You alter as you age. Your body’s appearance and functionality are altered. Your position at work and in the family may alter as a result. Even more drastically, it might alter your sense of self.
Loss and emancipation come with mid-life and later life, but you don’t have to deal with these profound changes alone. You may make healthy adjustments with the aid of a qualified therapist.
Reluctant? Look at the statistics for “Mental Health Treatment Among Individuals” in 2019: at the time, before the pandemic significantly exacerbated isolation across the country, roughly 15% of adults over 45 reported having seen a therapist in the preceding year.
The stigma around therapy is fading as more individuals become aware of the crucial links between physical health and mental well-being. Additionally, studies demonstrate that treatment is just as helpful for older people as it is for middle-aged people.
Therapy might help you prepare to handle change.
Throughout the stages of life, hormones change. According to a research titled “Sleep in Normal Ageing”, as oestrogen, testosterone and other hormones decline, it affects everything from your sleep patterns to your muscular tone and your sex life.
Injuries and illnesses can occasionally prevent you from engaging in some of your favourite activities in addition to altering hormone levels.
And they are only the outward modifications.
Mid-life to later in life might bring about significant changes in relationships. You can end up taking care of your spouse or elderly parents. According to research, almost 25% of people between the ages of 45 and 64 are caring for an elderly relative.
The divorce rate has doubled recently, according to a study of persons over 50 titled “Marriage, Cohabitation, and Divorce in Later Life”. After a “grey divorce” (a split between couples older than 50), which may need adjusting to live on your own after many years as a pair, fewer women than men re-partner.
Jill Meehan, a therapist, supports people and families during such changes. She argues that everyone may undergo significant transformation.
“Age is not a factor in resistance to change”, says Meehan. “Desire is at issue. Yes, change is challenging, but anybody who is dedicated to the process and truly wants to adapt can do it.”
Working with a therapist at a time of transition may enable you, according to Meehan, “to tune in to what you want and need, clarify your options and learn to trust your own judgement, even in an uncharted area”.
It is possible to explore new identities through therapy.
Major shifts in mid-life or later life, like retirement, might shake up your identity.
According to researchers in the study “Is There a Reformation into Identity Achievement for Life after Elite Sport?” discovered that exceptional athletes frequently experience depression and confusion after quitting competitive sports.
A void might appear in your life when you stop doing something that used to be your main priority. Disorientation is a frequent sensation.
Meehan observes that “some individuals lose the impression of being relevant”.
“Living in the ‘in-between’ stage between identities can be difficult, even if the loss of identity is a natural process, like menopause.”
“As you reinvent yourself, therapy can help you find your way. It can establish a secure environment for the introspection and trial-and-error process of identity reformation.”
Working with women, she observes that taking care of others has frequently been the main priority in women's life. People may start questioning, “What do I want for the rest of my life?” once that changes. You may be given permission by a therapist to re-examine your life and choose your possibilities.
Such a re-evaluation may result in new prospects. Around one-fifth of the workforce today, a substantially higher proportion than in previous decades, is made up of people over the age of 50.
If you’re grieving a loss, therapy can help.
Loss may occur at any point in life. But the longer you live, the more likely it is that you will suffer a major setback of some kind. As they become older, children leave the house. People in your family and friends die. Your life’s significant and meaningful stages inevitably come to an end.
Grief is inevitable, no matter how terrible it is, according to Meehan. A skilled therapist can be there as support, to help you process regret and sadness, to acknowledge those natural sentiments and support you.
“It is normal to want to ‘process remorse’. Many people reflect on their past experiences as they age, desiring to remember and discuss moments that stood out among the routine happenings. Some therapy strategies put a deliberate emphasis on assisting patients in making constructive use of their past.
“You can discuss significant recollections during life review or memory therapy, whether they are of significant occasions or fleeting ones.”
According to a study titled “Effectiveness of Life Review Treatment on Quality of Life in the Late Life at Day Care Centers of Shiraz, Iran: A Randomised Controlled Trial", therapy that gives the instinctive act of looking back a framework enhances the quality of the life you’re now leading.
In therapy, you might establish new relationships.
The efficacy of treatment depends on human connection and bonding, whether it takes place in a one-on-one or group setting, face-to-face or online. According to research, therapy is more successful when the client and therapist have a strong bond.
As you become older, when many people start to feel a creeping sense of isolation, it’s critical to maintain focused connection.
Social isolation isn’t simply about loneliness, according to researchers in a paper titled “Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Review and Commentary of a National Academies Report.” Additionally, it can cause health issues by increasing your chance of dementia, heart disease and mental health issues. These conclusions were confirmed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meehan said: “Therapy can keep you interested. Your therapist may be a dependable source of acceptance, encouragement and compassion.”
If you have endured a lifetime of institutional racism, finding avenues of connection may be crucial. Researchers have shown that psychological resources, along with social and spiritual support, can help shield persons of colour from the strain of ongoing prejudice.
According to a research titled “Strategies to Promote Social Connections Among Older Adults During Social Distancing Restrictions”, maintaining social connections is so crucial to your well-being that specialists advise you to make a “connection strategy” with specific techniques to avoid solitude.
There are compelling, evidence-based reasons to think about counselling if you're in your mid-life or later years. You can get support in adjusting to a changing body, divorce, empty nest, retirement, difficult loss, or any other life change you’re facing from a culturally sensitive, well-trained therapist.
A great technique to refresh your perspective of who you are and what you can offer the world is via therapy. You can avoid the negative impacts of solitude by re-establishing social connections. Additionally, reflecting on your past experiences and goals for the future will help you see how far you’ve come.