Is this a mid-life crisis?

Lately, I have had many conversations with many different women who all appear to be experiencing some form of a "mid-life crisis".
It appears as:
* discontent with life and/or the lifestyle that may have provided happiness for many years
*Boredom with things/people that have hitherto held great interest and dominated your life
*Feeling adventurous and wanting to do something completely different
*Questioning the meaning of life, and the validity of decisions clearly and easily made years before
*Confusion about who you are, or where your life is going.

Everyone seems to think they are "the only one" experiencing these feelings and feel terribly guilty about having these feelings in the first place especially in a time when so many people are experiencing tremendous level of hardship. Well, listen up, ladies, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Carl Jung identified 5 main phases of midlife many years ago and what you are feeling is real and part of life's natural transitions.

Carl Jung identified 5 main phases of midlife:
Accommodation (meeting others' expectations - actually, this takes place in the first part of life, but is the context in which midlife processes take place)
Separation (rejecting the accommodated self)
Liminality (a period of uncertainty, where life seems directionless and meanders)
Reintegration (working out 'who I am' and becoming comfortable with that identity)
Individuation (facing up to and accepting the undesirable aspects of our own character)

It is a fluid process - but recognizing the stages can help to make sense of what is otherwise chaos and confusion. Perhaps understanding of mid-life transition might help some people to move from thinking 'there is something wrong with me' to seeing that the feelings and changes associated with mid-life are quite natural. In fact, they are experienced by most other people at a similar stage of life. So, embrace the fact that Change Is Strange and look forward to moving towards Individuation!

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Change is strange meets the ipad... Yes or no?

According to Mike Elgan of the Raw Feed, the iPad will spark a revolution in children's culture. He is convinced that starting this year, and especially next year, iPads will be the No. 1 most requested holiday and birthday gift by everyone under the age of 18, and especially under the age of 12.

Kids will learn to read, write and count on iPads. They'll watch TV, movies and cartoons on iPads. They'll do social networking, play games, and even color in virtual coloring books.

By the time these kids reach middle school, they will have been using multitouch user interfaces almost every day for eight years or more.

The iPad platform will prove irresistible to everyone -- parents, content providers, and especially the kids themselves. He believes Children are hardwired for touch interfaces, and they love iPhones.

Mike Elgin believes that in the the under-12 market, the iPad will dominate without any real competition and will completely change children's culture. Here are three reasons why he thinks that will happen: It's perfect for parents, the "children's culture" industry and kids themselves.

So, what do you think? Do you think the ipad is the future? and, if so, should Change Is Strange adapt and start creating interactive content for kids and parents?

Mike Elgan writes about technology and global tech culture. Contact Mike at mike.elgan@elgan.com, follow him on Twitter or his blog, The Raw Feed.

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Change Is Strange

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Resilience is key

You’ve encountered endless obstacles in your life. There have been parenting obstacles, career obstacles and obstacles in your personal life. But, you’ve climbed over every one of them – and in the process even cracked a few glass ceilings. Resilience is vital in today's world, so I applaud you.

It is necessary to be flexible and open to change, especially during these economic times. Strength and flexibility are key to success.
I truly believe resilience is one of the keys to a happy life.

Changing environments, like the one we’re living in today, can be a great challenge, but if you’re resilient, you’ll find the opportunities in it.

This is the lesson I hope to teach my children. I have one child who easily accepts change and can adapt effortlessly to different situations. However,I have another one who fights it tooth and nail.

A change in schedule, dinner menu, or even the location of a play date can send her into a tizzy for hours.
I've learned over time, that preparing her for the changes in advance, greatly helps her cope with the acceptance of these changes. I try not to spring changes on her. It's a lot more work but well worth it in the end and hopefully, as she matures, she will learn to create these systems internally making her more resilient as an adult.

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Helping Prepare Your Kids for A Move

Moving is one of life't many changes, and especially if it's accompanied by other changes such as divorce, can be difficult for kids. To help kids deal with the transition, keep them informed at each stage and try to involve them as much as is feasible.


1.As soon as you think you might be moving, start floating the idea to your kids. If you see a nice house or apartment, ask "would you like to live somewhere like this someday?" The more time you give them to get used to the idea, the better.

2.If possible, involve them in the process of looking for a new place to live.. This will make the whole process of a move exciting for them and may make them feel more involved in a decision that's beyond their control.

3. When you have definate plans for a move, let them know. Mark it on a calendar. Count the days with the kids and be enthusiastic and excited.

4. Take each child, if you are able, to get some new things for their room. This could be as simple as an arts and crafts project to make something for the new place. A foam sign with their name for their door, or a picture of their favorite character to hang on the wall. COnsider letting them pick a wall color for their new room.

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