in the liminal space between a midlife crisis and a midlife renaissance
You might be thinking, “Okay Minette, that sounds magical and I doubt that it’s possible for me.”
I believe that anything is possible in it’s own divine timing. You can’t rush a midlife renaissance but you can ease the journey.
If you are reading this you might be in the thick of all the changes that midlife brings us physically, emotionally and spiritually. Or you might be past the crisis but caught in the murky middle not knowing who you are or what’s next.
Did you know that midlife women experience more transitions in one short period of time than at any other time in life?
You might be experiencing any or all of these, all at once: empty nest, aging parents, career changes, divorce, menopause, body changes, emotional fragility, a spiritual crisis.
The space between midlife crisis and midlife Renaissance can feel long and challenging. Your brain isn’t functioning like it used to, your creativity feels soft and mushy and you can’t seem to make decisions.
Looking in the mirror feels like a minefield, you don’t know what you will see reflected back at you.
“I don’t know who I am anymore,” seems to be the most common mantra I hear from my private coaching clients.
My clients describe themselves as lost, seeking, even desperate to find themselves and redefine their vision and purpose again.
There is hope! And it’s not as hard as you might think to experience a renaissance.
Here are 3 of my favorite practices for helping women move through midlife crisis to midlife renaissance.
- Reconnect to your creativity: Simple practices like expressive drawing or intuitive collage can help you express the emotional turmoil you are feeling and allow you to name what you are experiencing.
- Reclaim your core values. What was the last time you reviewed your core values? Your core values are the guideposts on the highway of your life. They can get obscured or forgotten by life’s busyness; listening to what others say is important instead of you listening to your own inner wisdom.
- Rediscover what brings meaning and fulfillment to your life. This is the work of midlife! Our priorities and values shift as we age and our purpose needs to evolve too. When was the last time you put pen to paper and wrote about what really matters to you and how you want to continue to make a difference?
These are a few of the key areas I love diving deeply into with my private coaching clients. Learn more about my signature coaching program Emerge here.
Want a fun way to start reconnecting to your creativity today? Check out my YouTube channel Painting in Your PJs live with Minette for videos on how I use creativity as a powerful tool for personal growth and self-discovery.
Most importantly, don’t give up hope. There is a whole new world of possibility awaiting you. A world of creativity, energy and adventure.
I might be a bit past midlife although both of my parents live to their 90s. So, maybe not. At any rate, I have found that reconnecting with the artistic side of me has really helped me discover who I am. I still struggle with finding my identity, but I am actually well on my way. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your posts this month!
Thank you so much Alice. I look forward to seeing your posts as well. That identity piece is a big one!
Minette, experiences of the last 3 years have blasted me into a new sunshine, through a doorway into my shiny new life. My husband was terribly ill and died, at the same time that I was diagnosed with a rare cancer, had surgery and embarked on a year of chemo. As a widow. Then between my husband’s passing and his memorial service, I had a pipe flood and ended up with 1/4 of my home remodeled. Now I am well and happy, seeing my friends and serving my clients. So thank you for bringing up this idea of a midlife renaissance! It can happen!
I used to write about having a midlife renaissance! I felt like I was really coming into my own. But then, my mother died and several of the other things happened that you mentioned above. And five years later, I am still finding my way back from it all.
It takes so long to find our way back, doesn’t it!?
Hi Minette! You don’t even know how much I needed to read your words of wisdom! I became an empty nester last year – although another UBC-er and I have since renamed it “free bird.” I am in a now or never phase of life – I have more time and need to pursue my dream of becoming an author now before it’s too late. Can’t wait to read more from you – and thank you!
Awesome, Elisa, so glad this landed with you. And I love “free bird”. I am married to a UBC-er 🙂