Mid-Life Crisis- "YOU ONLY GET ONE!"

So for those who don't know me super well (or don't know me at all), I'm a big country music fan. One of my all-time favorite country women is Reba McEntire. A year or so ago, I discovered a show that she made a few years back called "Reba." It is the corniest show I have ever admitted to watching. However, I do find it funny. For those who don't know what the show is about, here is a short briefing:

Reba and Brock Hart were married for 20 years with 3 kids: Cheyenne, Kyra, and Jake. Brock is a successful dentist who hired a receptionist named Barbara Jean. He ends up having an affair with her (and she gets pregnant), and Reba and Brock get a divorce (Reba and Brock were already having other issues in their marriage, but this was the last straw). As this starts to cause tension in the family, Cheyenne (who is high school age) and her boyfriend Van announce that they are going to be parents. As weird as things are, Barbara Jean thinks that Reba and her are friends. Brock and Barbara Jean are over at Reba's house a lot of the time. Even with the divorce and the crazy family situation, the Hart family stands by each other.

Ok, there's your briefing of "Reba." ("Reba" aired from 2001-2007, but the reruns are aired daily on ABC Family and CMT.)

For this blog, I'm going to be discussing "the mid-life crisis." Reba says the stereotype of a mid-life crisis best in the pilot episode of her show...
http://www.tubechop.com/watch/5571625 At the start of the clip (I edited it so it was a little shorter), Reba reveals that she and Brock are separated. She goes on to say that if he wants to have a mid-life crisis, that's fine. "Buy a red Corvette, take up bungee-jumping, pierce something. Whatever it takes, I don't care," Reba says. Brock then tells her that he is marrying Barbara Jean because she's pregnant.

Years later in the series, Brock tells Reba that he is giving up dentistry and selling his practice ...to play pro golf. Reba says my favorite line in the whole episode http://www.tubechop.com/watch/5570434, "Is this some kind of mid-life crisis? Because you dumping me for the blond was supposed to be your mid-life crisis! You only get one!"

Reba may have been a bit uninformed, because males (and females) can have more than one mid-life. Although it is a bit uncommon to have more than one, it is possible. There is no set amount, time, or symptoms with a mid-life crisis. Dan Jones, PhD, says that a mid-life crisis can occur anywhere between the ages of 37 through a person's 50s.
Stereotypes for men and women vastly vary. For men, it is buying a red sports car or proving something, whether it's in a relationship or a job. For women, they may feel that after raising their kids, it is time to return to the workforce or school.
A mid-life crisis, because it may cause some to feel like they are having an identity crisis, can lead to depression. Major signs of depression would include: change in eating/sleeping habits, feelings of hopelessness, restless, anxiety, irritability, lost of interest in activities once enjoyed, thoughts of suicide, and/or physical signs of illness that do not disappear in a reasonable amount of time.

It is important to remember that a mid-life crisis is a part of life. Just as babies go through certain developmental stages, adults are too. A mid-life crisis is a developmental transition to another part of life.

References
http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/midlife-crisis-opportunity?page=3