In your 40s and feeling restless, disappointed or just less happy than you used to? It’s common to hit the bottom of the happiness curve in midlife, according to research. So how do you find your way back to happiness?
Psychologist Dr Emmanuella Murray says many times women look in all the wrong places.
“I think women who tend to feel unhappy and dissatisfied, they kind of straight away say, ‘what, what changes can I make?’ But sometimes they'll make impulsive decisions that are quite damaging,” she says.
“I hear people saying, Oh, I'm going to ditch my job, or I've had an affair.
“And shopping is an addiction for some women - they're having things delivered daily to ignite this dopamine hit. But the downfall is that it's only temporary. And then they start feeling a lot of guilt and shame.
“I also find sometimes women might turn to drinking a little bit more to kind of dull out the day and we know that doesn't make anyone feel better
“The first question I like people to ask themselves is: Am I actually happy with the person I am?” This is the first step in working out your values.
“Values give us purpose and meaning in life. So if we don't lead a life by our values, I find a lot of people spiral into depression, because they never feel good enough and they never think their life is enough. They’re always wanting to strive for more.”
Dr Murray shares how you can define what your values really are, and set yourself on the path to happiness in this episode of our podcast Thriving in Menopause.
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