by Dr Gene | Jul 26, 2025 | Midlife Wellness, Women Health
âI Donât Feel Like Myself Anymore.â
Itâs subtle at first.
Youâre not falling apart.
Youâre just⊠not fully here either.
Youâre doing the same things, working, helping, holding it all together, but itâs like youâve left part of yourself behind somewhere.
This is what many women describe as a midlife crisis.
But what if itâs not a crisis?
What if itâs a call to recalibrate?
Midlife Isnât a Decline, Itâs a Reprogramming
Between ages 35â55, your body, brain, hormones, and nervous system go through enormous transformation.
Itâs not just aging.
Itâs rewiring.
You are not broken.
Youâre being invited to change, how you pace, how you nourish, how you relate, how you live.
Midlife isnât when you lose yourself.
Itâs when your body asks you to finally meet who youâve been all along.
5 Real Reasons Midlife Feels Like a Crisis
1. Your Biology Is Changing, but No One Tells You That
Perimenopause, estrogen shifts, cortisol spikes, these affect mood, motivation, energy, digestion, and even memory.
But instead of support, women are told:
âYouâre just stressed.â
Or worse: âItâs all in your head.â
What helps:
- Warm food, early sleep, daily movement
- Less pressure. More rhythm.
- Understanding that your biology is adapting, not failing.
2. Youâve Outgrown the Role Youâve Been Playing
Many women wake up in midlife and feel like theyâre acting out a version of themselves that no longer fits.
Not because somethingâs wrong, but because youâve evolved.
What helps:
- Honoring the discomfort as wisdom
- Letting parts of you die (the over-doer, the fixer, the performer)
- Making space to meet whoâs emerging
3. Your Nervous System Is Tired of Pretending Everythingâs Fine
By midlife, your body has likely carried years of responsibility, grief, over-efforting, and emotional suppression.
And now? It wants out.
Thatâs why your body âsabotagesâ you with fatigue, skin issues, mood swings, and more.
These arenât symptoms.
Theyâre requests.
What helps:
- Nervous system recovery: slow mornings, deep breaths, daily joy
- Emotional release: writing, movement, safe conversations
- Learning to stop performing calm, and actually feel it
4. Youâve Been Surviving, Not Living
Your days are full, yet empty.
Youâre functioning, but not flourishing.
This isnât failure.
Itâs a wake-up call.
To joy. To purpose. To self-respect.
What helps:
- Reclaim joy as a nutrient
- Say no faster, more often, and without guilt
- Schedule restoration like it matters (because it does)
5. Youâve Never Been Taught to Trust Your Own Wisdom
Midlife is often when intuition screams the loudest, but youâve been trained to second-guess yourself.
This is the time to unlearn the doubt, not push it deeper.
What helps:
- Listening to your gut before your inbox
- Noticing what your body reacts to, foods, people, pace
- Creating space between input and response
So What Is Midlife Really Asking You To Do?
Hereâs what Iâve learned from science, from women I work with, and from my own experience:
Midlife doesnât ask you to be stronger. It asks you to become more honest.
Honest about:
- Whatâs working and whatâs not
- What youâve been tolerating
- What kind of life your body can actually thrive in
And when you listen to those truths, without fear, healing begins. Energy returns. Joy reappears.
Midlife Isnât a Crisis. Itâs a Return.
To your voice.
To your rhythm.
To your self-respect.
To your softness.
To your power.
Let go of the language that says something is wrong with you.
And replace it with one that honors whatâs waking up in you.
Because the woman youâre becoming?
Sheâs not behind.
Sheâs on time.
Ready to come back to yourself?
Follow me on Instagram @eugene_antenucci for daily insights on midlife health, energy, clarity, and self-trust.
Explore Living Longer, Living Better or The Forever Human for guidance that honors your evolution.
by Dr Gene | Jul 22, 2025 | Women Health
Why Your Energy Isnât Coming Back. And What to Do About It
If youâre a woman in your 40s or 50s constantly asking, âWhy am I always tired?â youâre not imagining it, and youâre not alone.
Youâre eating better, trying to sleep more, maybe even exercising⊠and still, you feel drained. Not just tired, but chronically fatigued, foggy, and somehow disconnected from your own body.
Letâs be clear:
Low energy is not a natural consequence of aging.
Itâs a signal. And more importantly, itâs reversible.
The Real Root of Fatigue: Itâs Not Just Sleep
Most people think fatigue means:
- Bad sleep
- Low iron
- âJust getting olderâ
But female fatigue, especially in midlife, is rarely just about sleep. Itâs about systemic energy disruption across the nervous system, hormones, metabolism, and emotions.
In short: You donât need more willpower. You need more alignment.
Top 5 Hidden Reasons for Chronic Fatigue in Women Over 40
1. Youâre Eating âHealthy,â But Not Eating for Energy
Many midlife women unknowingly undereat, skip meals, or avoid carbs, all in the name of âeating clean.â
But this spikes cortisol and leads to unstable blood sugar, one of the most common causes of midday fatigue.
Fix it with:
- Warm, balanced meals (protein + fiber + fat + carbs)
- Regular eating times
- No more âjust coffee for breakfastâ
2. Your Nervous System Is in Survival Mode
Your nervous system regulates energy far more than any supplement.
If your body is constantly bracing, for stress, decisions, overwork, it burns out your energy reserves quietly but consistently.
Fix it with:
- No phone first 30 minutes of the day
- Breathwork before meals
- Walking after dinner (not for weight, for nervous system calm)
3. Youâre Taking Supplements but Skipping Recovery
Supplements can support your health, but they cannot replace recovery.
Real energy is restored in deep, predictable rest, not in power naps, doom-scrolling, or 4-minute meditations you forget the next day.
Fix it with:
- A 1-hour âno inputâ evening window (no screens, no pressure)
- Prioritized bedtime before 11 PM
- Treating sleep as a tool, not a luxury
4. Inflammation Is Draining You. Silently
You may not feel âinflamed.â
But low-grade inflammation is one of the leading causes of low energy in midlife, especially in women.
What causes it?
- Processed food
- Poor gut health
- Emotional suppression
- Overexercise
- Long-term stress
Fix it with:
- More real food
- Less decision fatigue
- Honest emotion, less perfection
5. Youâre Resting, but Not Recovering
You can be lying down⊠and still be on.
If your mind is racing, your breath is shallow, and your heart feels heavy, your body isnât healing, itâs bracing.
Fix it with:
- Gentle evening routines: warm showers, soft lighting, low stimulation
- Mental boundaries (no planning in bed, no mental downloads after 9 PM)
- Self-kindness: drop the guilt, hold the body like itâs tiredânot failing
The Truth: Energy Is Not About Effort. Itâs About Alignment
After decades of studying longevity, I can tell you this:
The women who have energy in their 50s and beyond arenât doing more. Theyâre doing what matters more often.
They:
- Eat real meals
- Move consistently
- Protect their mornings
- Say no
- Sleep early
- Prioritize community
- Rest with intention
They donât chase energy.
They protect it.
Youâre Not Lazy. Youâre Overloaded.
What youâre feeling isnât a flaw.
Itâs the result of living in a world that asks too much from women, and offers too little in return.
So the first step is not a supplement, another cleanse, or another rule.
The first step is permission.
Permission to slow down.
To feel.
To heal.
To live in sync with your own biology.
Final Thought: Energy Can Return, When You Do
If your energy has disappeared, itâs not gone for good.
Your body remembers how to feel good.
Itâs just waiting for you to give it space.
Ready to go deeper?
Follow me on Instagram @eugene_antenucci for daily health reminders that support your energy, clarity, and longevity.
Or start your journey with Living Longer, Living Better, my personal guide to building a life that supports the body, not just manages it.
