I can very much relate to the problems the other reader is running into. Nowhere appears to be any reading resources to help women cope with an early-midlife crisis. Especially if one is not a parent or power-player career wise. What about those ~ 35 year olds that put all into their education and past relationship, helped their mate achieve their goals and somehow the relationship broke off before it was her turn? I used to concentrate on my mate's career. Now he is a top scientist in his field and I like to think I had something to do with that. We were waiting with kids until his career was off the ground and then we were going to get mine going. Well, short story: 12 years later he had the career, I had graduate degrees that led nowhere and am childless too. So I am really experiencing a profound sense of midlife crisis. The books out there imply mostly that women are unfulfilled because they picked children over a career or the vice versa. How about 30-somethings who "planned" for both but ended up with neither? The majority of the books deal with empty nesters or guilt around being a working mom. My job is unrelated to my career dreams and I never did end up with the family I wanted. At 35 I have 3 graduate degrees (all in soft sciences or humanities) but feel empty and unsuccessful. What can I read to help me revamp my life and get a direction in what I want to do now? Kids is unlikely now and the career needs rescuing, I can possibly only get one going with lots of work. But I feel like the classical midlife crisis patient not feeling like I have a clear picture of where I want to go or whom I am in the relationship to any dreams.

Any reading advice would be helpful. P.S. Those two books you mentioned were not helpful for me for the same reasons as the other reader quoted.

Thanks,
Kat

(P.S. I have extensive clinical training and even as a therapist I have a hard time finding resources for this new type of "mid-life crisis" in women. )