Recently on our BoomersView program on CJAD radio, we discussed a topic with our guest psychologist that I thought was reserved for the younger crowd. I’m talking about self-esteem. Yes, that’s an issue we all like to think only preoccupies adolescents. Au contraire, it seems boomers could be the hardest hit. Reaching mid-life, recovering from divorce, lack of intimacy, spousal abuse, job loss, the empty nest syndrome–for many, the downward spiral of our self confidence can become a serious concern.

We can all put on our game faces and push ahead, but lack of self-esteem can hold people back, and can prevent them from functioning well and being happy. From our immune system, to our body language, to our vocabulary, to the way we talk—including our intonations and facial expressions— and how we listen, low self-esteem can hinder or alter our life’s journey. Lack of selfesteem can also affect whom we choose, or drop, as our life companion, and even, for both men and women, how we engage in sex. Need I go on?

How we deal with the self-esteem shift at mid-life is crucial. While many may think that boomers are too self-absorbed and driven, and that we have an overdose of self-esteem, I beg to differ. The crisis of low self-esteem can creep up on anyone at mid-life. Our standards of achievement, and the way we see ourselves, may have to be reorganized at midlife. Is it different for men and women? Who is more prone to self-esteem issues? We may re-examine our priorities, or realize: I used to know who I wanted to be, but now I’m not sure anymore. Particularly for the age 45 + demographic, this self-examination changes depending on our life’s journey our successes and our failures.

Elizabeth Stafiej, Editorial Director