Most of us feel a little “different” as we move into our 40’s. It seems as though life catches up with us and we are neither here nor there. We can sometimes feel like we are hovering between the excesses of our youth and the quiet reflection of our old age and haven’t quite managed to find a comfortable place in between. We look older, we feel older, but we are not yet “old”. We tend to call this period that can stretch across many years, our mid-life crisis. But is it real?

Researchers who published a paper in the Economic Journal this month seem to think so. They spoke to 50,000 people across Australia, Britain and Germany about how happy they are and discovered that between the ages of 40 and 42 happiness starts to take a sharp dip and doesn’t seem to recover until after the age of 70. Moreover this trend is common around the world, regardless of culture.

The researchers didn’t really want to suggest why people become unhappy in their middle age, but there could be some very good reasons. Once we hit 40, life just seems to catch up with us. We usually have a demanding job, our children are slightly older and we are expected to work harder than ever to provide for them as they reach their teens. Our parents will be requiring more care and may even need us to look after them full time and we still have many years left on our mortgage and retirement seems very far away.

Then we can add to that the physical concerns that middle age brings. For both men and women this is the time our metabolisms have slowed and we tend to put on weight, our wrinkles are starting to show and we start getting those aches and pains that signal that old age is on its way. We can feel less attractive and that can come out as marital affairs, boys toys and inappropriate clothing choices!

Put all of these things together and it can feel as though middle age is the worst time of our lives. But it truly doesn’t have to be. Dealing with the everyday stresses of life really are no different at this age than they are at any other time. It is the way we approach them that needs to change. If we start from a standpoint of looking after ourselves, the rest will flow nicely.

This means eating well, exercising, enjoying the company of good friends and taking care of our appearance. Simple actions like getting a facial, having your eyebrows shaped, using some good eye creams or wearing your favourite dress can lift the spirits and allow you the time to appreciate what you have.

Think back to when you were in your 20’s or your teens. Did you look at people over the age of 40 and think they were any different than anyone else? Did you see the people you wanted to become? Men and women with exciting and vibrant lives who were entering a phase of their lives when they had learned the lessons of youth, but they still had the time to enjoy their life ahead. You have actually become that person, you just need to be willing to live life to the full.

Let us help you to find the inner you as you reach your 40’s and beyond. Take care of yourself and the rest will follow – that is our motto. For facial treatments that will really reveal your ageless beauty click here: