Through the natural process of getting older, the nervous system becomes more sensitive. You may feel more anxious, stressed, or irritable. But this isn’t any fault of your own, but simply normal biology. Fortunately, there are simple ways you can help combat such mood changes and enjoy calm in the latter half of your life.

A 2025 study review shows that women in the stages prior to menopause are more at risk for depression, and those with a history of depression have an even greater risk of this during perimenopause and the early stages of menopause. Experts suggest that the mood changes in this population are likely due to hormonal fluctuations such as an increase in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and a decrease in estrogen and progesterone levels.

In middle aged men, the higher risk of depression has been linked to the decreasing levels of testosterone in this population. Other risk factors of depression and mood changes in this group include poor economic status, poor sleep patterns, and greater psychological distress than others. This decline in hormones and related mood changes is known as andropause and is often seen in men aged 40 to 69 years. 

Middle aged adults are also more likely to experience negative mood changes if they experience any of the following:

As we get older, research shows that we tend to deal with emotions in one of four primary ways: through instrumental action to help reduce stress; denial/disengagement; positive reframing of stress; or focus and venting of emotions. Those with a lower ability to manage their emotions have a higher risk of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease and dementia linked to accelerated biological aging. 

A 2025 study reports that those older adults with higher perceived stress had a higher risk of negative coping strategies, poor sleep quality, anxiety, depression, and reduced telomere length. Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that shorten with stress and age. A shorter telomere length is linked with an increase in risk of cardiometabolic issues like high blood pressure and insulin resistance. 

Stress resilience, or the ability to cope with life’s ups and downs better, is linked to better health outcomes such as lower chronic disease risk and better mental health. Here are some tips on how you can improve your stress resilience today.

Self-care is not just something you should do on holidays or special occasions, but that you should take time for each day. It could be as simple as sitting and reading a book, listening to music, or meditating for 15 minutes. These activities can reduce the stress hormone cortisol and help improve your mood. 

Just because you have done something one way, it doesn’t mean it’s the best way. If your current schedule is not helping to reduce your stress, try new things, delegate tasks, and create new routines to see if such changes can help calm your mind. 

Social isolation is linked to higher risk of chronic disease from heart disease or depression and anxiety as well as weakened immune function and brain health issues. Therefore, try to spend more time with family and friends, volunteer in your community, or simply join a class or walking group to meet new people with similar interests. 

If your body is feeling lethargic, your digestion is sluggish, you have frequent headaches, or have trouble focusing, reach out to your doctor to get checked out to ensure your mood swings are not connected to another health issue. 

If your mood issues are making it hard to get through each day, be sure to reach out for help from a professional in your community or online to help you talk about what is bothering you. They may be able to provide effective coping strategies you can try to help improve the quality of your life. 

Mid-life can bring with it the stress of changing roles in your job and family, health challenges, identity confusion with retirement and children growing up, or simply feeling less energy to socialize. By understanding that some of these mood changes are out of your control due to hormonal changes, you can be less hard on yourself. Just try and focus on the things in your life you can control so one day at a time you can help improve the quality of your life for years to come.