New Delhi, Jan. 4 -- Midlife rarely announces itself with drama. It arrives quietly, threaded through work deadlines, family responsibilities and familiar routines. Somewhere in the forties or early fifties, many people begin to feel a low-grade unease-subtle enough not to derail daily life, yet persistent enough to invite questions. What is commonly labelled a midlife crisis is, in truth, a convergence of emotional, physical and social transitions that unfold gradually.

One of the most profound shifts during this phase is a change in identity. Children grow up, become independent and move away, physically or emotionally. Roles that once provided a strong sense of purpose-especially that of being an actively needed parent-begin to recede...