New Book Supports Women Through Midlife Awakening

When training for a kung fu black belt, Millersville resident Melissa Wittke felt strong, empowered, and proud of what she was accomplishing throughout the months-long training and testing period, and she thought other people would be supportive. But what she started to hear, first as whispers and then loud and clear, were questions like, “Why would you want to do this at your age?” or “Are you sure you should be doing this at your age?”

At 53, Wittke was in top physical condition after a lifetime of maintaining a high level of fitness, but people saw only her age, when Wittke herself had never given the number any thought.

“At my age?” Wittke asked, wondering when she crossed the imaginary societal threshold and why she should be slowing down.

“All women come to a point in our lives where our roles start changing, our bodies start changing on the inside and the outside, and the whole world starts to notice,” Wittke said. “Then we start hearing people tell us what we ‘should’ be doing now that our value to our family, to our careers, and to society diminish. I refused to accept these as norms for myself.”

In her new book, “Reinvent Yourself After 50: Reinvent Your Body, Mind, and Spirit — And Become the Woman God Created You to Be,” Wittke helps women find their midlife awakening and avoid a midlife crisis.

“Life is a string of transitions. When we are young, we transition from our teens into our 20s and life is full of possibilities. It’s fun and exciting, and society supports our hopes and dreams,” Wittke shared. “By our 40s and into our 50s, especially for women, many of us find ourselves passing through transitions that often bring drastic mental, physical, and spiritual challenges and abrupt role changes.”

Looking back at her own life, Wittke was struck by the attributes that make women beautiful: tenacity, bravery, creativity, strength, endurance and downright grit, none of which spoke of decline.

“Just because we turn a certain age, or we transition from full-time mother or employee, or athlete, or advisor, those attributes are still there. We haven’t lost them, so why do we have to sit down and stop using them?” she asked. “Am I going to buy into this or am I going to try to change it? Now is the time I can focus on me, and put those attributes to a new, different, maybe even better use. I am still me, and perhaps the transitions allow me to be more authentically me!”

Feedback from women in their 30s and 40s has been positive, though admittedly unexpected. Young women are saying they don’t want negative stereotypes to affect them as they mature.

Wittke’s book provides many words of wisdom for women navigating change including:

1. We have a choice. We don’t have to accept any stereotypes the world tries to put on us. There is no expiration date for your dreams or your purpose in life. As long as you’re here, there is still work to be done.
2. Be kind to yourself. Love and accept yourself where you are; we can only launch from here.
3. Look for your calling. Each one of us was born with a plan for our lives, born with purpose for a purpose. Maybe we put our calling on the shelf when we were younger as we put others’ needs in front of ours. If you’re still here, there is a reason for it. Rather than accept the midlife crisis, make it a midlife awakening.

“Women in midlife are so better prepared now because we’ve accomplished so much! We’ve survived, we’ve endured, we’ve done all of that, but we are still standing!” Wittke exclaimed. “To me that brings so much hope into the world and it’s time to write our next chapter with our most authentic selves.”

In addition to being an author, Wittke is a mentor and co-founder of Younger Body and Mind (www.youngerbodyandmind.com), a platform dedicated to helping women rediscover strength, purpose and vitality in the second half of life. Through her work, she empowers women to reconnect with their faith, honor their bodies, and step confidently into who they are becoming.

“Reinvent Yourself After 50: Reinvent Your Body, Mind, and Spirit — And Become the Woman God Created You to Be” is available on Amazon.