Turning 40

There’s a saying: You’re only as old as you feel. The idiom drives at the fundamental difference between chronological and psychological age. But it begs the question, How do you feel?

If you’re a woman who's just turned 40, you may find yourself standing at a critical juncture I call “the mid-life malaise." (Typically men face this a little later.) It’s a psychological crossroads characterized not by crisis, but by dim disquietude. It’s not depression so much as discontent or a vague sense of lack. As researcher Brené Brown quipped, “I called it a breakdown; my therapist called it a spiritual awakening.”

Spiritual awakening, spiritual renaissance — whatever you call it, the 40s are a time of reflection, contemplation and maybe even of change. Want to navigate that change like a champion? Here are some tips.