Last week, I wrote exams in a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy course I've been taking. A big component of the course dealt with depression. In fact, I have a very thick text, written by Aaron T. Beck, which outlines everything there is to know about treating depression, utilizing the methods of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which, I understand, tends to work very well for resolving depression.
One of the prime times for depression to strike both men and women is during mid-life (ages 40 - 55). I remember reading Dr. Christiane Northrup's book,"The Wisdom of Menopause" many years ago (not that I was there yet, but why not prepare!) and she wrote something which has stayed with me ever since and which in my own life I have found to be true. She stated that women tend to become more introspective during their mid-life years. This can lead to women questioning, among many other things, their choice of career and their choice of life partner. Thinking too hard, evaluating and analyzing life, or 'navelgazing', if you will, can lead some people to evaluate themselves (and where they are at in their lives) too harshly. Children leaving home, aging bodies and minds, and/or losing a life partner or a parent, can prompt us to question what has or not happened in our lives. Individuals are prompted by these and other life events to see their lives in a new light as they face the fact that their lives may not have turned out as planned, or as expected, or that life dreams and goals have been quelled due to some circumstance or another.
Women spend a lot of time at this juncture analyzing how they feel, and if they use what they are thinking and feeling in order to take positive action as a result of their dissatisfaction - great - it can really be an empowering time. If, instead, they ruminate or dwell on what they think is wrong with life, and on how they feel as a result of what they are thinking and experiencing, this can very well lead to anxiety and depression.
According to American psychologist, Dr. Dan Gottlieb, "for some, these thoughts inspire change, but for others they lead to hopelessness, which can turn into depression." (1)
Stress as a factor which leads to depression and anxiety needs to be highlighted here. It is more and more common now for women to still be raising children or teenagers during the mid-life years. The stress of doing so, coupled with unbalanced hormone levels and sleep deprivation, can increase stress tremendously. When a person is tense - and when estrogen is dominant - the level of the stress hormone, cortisol, rises. When cortisol remains chronically high, it affects the balance of mood chemicals in the brain in such a way that makes a person more susceptible to depression and anxiety. It is very important for women to be able to take some time to nurture themselves during these years - any type of activity that promotes health and aids physical and mental relaxation - like a run through a beautiful park, a walk along a river, playing a few tunes on the piano, or some time spent meditating or simply breathing deeply can go a long way towards preventing acute mental and physical stress. As well, reframing thoughts in a more positive direction can also cut stress and counter depression and anxiety.
Anxiety and depression, however, are multi-faceted disorders, with genetic, chemical, physiological, auto-immune, and circumstantial factors like upbringing and other personal events, feeding into both of them. Some women tend for any number of reasons to be more vulnerable to developing either or both of these disorders.
Mid-life, though, can also be a time for enhanced expression and creativity, as new drives are awakened and time is found to develop interests that schedules would not previously allow for. This can lead to an increased self-assurance/self-confidence, and a boldness or more of a 'laissez-faire' attitude where what others think doesn't matter so much anymore. A woman may find a new self-acceptance, a certain peace about who she is with a "I am who I am and if nobody likes it, so be it" attitude. For many women, if they can get the help they need to navigate successfully through mid-life, they can thrive and achieve things they never before thought were possible. And, some women find that the best years of their life began in their fifties.
D.
(1) "Understanding Depression at Midlife", Cheryl Platzman Weinstock, October 5, 2010, www.womansday.com
About Me
- Deborah K. Hanula
- Deborah K. Hanula has a year of Journalism training from Humber College, a Political Science degree from the University of Waterloo, and a Law degree from the University of British Columbia. In addition, she has Diplomas in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Child Psychology, and Psychotherapy and Counselling as well as a Family Life Educator and Coach Certificate and Certificates in Reflexology, Assertiveness Training, and Mindfulness Meditation. She is the author of five cookbooks, primarily concerned with gluten-free and dairy-free diets, although one pertains to chocolate. As an adult, in the past she worked primarily as a lawyer, but also as a university and college lecturer, a tutor, editor, writer, counsellor, researcher and piano teacher. She enjoys a multi-faceted approach when it comes to life, work and study, in order to keep things fresh and interesting. Check out her new book: A Murder of Crows & Other Poems (2023).
