EP 6 | Myth vs Fact | Midlife Women Edition

💋 Women Are Not Okay Collective
Real talk. Midlife. Mental health. Relationships. Mindfulness.
Because we’re not fixing it all today — we’re just not pretending anymore.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:03

Welcome to Women Are Not Okay, the self-help podcast where we talk all things mental health, relationships, and mindfulness. Can you admit that you're not okay? Let's be real. Things are shifting. Our bodies, our identities, our mentality, and our relationships. Girl, it's time for us to reclaim our sense of peace, sanity, and well-being. I'm Crystal, and no, I'm not okay. See, that was easy. Let's get into it. Hi, I'm Crystal. Welcome to episode six of the Women Are Not Okay podcast. Today's episode is the sequel you didn't know you needed, Myth vs. Fact, Midlife Women Edition, Round 2. The first round I posted on my Instagram profile at Women Are Not Okay for those of you who are not following me. So if you missed it, go ahead and check it out on my profile. Apparently, society has thoughts about who we're supposed to be at this age. Spoiler alert, those thoughts are so wrong. Let's debunk a few more myths, shall we? Here are ten we will tackle today. Myth number one midlife means settling down. Fact midlife means finally realizing you were never the problem. The expectations were you're not settling down, you're leveling up with stronger boundaries and comfier pants. You've traded chaos for calm, drama for DoorDash, and people pleasing for peace. Settling girl please. Myth number two. Midlife women stop being sexy. Fact Oh girl, we've just upgraded the software. The self-awareness, the confidence, and the I don't give a damn energy, that's peak attraction. We're not trying to be sexy. We are sexy. It's called emotional intelligence, moisturized skin and not chasing anyone's validation. We've got more body acceptance and less tolerance for nonsense, and that's so hot. Myth number three Midlife women don't start over. Fact Midlife women start everything over careers, marriages, hobbies, hair color, and coping mechanisms. It's not a midlife crisis, it's a rebrand. We're out here updating our bios and deleting what no longer serves us emotionally, spiritually, and digitally. Myth number four midlife means you've had it all figured out. Fact, laugh my ass off. We're still Googling why my back hurts when I breathe and how to be less tired without quitting life. We've learned that confusion is just wisdom and activewear. The difference now? We laugh, we meme, we hydrate, we drink, and we move on. No spiraling is required. Number five. Girlfriend, we are the fun. We just traded clubbing for comfy brunches and tequila shots for therapy breakthroughs. We don't need bottle service. We need peace, snacks, dateline, and people who make us laugh until our bladder reminds us we're 40 plus. Fun looks so different now, and thank God for that. Myth number six midlife women are past their prime. I'm sure a man came up with this one. Fact, we are the prime, like aged wine, except we pair better with boundaries than Brie. This is the era of knowing what you want and having zero problems saying it. The prime isn't a time, it's a mindset. And if anyone disagrees, tell them to Google menopause glow up and mine their vitamins. Myth number seven midlife women can't keep up with trends. Fact. We invented the trends. We're just highly selective now. We were there for scrunchies and leg warmers the first time around. Thank you very much. We use TikTok not because we're trying to be influencers, but because the algorithm thinks we're stressed and need golden retriever videos. We adapt, we evolve, we still look good doing it. With our readers on, of course. Myth number eight, midlife means giving up on dreams. Oh, fact, midlife is the dream, thank you very much, because now we finally have the nerve to chase it. We've survived heartbreaks, layoffs, PTA meetings, Girl Scout troops, Boy Scout troops, an identity crisis. The audacity to reinvent ourselves? That's not a midlife crisis. That's main character energy. The dream has just gotten better shoes and stronger coffee. Myth number nine midlife women are bitter. Fact, we're not bitter, we're seasoned. Like a cast iron skillet or well written clapback. We've earned our edge, and we wield it with grace, grit, and a dash a petty when necessary. Myth number ten women are invisible. Fact, we are so not invisible. We're just done performing. If you can't see us, that's your damn problem. We're out here busy being the main character in our own damn stories. Why is it so important to fight against the myths? If you Google midlife, the first thing that displays this midlife crisis. I get it. It's a crisis. Blah blah blah. But no, it's much more than that. The real crisis isn't that women hit their forties and start questioning everything. The crisis is what we were told not to. That we were supposed to quietly fade into the background, smiling through burnout and beige cardigans while pretending everything is just fine. We fight against the myths because they shrink us. They make midlife sound like a decline instead of a debut. Every time a woman is told she's too old, too emotional, or too late, another spark dims. But when we start calling out the myths for what they are, outdated, sexist, nonsensical bullshit, we get that spark back. We remember that growth, reinvention, and joy don't have an expiration date. Fighting these myths isn't just about clapping back with clever captions, although we totally love that. It's about rewriting the narrative for every woman who's ever felt invisible, exhausted, or gaslit by society's expectations. When we bust these myths wide open, we make space for truth. Messy, glorious, liberating truth. We show younger women what's possible, and we remind ourselves that we're not broken, but we're breaking free. So yeah, maybe it's a crisis of sort, but it's also a revolution. And midlife women, we're leading it in comfy stretch pants with receipts and zero tolerance for nonsense. If this episode resonated with you, share along with a friend, follow, and like. And until next time, thanks for listening. Just so we're clear, I'm not a licensed medical health professional. I just pay really good ones who help me unpack all this chaos so I can come here and share it with you. Think of this as a pay it forward kind of thing. So until next time, protect your peace, set your boundaries, and remember, it's okay to not be okay.