Mid-year crisis: what is it?

June is here, and with it comes the pressure to check on our goals for the year and ask ourselves how much (if any) progress we’ve made. Think of it as a midlife crisis but instead of happening halfway through life, it shows up in the middle of the year. 

It’s like Groundhog Day – you write a list of goals in January, feel super motivated to achieve them, stay consistent for a week or two, and then life happens and you forget about your goals. Now all of a sudden six months have passed and you feel like a huge failure. Sound familiar? It sure does to me. 

What’s wrong with yearly goals?

Humans are creatures of habit. We love to have a routine and predict outcomes, it makes us feel in control of our lives. That’s why the idea of setting goals for the year is so appealing to most of us – it’s a roadmap that helps us visualise the 365 days ahead of us. 

There’s nothing wrong with listing long-term goals, as long as we understand that life isn’t a straight line. The year will ebb and flow, your goals may change throughout the year, and you might lose motivation along the way. And this, my friend, is a completely normal thing. 

Here’s the real problem: we’ve been conditioned by society to live our lives within a certain timeframe. From getting married in your 20s to buying a home by 35, life is often measured with unrealistic benchmarks that we’re all expected to follow. Same goes for the yearly goals – you MUST write down a list of fresh, new objectives in late December or early January. Didn’t have time to write anything? You’re late. Better luck next year. 

What if December was a shit month and you have no motivation in you? What if you just want to keep doing what you’re doing and then check back in some other month? Maybe you just want to kick off the year with no expectations whatsoever. In my opinion, the best way to avoid a mid-year crisis is to begin the year with less pressure around what you want to achieve. Set small, realistic goals. Tiny achievements that you can build on and be proud of. And the most important part: be ready for things to change. 

Crushing the crisis

If you feel like you’ve been going nowhere this year and your goals don’t even look familiar anymore, let this be your sign to start fresh. You don’t need to wait for a new calendar. Nothing (literally nothing) is stopping you from grabbing a piece of paper and jotting down all those new visions that you have for yourself. List your new objectives, make a plan for each one, get motivated, and kick off your new path. You can even make 12 wishes and light firecrackers if you feel like it.

And last but not least – enjoy the ride. It’s not always about the end result or about where you think you’ll be in the next few months. Make the effort to stay mindful and embrace every moment. Keep an eye on the future, but don’t forget to stay right here in the present.