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midlife crisis
中年危机

Date: Jan 05 2012

Themes: Time

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Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

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“I had a midlife crisis at 40, so 60 is wonderful.”

- Actor Robin Williams talking about his life. (Us Weekly)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

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panic about aging that occurs in one’s 40s or 50s

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

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Every age has its pros and cons. When you’re a teenager, you’re young and full of energy, but you still have to listen to your parents (at least some of the time). In your twenties, you have more freedom, but there are typically a lot of uncertainties in your life. By the time you reach your forties or fifties, your life has probably settled down and become more stable. But for some, that isn’t a good thing. Instead, it’s the beginning of a midlife crisis.

When you’re in midlife, you’ve lived about half of an average lifetime. And when you’re in a midlife crisis, the idea that your life is half over, surprises and frightens you. People who experience a midlife crisis worry about the fact that they are aging. In order to try to make themselves feel young again, they might do things like buy a sports car, or date someone younger than themselves. They might also decide to make a major life change, like quitting their job or selling all their belongings and moving to a new city.

Anyone can experience a midlife crisis, even famous and successful actors. Robin Williams says that he had a midlife crisis when he was 40. But now that he’s 60, his midlife crisis is over. He feels happy and comfortable with where he is and what he is doing in life.

Do you know anyone who has had a midlife crisis? What advice would you give someone who was having a midlife crisis?

Examples

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“As soon as my dad turned 40, he had a midlife crisis and bought a red sports car.”

“I was surprised when my mom had a midlife crisis. She always seemed so happy and stable.”

“You’re too young to be having a midlife crisis. You’re only 25!”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

	If you have a midlife crisis, you experience a wide range of feelings, such as boredom, dread, despair, discontent with life, questioning the meaning of life, etc. by candycandice
	period of your life (especially by men) when you are not sure if your decisions are correct. Yur feel as you were trapped. by Gellerke
	Psychological conflicts in your fortys by Manu4
	a crisis that people experience in middle age, they panic, get frustrated and feel pointless because of their goals not being completed by Bojana
	It means concern and deep thought in the middle age about what you achieved in your life by englishty
	a period of time which should happen when you are middle aged and you feel ill at ease maybe because you are getting close to old age by goodmahsa
	is when you question if so far you are a winner or a loser . What did I have achieve, what did I do with my life ? by julito

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Comments

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southern_star

Mexico

I’m 24 and I feel like a kid, but I’m realizing I’m not a child anymore. I have a quarter-life crisis!

rebel lee

China

I am still young now, but sometimes I am afraid that I will never be a great people in my whole life. that’s too sad!

manu_wj

Italy

72? I hope to get that age, with or without midlecisis!, Bognàr, I don’t know why you tell that your life was “so unsuccessful” but you still have time, enjioy it, boy.

Bognár László

Hungary

I am now 72! I had my crisis in my 52. I was sacked from my work, and I was very happiness. I thought my life had been so unsuccessful. Sorry, i feel so now too. I am not recovering from that feeling.

Youngs, be happy!

nfrtary

Egypt

i don`t know really what people feel in the period exactally coz i am teenger but i have opininon about the midlife crisis i don`t think that who feel this kind of crisis the only one who in 40 only coz i felt this crisis when i am in 21 and still feel the same when i think about my life , what goals did i achieve? and discover that i didn`t achieve anything right now but alwayes i have hope and believed myself so i am trrying all the time

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Woooh! Gobsmacker, you’re only 15! You are a prodigy. you have a great understanding of life. I admire that a lot! Best of lucks!

julito

Argentina

Gobsmacker . you have put out very well what a midlife crisis (the worst case scenario) might be. Cheating, sour divorces ,drinking problems ,and in between the kids that have to go through all the pain of seeing Dad and Mom splitting up.

Gobsmacker

Germany

I’ve never had a midlife crisis because I’m like 15 and still have most of my life ahead of me but my friends dad had a midlife crisis a while ago and I’m not even sure he’s quite over it yet. He suddenly started going out more with his mates, drinking a lot and riding his motorbike. He wanted to feel young again, like he had all the options in the world. He slowly drifted apart from his wive and kids, secretly went biking when he said he was at work etc….He thought he had thrown his life away. Family wasn’t his lifestyle he said. It was a time when my friend needed a lot of support because she thought her father was letting her down. Her parents were thinking about divorce even though they also have a slightly disabled child who needs all the love and help he can get. It still hasn’t really improved and they are only staying together for the kids sake which is kind of sad really. Everyone always thought they were the perfect family…I guess something like that doesn’t exist.

Anyway if I ever have a midlife crisis I will try and look back on the years and question myself: Was I happy in all those years? Did I make the right decisions? I would think all of this through very carefully, maybe talk to someone close and then finally decide if it was just a phase or if it really was time for a change, time to start from scrap again, make a new beginning. Because maybe just sometimes changes are what you need. But in most cases I think the people are just going through a phase and they will later regret all the things they did in this phase of depression, all the relationships they’ve broken and they’ll look back and wish they could just go back in time and get things right again. So all in all my advice is to think everything through very carefully because otherwise you might notice all the things you had when it’s already too late.

snoopyboy

Antarctica

giggling is feminine ? no wonder why this guy approached me at the bar the other night? a little sexist but understandable…

Grin it is, then! (:

julito

Argentina

Too girly ,grinning, much better

snoopyboy

Antarctica

I think I’m going to settle on giggling. it’s kinda in between you know.

can you picture me, rolling on the floor giggling?

julito

Argentina

OK. let´s negotiate, smile a lot and laugh less. LOL

snoopyboy

Antarctica

Julito, I was told to smile more rather than laugh. Laugh can actually increase your chances of getting wrinkles. now I’m all confused!!

Maria del Alba, are you related to the duchess?

julito

Argentina

María del Alba, the soonest you get over that idea that you don´t want to get older, the better, enjoy every day of your life as it were the last , laugh a lot ,it will keep your body and mind healthy plus will keep wrinkles away.

Zaccarias

Brazil

God will give us wisdom to handle that!

“That’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting, weight of glory, far beyond any comparison, because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal” (2Cor 4:16-18).