5 Ways to Get Your Spark Back in Midlife
FEATUREDMIDLIFE REINVENTION
Tammy Renée | Creating the Beautiful Life
5 min read
4. Check In With Your Health & Wellness
Sometimes what feels like a loss of spark can also be our bodies asking us to take better care of ourselves
Maybe you need more consistent sleep, more movement, more nourishing meals, or to take care of an overdue appointment with your dentist.
Maybe you’ve been meaning to schedule a mammogram, get back to your regular walks, or take care of another health concern you’ve been putting off.
Taking care of our bodies isn’t about punishing ourselves into becoming younger. It’s about supporting the kind of life we want now and for our future.
When we feel stronger, rested, and well cared for, we often have more energy available for all those things we want to do — that truly matter to us.
Choose one thing that you can do to take better care of your body this week.
If you’ve spent any time in midlife already, you’ve probably experienced seasons when life feels a little meh — or when a vague sense of ennui settles in: a weariness, restlessness, or boredom with life as it is.
Now, in my 50s, I’ve become better at recognizing what tends to bring on that feeling — and what helps me move out of it.
Today, I’m sharing five of my favorite practices that I return to when I want to feel more energized and excited about life again.
A gentle note: This article is about the temporary loss of energy or enthusiasm that many of us experience from time to time. If sadness, hopelessness, or a loss of interest has persisted or is interfering with your daily life, please reach out to a qualified medical or mental health professional.
2. Learn Something That Keeps You Connected
Learning something new reminds us that we can still surprise ourselves with how much we’re capable of learning.
Technology changes so quickly that it can be tempting to avoid anything that initially feels confusing. Some may decide that artificial intelligence, newer social platforms, or the latest features on our phones simply are not for us.
But avoiding the unfamiliar can gradually make our world smaller.
Ask one of your kids to show you how something works. Watch a beginner’s tutorial on YouTube. Experiment with a new tool. Take a short online class or learn a skill you’ve quietly wished you understood better.
You don’t have to master everything. The goal is to remain open and willing to learn something new.
If you’re in midlife and have avoided learning certain things, you’ll be amazed at how empowering it feels to conquer something you once were afraid to try and figure out.
Choose one thing you’ve been avoiding and spend thirty minutes learning about it.
1. Find Something New to Love
There is nothing wrong with returning to the songs, movies, and traditions we’ve always loved. They hold memories and connect us to special chapters — and people — in our lives.
But we should also continue adding new things to our story.
One of the ways I add newness to my life is by continually searching for musical artists I’ve never heard before.
I don’t want the soundtrack of my life to stop in an earlier decade; I want to keep adding fresh music to it.
My favorite music has always been old jazz standards by artists like Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. Their music belonged to an era before my own, but because older members of my family played those songs throughout my childhood, they became a major part of my story too. Even now, hearing one of those familiar tunes makes me happy down to my bones.
However, I also love discovering music I’ve never heard before. One of my finds this summer has been “Beautiful Life” by Betterment. It’s such an upbeat summer song, and I’ve loved listening to it — and other songs like it — while driving around town and taking road trips.
My encouragement for you is to look for something you’ve never heard, seen, read, tasted, or experienced before.
Listen to a new artist. Watch a film outside your usual choices. Visit a part of town you’ve never explored. Read about a subject you know nothing about.
It doesn’t have to be new to the world — only new to you.
This week, choose one unfamiliar thing to explore.
3. Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To
When we were younger, our lives seemed naturally filled with things to look forward to. We made plans, tried new things, imagined possibilities, and celebrated new beginnings.
As our lives became fuller, planning something purely for ourselves may have moved further down the list.
But anticipation creates energy.
It gives us a reason to look beyond our day-to-day routines.
Put something on the calendar that excites you — something you would love — and maybe haven’t done for a long time: lunch at a wonderful restaurant you keep hearing about, tickets to a concert, a weekend with friends, a seasonal outing, a class, or a trip you can start planning.
It doesn’t have to be extravagant. It simply needs to make you think, I’m so looking forward to that!
Before the week ends, choose something you’d love and get it on the calendar.
If you sense that you are ready for more than a few fresh touches, my book, 4 Steps to a Renewed Vision — Over 40 and Beyond, will help you reconnect with what matters to you and begin creating a meaningful direction for what comes next.
5. Invite More Joy and Beauty Into the Ordinary
When was the last time you laughed until you could barely catch your breath?
Joy keeps us connected to life. It may arrive through a funny conversation, music playing in the kitchen, dinner with a friend, or a movie that leaves us lighter than it found us.
Beauty can help, too.
Buy some lipstick in a new shade. Schedule a manicure. Wear perfume on an ordinary day. Bring home flowers, dress up just for the fun of it, or play music while you prepare dinner.
These small choices will not solve deeper concerns. But they can remind us that we're still here — and we're grateful for ordinary days.
Choose one small thing that would make tomorrow feel more pleasurable, playful, or beautiful.
Begin Paving a New Road
Dolly Parton once said, “If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”
Getting your spark back doesn’t always require abandoning the road you are on. However, it does remind us that our daily choices matter, and we’re allowed to decide which direction we’re going to walk.
A little novelty, movement, laughter, beauty, or anticipation may be enough to help you feel more like yourself again.
