Navigating Midlife: Women Becoming Themselves

by Robyn Vickers-Willis

This powerful, insightful book offers women vital possibilities for meaningful and profound change in how they choose to live the second half of their lives. Addressing those women 35 and over who are at a crossroads and questioning the multiple aspects of their lives-job, marriage, children-it offers strategies to help them find out what they actually want to do with the next part of their lives and how to achieve their goals. With deep understanding and practical wisdom, it illustrates why it is normal to suffer depression, anger, loss, and doubt in midlife, and emphasizes the importance of embracing these turbulent feelings, rather than ignoring or running away from them. Through shared personal stories, metaphor, dreams, and reflections, and based on a sound psychological framework, women are given a map, complete with all the signposts, to choose their own unique path to a second half of life full of personal meaning, new passions, youthfulness, and creativity.

Genres: Psychology

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Melissa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to women hitting midlife. I found it helpful in dealing with changes that I have been facing.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this. As a midlife woman, I can identify with much of what the author writes, even though she's from Australia. Even though the book was written in 2002, any woman who is between 45 and 50 will probably identify with much of what the author, a psychologist, expresses, and will find it comforting or enlightening.

I'm not familiar with Jungian psychology, and the concept of male and female energy (anima and animus) found within us is only something I've learned about in the past few years. (How I missed that in my college psychology class, I don't know. Because I was too young and/or a lazy student, I think.) This is interesting to me, but it does seem a bit outdated and old fashioned. I've always thought that labeling things and male/female leads to problems.

Yes, she gives some ideas on how to nurture yourself, and some people may need that. I have always done that - take classes, exercise, explore yoga and meditation, etc. However, for me, biggest value to this book is that the thoughts and feelings I've been experiencing for the past several years are perfectly normal for a woman my age. (It's like being a teenager again, but this time around, I'm better equipped to deal with the emotional changes. I am more observant and less emotional.)

I would suggest this book to any midlife woman who is starting to think about the next part of her life, much the way a teenager starts to think about life after high school or a college student thinks about life after college.

If you are a midlife woman and you find yourself questioning things, this book will probably appeal to you. If you feel like your life is missing something, this is a great book to help you explore what's missing. Even if you are perfectly content with your life, I would suggest women read this. I wish I had found this book several years ago, but as the saying goes, "When the student is ready, the master appears."

This is her website if you want to explore more: http://navigatingmidlife.com/