For women, midlife is a dynamic time full of growth and uncertainty. Transitions increase in frequency and complexity.
An individual’s challenge is to:
- understand how these changes affect you
- what the connections are to the forces that shaped you
- what you need to do differently going forward
Lately, it’s been recommended that we get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Isn’t that a bit like telling an impatient person to relax? Usually, it intensifies their impatience.
That means lots of unlearning and relearning ahead. We’re better off building skills that can take us way beyond that. Why? Because we’re not going back to simpler times and our navigation skills that worked before – in our workplaces, homes and communities – will need to be adapted.
Political uncertainty surrounds us – things will not return to the way they were. There is a dismantling of global systems that appeared to provide steadiness. Authoritarian and autocratic regimes are itching to flex power.
For three decades post-war, most North Americans enjoyed a higher level of economic security. The deal was to work hard, follow the rules and bring a better quality of life to our families, communities and build a modest retirement plan. However, the framework of the postwar bargain cracked in the 70’s. Instead of honesty, politicians used globalization to keep the myth alive. By 2008, the underbelly of the great recession revealed that the relentless pursuit of progress and profits did not restore the gains of the postwar bargain. However, their messaging kept the illusion alive.
We’re experiencing transition on a collective and individual level. We’re surrounded by strong forces of change that will affect our livelihoods, change the structure of our lives, and affect self-confidence and social respect. Stability will erode as will trust in government, media and business.
It will involve growth though not the kind we’ve been used to experiencing. We’re not strangers to change however this massive force will take its toll.
Economic historians indicate that financial crises, typically last a decade before restoring a new order. Plus the psychological process of change is transition and it takes longer to unravel than the change events do.
What’s best complacency, panic or agency?
Like the frog in hot water, one can be complacent and wait. Or jump into a panic-stricken state, neither is ideal. Keeping your head down and working hard, may be familiar, however unlikely to work as it did in the past. Individual agency can be challenging when power structures change or when confronted by reality-based concerns.
When a paved road turns into a river, traction is no longer achievable. Facing situations we must go through, requires the ability to navigate. While you can anticipate some uncertain conditions, the best preparation is learning what causes you to get in your own way, how to move through it and mitigate the effects.
Learning your unique ways to navigate the forces of uncertainty can keep you afloat during uncomfortable situations.