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Entering middle age can be a difficult transition that often feels like it came out of nowhere. One day, you’ll look in the mirror and suddenly realize you are getting older. Time has flown by, and you didn’t accomplish everything you were supposed to by this point. Your body seems to be betraying you as it refuses to cooperate the way it once did. How did you get so… old?
Middle age can be a difficult time, but it doesn’t have to be. By the time you’ve reached the approximate halfway point, your body may have some wear and tear. You may have some regrets - who doesn’t? But, you’ve also gained wisdom. You know how to work smarter, not harder.
The good news is that Missouri residents with their medical card are finding that cannabis makes the transition to middle age much easier - from both a physical and mental standpoint.
What Is the Definition of “Middle Age?”
Middle age is exactly what it sounds like - the era of your life that falls in-between being a young adult and being a senior citizen. The range varies, depending on who you ask, but the general consensus is that middle age begins somewhere in your mid 40’s and runs through your early 60’s.
What Exactly Is a Midlife Crisis?
The midpoint of our lives is a pretty standard time to look back and examine our earlier goals, weighing them against the time we have left. The idea of our own mortality tends to hit home at this point in life, and when you add in the physical and mental changes that come with middle age, it’s no surprise so many people experience a sense of unease.
According to Healthline, the term “midlife crisis” was invented by psychoanalyst Elliot Jacques in 1965. Essentially, a midlife crisis is a period when we start to re-examine our life and often-times take action to fight against the perceptions that come with aging.
Typically, a midlife crisis comes in three stages:
Stage One: Trigger
The trigger stage happens when an event causes an individual to have concerns over aging. It could be when the kids go to college and you have an empty nest, it could be caused by the death of a parent, or an illness commonly associated with older people. It can be the loss of a job at an age that feels “too late to start over.”
Stage Two: Crisis Period
The crisis period is the stage where self-doubt tends to creep-in. It may feel similar to depression, but is not the same thing.
Often-times, self-doubt leads to an examination of your beliefs, goals, values, and the questioning of your sense of self. During this stage, people often feel lost and may begin to explore new things, discovering new passions and ideologies that make them seem unrecognizable to friends and loved ones.
Stage Three: Resolution
Resolution occurs after the stage of exploration when you come back to yourself. Typically a midlife crisis ends with acceptance of who you are, oftentimes welcoming what life has in store.
Healthy Habits Can Make a Huge Impact
One of the most difficult factors of middle age is that we become more prone to illness and injury. Age is a hallmark risk factor for many medical issues, including heart disease, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
There are things you can do to fight back and take control of your wellbeing. By maintaining several healthy habits, you can add years to your life, so middle age doesn’t have to be a downhill slide into mortality. By making positive choices on a regular basis, you can increase the length of your life and make middle age some of your happiest years.
According to a study published by the Harvard School of Health, the following five healthy habits can substantially extend your lifespan and help you fight off disease:
Regular exercise
Eating a healthy diet
Maintaining a healthy body weight
Avoiding excessive alcohol use
Not smoking tobacco products
How Can Marijuana Help?
Medical marijuana is helping patients who suffer from a wide range of medical conditions. The effects of marijuana can help your body and mind feel better as you enter middle age, fighting off many of the symptoms that take a toll on your health. Here are just a few of the obstacles that people in middle age face that cannabis can help with:
Anxiety and Focus
As concerns about your stage in life come up, it’s easy to experience anxiety that affects your focus. This can lead to uncomfortable social interactions and workplace confidence issues, in additions to problems in bed (more on that below).
Luckily, studies have shown that marijuana can be an effective aid in reducing anxiety by boosting your mood, promoting relaxation, and increasing your ability to focus.
Cannabis Can Get You Moving
One of the best ways to feel younger is to take care of your physical health. Regular exercise can help maintain your weight, increase your energy levels, and boost your immune system. But, exercise can be difficult in middle age, as ssues with pain, recovery, and getting enough rest can make it harder than ever to maintain a fitness routine.
Cannabis may be the exercise partner you need to stay on track. Marijuana can help you get or stay in shape by helping with pain relief, reducing inflammation, increasing focus, and helping you get the sleep needed for your muscles to recover.
Relief for Chronic Pain
Nothing can halt you in your tracks like living with chronic pain. It can force you to live a sedentary lifestyle, which can lead to depression or further medical issues. If you are struggling with chronic pain, medical marijuana can help you get your quality of life back.
Many individuals suffering from chronic pain find that medical marijuana helps to significantly reduce the intensity of their pain and in some cases allows them to resume activities they thought they’d never return to. Additionally, many patients are using cannabis to reduce their dependence on prescription opioids.
Erectile Dysfunction?
Don’t worry, it happens to everyone. The truth is that erectile dysfunction is common among middle aged men, and thinking about it often makes it worse. The problem that many men are facing in the bedroom isn’t a physical issue, rather it’s mental. Many of those men are discovering that a small dose of cannabis lets them relax and… ahem… get the job done.
Better Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep matters, especially in middle age. If you are having a hard time getting the rest your body needs, your daytime activities - from exercise, to personal relationships, to your job performance - will suffer. Cannabis is an effective, natural sleep aid that can help you get the rest you need to feel and look younger.
Overall Well-being
Medical marijuana is medicine, a medicine that can make you feel better all-around. It can boost your mood, increase your focus, and reduce pain and anxiety. Cannabis can help improve your overall wellbeing and make middle-age the best years of your life.
Ready for Relief? We’re Here to Help.
Medical marijuana could provide the relief you need to get the most out of middle age. If you don’t have your Missouri medical card yet, we can help you with that. Our doctors are standing by to take you through a quick and easy evaluation to see if you qualify. Schedule an appointment with a marijuana physician online by CLICKING HERE, or give us a call at (877) 303-3117 to talk to a patient support representative.
Doctors Who Care.
Relief You Can Trust.
At Missouri Marijuana Card, our mission is helping everyone achieve wellness safely and conveniently through increased access to medical marijuana. Our focus on education, inclusion, and acceptance will reduce the stigma for our patients by providing equal access to timely information and compassionate care.
Call us at (877) 303-3117, or simply book a medical marijuana evaluation to start getting relief you can trust today!
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