Talk to me: I'm having a mid-career crisis and I no longer find my job challenging 

Psychologist Caroline Martin is here to answer your questions on whatever issues you are dealing with in life

As we enter the second half of our lives, we begin to look within and question whether we have achieved our full potential. 

I’ve been working with the same company for the past 20 years, and I’ve reached the point where I no longer find my job challenging. I’ve applied for promotion twice but was turned down in favour of younger staff members. I could look for work outside the company, but I’m in my mid-50s, so it’s unlikely I’d even get an interview. My wife says I should accept what’s happening and develop new interests. But I feel I’ve more to give. I don’t want to watch the clock between now and retirement.

A mid-career crisis is a tale as old as time and shared by some of the greats, including Michelangelo and Dante. While Michelangelo completed the David sculpture and the roof of the Sistine Chapel before he turned 40, it was at the age of 55, after a 15-year lull, that he created the Medici tomb. This masterpiece was followed by The Last Judgement, which some consider his most intricate work. Covering the Sistine Chapel’s altar wall, the famous fresco was recently captured in a cheeky photograph by actor Russell Crowe (58) during a private viewing. There is something apt about a man in his 50s standing in awe of the work completed by another man in his 50s.