They don’t call it a midlife “crisis” for nothing.
A video on Instagram, posted by Sherri two days ago under the username @therealslimsherri, has gone viral for its candid description of being middle-aged. Walking around confused about Wi-Fi, having heartburn and being forgetful are just some of the conditions Sherri describes in her clip. It has resonated with over 41,000 people who have liked the video online.
“Before all you little keyboard warriors out there tell me the middle age is 35, I don’t subscribe to that,” Sherri says in the video. “I suffer from CRS: You ‘Can’t Remember S***.'”
Sherri goes on to describe the various ailments impacting middle-aged people. “You just walk around all day muttering s*** to yourself like ‘What’s my WiFi? Why are there so many? I only have one house,'” Sherri says. “‘I wonder if I drink this coffee right now, if it will keep me awake. Did I take my vitamins?’
“‘How long is too long for a nap?'” Sherri adds. “‘Why do I have heartburn? … Since when did water give me heartburn? Why is everything getting smaller and more expensive?'”
Viewers in the comments resonated deeply, with some taking on Sherri’s sarcastic tone.
“I was about to comment on one of your statements … But, sadly, I can’t remember it,” @trisha.mac posted.
“More than once I’ve walked around looking for my phone only to realize it’s in my hand,” @vanya_wryter wrote.
The video has prompted discussions about the way people conceive of themselves at different ages, qualifying the common “young at heart” trope.
“I’m 60 and call myself middle aged,” @ciaclark1111 wrote. “My 36-year-old daughter laughs and tells me I might want to rethink that.”
“I’m 75 and I still think I’m middle aged, but in fact I’m a recycled teenager!” @maursy48 commented.
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Researchers Urge Greater Focus on Midlife
Sherri’s video can be credited for making middle-aged people laugh, but it can also be credited as content aligned with a scientific push for more attention on the midlife ages.
In a 2020 paper published in the journal American Psychologist, researchers said the middle-age is strikingly understudied, and that, as a result, misconceptions about life at that stage are rampant.
The authors describe midlife as a time of unique milestones, including changing dynamics with middle-aged people and their aging parents, adult children and grandchildren, a smaller social and healthcare safety net, and potential financial issues.
“We consider midlife as a pivotal period that includes a focus on balancing gains and losses, linking earlier and later life periods, and bridging generations,” the authors wrote, emphasizing a need for more research into the middle stage as a key period of life. The aim, they said, is to equip middle-aged people to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 2020s and beyond.
Sherri’s video has sparked discussion among middle-aged people about the everyday trials they face, and researchers are pushing for a scientific interest in these experiences. With so much focus on early life, adolescence and geriatric stages, the daily lives of middle-aged people can get lost. Sherri’s video hopes to change that, and her viewers are happy to have a representative.
“This always makes my day,” @nicolegood69 wrote. “This is my life.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.