Navigating Midlife: the blessings and curses

Krissy Regan’s sixth book, “The Blessings and Curse of Midlife”, explores embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, resilience, and self-discovery in the transformative journey of midlife.

Krissy Regan has released a new book called 'The Blessings and Curse of Midlife'. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Krissy Regan’s exploration of midlife unveils a profound truth: that the trials we face can ignite our greatest strengths, inspiring us to transform life’s hurdles into powerful lessons of resilience and purpose.

In Krissy’s latest book ‘The Blessings and Curse of Midlife,’ she delves into the complexities of this often-challenging phase of life.

“I felt inspired to write this new book as I spent more time learning about how all the challenges that I’ve encountered in my life have given me a unique perspective on health, wealth, work and dealing with death, and I reached out to people all over the world to share their perspectives too,” Krissy said.

“I hope that in sharing these insights and stories people will feel empowered to keep learning and trying new things and will be able to get more out of life (not just live longer).

“I’m also at a stage where my work life was becoming unfulfilling because having scaled back my work to raise young kids, I found myself doing tasks I had done 20 years ago and not using my full skill set or working to my potential. I found this frustrating, and I did not want to be limited in this way – both in earning potential and aspirations.

“I want to do great work and be a great a mum and not have to compromise away either.”

Krissy Regan new book 'The Blessings and Curse of Midlife' is filled with gold nuggets of helpful advice. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Through her personal journey and experiences, Krissy uncovers the duality of midlife, where every setback has the potential to be a springboard for growth.

Inspired by the myriad of life lessons and a desire to help others, Krissy reflects on how adversity can materialise into strength and wisdom.

“Life is full of ups and downs and sometimes a curse or a challenge ends up being a blessing in disguise,” Krissy, a mother of two daughters, tells NQ Weekend as she shares her motivation for writing the book.

Through the lens of her own challenges, which include navigating parenting and the impact of a global pandemic, she emphasises the need for resilience and adaptability.

“In my midlife, I’ve worked hard to turn any curse into a blessing so that my life lessons become my superpowers and I use them to help others, and including myself..”

One of the vital lessons she learned is that not every day can be your best day.

“Time speeds up in midlife and largely our time is spent helping to nurture our family, or our colleagues with little time left to nurture ourselves.”

Krissy cautions against neglecting self-care in pursuit of external obligations.

Her journey emphasises the importance of balance—between taking care of oneself and others.

As she reflects on her definition of midlife, Krissy shares a poignant experience.

“I started to recognise midlife at 45, which is halfway to 90.”

This revelation was crystallised by the loss of her 93-year-old grandmother during the pandemic, an experience that made Krissy acutely aware of the fleeting nature of life.

“What will I leave behind and how can I be the best version of myself?

“Midlife is this stage where we are halfway through our life. And every day is precious, so we should make the most of every day and every opportunity.”

Krissy Regan's new book, 'The Blessings and Curse of Midlife' discusses both ageing gracefully and “ageing disgracefully,” two concepts she embodies in her own life.. Picture: Shae Beplate.

In her book, Krissy discusses both ageing gracefully and “ageing disgracefully,” two concepts she embodies in her own life.

“Ageing gracefully to me means not fearing ageing but to embrace it and enjoy the process.

“I’ve been lucky to meet some beautiful older people all over the world and their wisdom and beauty was etched on their faces in ways I can’t describe.”

Krissy encourages readers to challenge societal norms around ageing, emphasising the joy in staying active and engaged regardless of age.

“Ageing disgracefully to me is to keep having fun, challenging myself, not caring what people think of me, and generally doing whatever I want as long as I can..”

Krissy’s commitment to physical fitness plays a pivotal role in her health philosophy.

She started running marathons at 47.

“I had no intention to run a marathon in my life, but having regained good health and fitness I thought, well it’s Now or Never.

“When I see that my VO2Max is excellent (according to my Gamin), and my biological age is 34 I feel proud of my efforts.

“My girls are proud of me too, and I want to inspire them as well.”

The camaraderie and inspiration she found in the running community, especially among older runners, reinforced her belief in the power of staying active.

“Running has been a big influence in my life,” she said, highlighting the numerous friendships and mentorship opportunities it has afforded her.

Krissy Regan took up marathon running in her 40s

When discussing mental health and infertility, Krissy underscores the importance of open dialogue.

“It really surprises me that in 2024, with all the free knowledge readily available that we have such poor health in many parts of society. It’s shocking really. On top of that I notice that we carry a lot judgement about people and issues like emotional health, mental health and infertility.

“I believe the main reason for this is that shame is attached to these three common things.”

She advocates for education and communication to eliminate stigma surrounding these issues, particularly stressing the need to discuss and manage stress openly.

Her perspective on resilience, however, is nuanced.

“I’m not a huge fan of the word resilience to be honest,” she admits.

Instead, she values self-reflection as a tool for personal growth.

Krissy believes that understanding our past and ongoing experiences empowers us to make conscious choices about our paths forward.

“Some of my biggest setbacks have become my biggest opportunities. The setbacks were immensely hard to make sense of at the time, and I lost a lot of sleep over them, but just around the corner amazing things happened and it’s with this knowledge based on self- reflection I know that I have a choice that even when things are really hard, just round the corner is something great.”

Upcoming events

Mary Who Book Signing, Flinders Street Sunday, November 17, 10am to 12pm, www.facebook.com/events/3843799805837992

Beach Book Boutique Book Signing, Airlie Beach - Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15, 11am to 1pm

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Fitness has become an important part of Krissy Regan’s routine. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Krissy Regan’s Top 10 tips for Health in Midlife

1. Ask your wellness mindset

questions every week.

2. Prioritise sleep.

3. Understand your habits and

behaviours.

4. Understand your stress responses.

5. Create some firm boundaries

in work and family life.

6. Put your health and wellbeing

first.

7. Ask for help.

8. Exercise, stretch and

meditate daily.

9. Eat food that nourishes your

body.

10. Laugh, learn and share.

Originally published as Navigating Midlife: the blessings and curses