By the time you get to your mid-life years, you will have already been through so much. You will have experienced many changes up to this point, good and bad - career changes, marriage, divorce, children leaving home, deaths and house moves.

All of the situations that you experience in your life will have an impact physically and mentally. In fact, by the time you get into your late forties and fifties, you will have experienced so much you may no longer recognise the person you once were.

The lessons of life can change you in many ways and this can lead to feeling lost, lacking direction and unsure of who you are any more.

It can be at this point a crisis of self can develop or a “mid-life crisis.”

A midlife crisis in women can manifest through a variety of symptoms that often reflect a mental struggle with ageing and life fulfilment.

Common signs include dissatisfaction or restlessness, re-evaluating life choices, and a desire for change in personal or professional areas.

Emotional symptoms such as anxiety and depression may arise, accompanied by a sense of urgency to pursue dreams or goals left unaddressed. Additionally, changes in relationships, including conflicts with partners or friends, can occur as women seek deeper connections or reconsider their roles.

Are you one of those people who goes through life doing your own thing without a second thought to the opinion of others or do you stress and ruminate over the thoughts you believe other people are having about you?

If you fall into the second category, there will be several reasons for your behaviour. Often, worrying about what others think stems from a deep-rooted desire to be validated and accepted by those around you. If you believe your self-worth is tied to the opinions of others, then you will seek their approval and could also be constantly comparing yourself to them.

This behaviour can create a cycle of self-doubt and anxiety that can be incredibly damaging to the relationship you have not only with other people but also with yourself.

If you have experienced rejection or judgement, this can also make you overly concerned with the need to fit in. This can stifle your true, authentic self and leave you at odds with your core values and beliefs, making your world unaligned.

We can all look for ways to think positively when feeling depressed or down. Sudden bouts of the blues can strike anyone at any time. Often these feelings can stem from a sudden occurrence, be hormonal or because of an underlying health condition. Whatever is causing your mood change or the feelings of depression you may be suffering from, we all know they can bit quite debilitating and can have an effect on all areas of our lives.

Negative thinking can be a major obstacle to overcome in many people’s lives. These can be the little thoughts that go around and around in your head constantly or they can be major ideas, whatever their size, these ruminating thoughts can be highly destructive and need to be eradicated from your thinking.