Mid-life crisis begins in your 30s

[SiHart]

Bad news everyone...

Relate survey suggests mid-life crisis 'begins in 30s'
Man checking for balding A receding hairline may be the least of a 30-something man's worries

Work and relationship pressures make the mid-30s the start of many British people's unhappiest decade, a survey suggests.

Of the 2,000 people quizzed, more aged 35 to 44 said that they felt lonely or depressed than in other age groups.

The survey also suggested that busy parents were using Facebook and similar sites to stay in touch with children.

Relationship advice charity Relate, which is behind the research, said it revealed a "true mid-life crisis".

* Rise of the Mamils (middle-aged men in lycra)
* Tackle work stress, bosses told

Of those surveyed, 21% of men and women aged 35 to 44 said they felt lonely a lot of the time, and a similar percentage said that bad relationships, either at work or home, had left them feeling depressed.

The same proportion said they felt closer to friends than family, and a quarter said they wished they had more time for their family.

So is it true for you?

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

We all have those moments.

Si.

[Captain Tancredi]

I find one of the best things about a mid life crisis is that it gives you an excuse to have a crush on twentysomething temps.

[Stuart Wallis]

Well I've got half of mine out of the way then. Things are looking up!

[Jon Masters]

After catching the repeats of Martin Clunes' Reggie Perrin, I've realised that I've started to have similarly vivid hallucinations whilst at work.

[Andrew Curnow]

Me too

Every time I doze off on the settee, when I wake up I always find myself hearing Leonard Rossiter saying, "...I keep falling asleep in the middle of Play for Today...".

[Arisia]

Am I past it then? I'm 42.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I'm told by my wife my attempts to learn art are a midlife crisis!

I thought most midlife crises involve wanting a sportscar and to sleep with someone 20 years your junior.

[Stuart Wallis]

After catching the repeats of Martin Clunes' Reggie Perrin, I've realised that I've started to have similarly vivid hallucinations whilst at work.

You should stop having brandy for breakfast and lunch then!

[Jonno]

I can certainly say that things changed big time for me in my early-mid 30s, but only really when it came to work. I got made redundant at 32, not far off 33 and had been happy with most things work related up to that stage - indeed, the job that I got made redundant from was the most rewarding to date, and I doubt I'll ever find anything as good again.

I started my next full time job aged 37 and although the first 12-18 months were fine, in the last year or so it's turned into the job from hell.

Luckily I'm happy enough with the rest of my life, get on well with my family and have a great set of friends, so all the relationship problems referred to in the original post just do not apply to me. It's the 9-5 that I have to sort out one way or the other.

[Darren]

My mid life crisis started at 21. I'm confidently expecting it to end soon.

[Stuart Wallis]

Best to get it out of the way...

[Darren]

But then it's the menopause...

[Stuart Wallis]

Don't anyone dare mention dotage, senility or death to Darren anyone! I've tried them all, they're overrated.