Feeling like life is boring? Maybe you need a little midlife rebellion! (and press the F*ck it button)

Photo by Bree Bigelow on Unsplash

A key sign of midlife crisis in women is apathy and boredom. Life feels boring, blah, meh. I love to encourage women to drop the shackles of adult responsibility – if only for a fleeting moment – and remember the lightness, freedom and fun that comes from a bit of rebellion.  To remember that delicious sparkle of naughtiness that used to live inside you.

If you want it back, you’re going to have to focus on having more fun and joy in your life. A sprinkling of rebellion could be the antidote!

Feel free to listen to this as a podcast instead (7 minutes)

Real fun includes a side dish of rebellion

In her book “The Power of Fun: Why fun is the key to a happy and healthy life,” journalist Catherine Price tells us that “True Fun” is a combination of playfulness, connection, and flow. And that it often is accompanied by a little bit of rebellion as we throw off the drudgery of adult responsibilities.

Think about the times you really laughed (a hallmark of ‘True Fun’). Who were you with? What were you doing?

A few years ago, my cousin Nicky invited us to measure the weight of our boobs on kitchen scales. Gin was definitely involved. I’m not sure we got the science bit right at all, but we laughed until we cried.

I’m inviting you to remember that part of you that dared to colour slightly outside the lines…

Remember her?

The younger you that had fabulous ideas and dreams.

The defiant adolescent that would never let the word “No” stand in her way.

The mutinous part of you that threw a sickie from work, long before taking a mental health day became an official thing.

I think that rebellious woman is awesome. I think the world needs to see more of you.

What holds us back from rebellion?

Fear of getting in trouble

What holds you back from adding a smidge of rebellion to your day? Maybe it is a fear of getting in trouble.

A lot of us grew up with a healthy fear of getting into trouble, due perhaps to what we would now consider to be unhealthy methods of punishment. 

But if you are reading this, it’s likely that you’re the adult now. And I’m pretty sure that the world isn’t going to stop turning if you rebelled against the drudgery of adult female life.

I’m not suggesting you take a 5-finger discount on the Tim Tams from Woollies. I’m talking about saying “F*ck no” to things you have zero interest in doing. 

And putting your needs first for a change (doing what YOU want instead of caving in to what your partner/family wants).

Fear of looking silly

Fear of looking silly or absurd often holds us back from having fun or rebelling. However, some of my funniest memories involve absurdity. For example:

Falling flat on my face on a (cleverly camouflaged) dancing podium as I raced through the crowd to dance to “I will survive” by Gloria Gaynor in a Sardinian nightclub. Being so winded I couldn’t move and my friends were laughing too hard to pick me up, so I was left to flop around like a fish until I was ‘righted’ by a rather confused Sardinian man.

An invitation to press the “F*ck it button”

My cheeky, rebellious streak is often dampened by my inner ‘good girl.’  I work way too hard, too long and I sometimes get dangerously close to burnout.

My cousin Nicky is a responsible mother of two amazing young women, a business owner, and a wife and a total rockstar. She introduced me to the phrase:

 “Sometimes you’ve just got to push the Fuck-it button” 

 So whenever I feel the jets of my rebelliousness thrum into life, I think of Nicky.

If Nicky and I can push the “F*ck it button,” maybe you can too.

Go on press it. 

I double dare you …