“We delight in the beauty of a butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” — Maya Angelou
The U-shape of happiness
Studies suggest that our happiness can be mapped in the shape of a letter U: happiness levels are highest in young adulthood and dip to a low point in midlife. On average, we become happier once again as we reach later life. This is the U-curve of happiness.
Many women in their 40s or 50s feel like they’re at the lowest point of that U. And that it’s a steep climb back up.
Their own happiness doesn’t feel like a priority. Because there are just so many priorities for midlife women. Managing careers, families, aging parents, changing bodies, shifting dreams. Getting out of the U-dip and climbing back to increased happiness doesn’t even seem part of the equation.
But here’s the thing. That U-dip is a turning point. And the good news? You get to bend your own You-curve upward when you choose to.
Midlife isn’t a crisis—it’s a crossroads
Midlife can feel hard. You might be wondering if it’s too late to change careers, start over, or even just feel excited again. You may feel invisible, tired, or unsure where the old version of you went.
But this phase midlife? It holds enormous power.
Why?
Because you’re old and wise enough to stop pretending.
To stop chasing someone else’s idea of success.
To start living in alignment with who you really are.
You don’t have to wait to feel better
That upward curve researchers talk about—the one where people feel happier again after their 50s? That’s not just biology. It’s choice. It’s clarity. It’s permission.
It happens when women stop living on autopilot. When they start asking deeper questions. When they stop striving to be everything for everyone—and instead begin designing a life that feels good on the inside. Because you don’t have to wait for the curve to rise. You can decide to climb. To start your ascent to increased happiness.
You’re not in decline. You’re in redesign
Redesigning your midlife is about tuning back in. To you. It’s about remembering your voice, your power, your dreams. It’s about knowing you have the right—and the ability—to change course if something no longer fits.
It´s about the You-curve.
The moment you stop looking back at who you were and start looking forward to who you’re becoming.
And it touches every part of your life:
- What if your next job in your career wasn’t just another title, but something that brings you meaning and lights you up?
- What if for your wellbeing you started really listening to what your body is saying and caring for it with love?
- What if midlife for your relationships meant deeper, truer connections—with partners, children, relatives, friends, and most of all, with yourself?
- What if joy wasn’t just for vacations or weekends, but part of your daily life, filled with little sparks of light?
Start where you are. And take it step by step
You don’t need to overhaul everything. You need honesty. Self-compassion. And a willingness to gently listen to your core self.
Here’s how to reshape the U-curve to a thriving You-curve:
1. Take an Inventory
What’s working? What isn’t? What are you tolerating that drains you? What tiny moments bring you peace, energy, or pleasure?Here’s how to reshape the U-curve to a thriving You-curve:
2. Claim your desires
Yes, your desires. What do you long for? It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. As long as it feels true to you.
3. Drop the guilt
You are allowed to want more. Needing joy or purpose or rest doesn’t make you selfish. It simply makes a human ready to thrive.
4. Say yes to yourself
Yes to the course, the walk, the conversation. Yes to what stirs something in you. Yes to showing up as the woman you’re becoming—not the one the world expects you to be.
5. Get support
You don’t have to do this alone. Find people who see you, who lift you, who remind you of what’s possible.
Make it the very beginning of True You. The real way to inner happiness
Midlife is not a downhill slide. It can be the start of your truest chapter.
It’s the time when you realize that your joy, your voice, your path—it matters.
And the best part? It’s all still ahead of you. The thriving upward You-curve starts when you choose yourself.
Because you don’t have to just age.
You can come home to yourself—joyfully, powerfully, fully.
Not someday. But now.
🔆 Ready to say YES to happiness? If you’re ready to climb your You-curve, but aren’t sure where to begin, I’m here for you. Book your free 30-minute Zoom call with me at Midlife Redesigned. A supportive space to explore where you are now–and where you want to go.
