Toto Wolffs mental health suffered before joining F1 – I had a real mid-life crisis

Mercedes: Toto Wolff says pressure grows EVERY YEAR

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Toto Wolff said: “This is not a universal ‘I am pathologically ill’. Before I joined F1, I had a real mid-life crisis. I didn’t know whether I should stay in finance or whether I should do something else and I found myself at the Monaco Grand Prix, by sheer coincidence. Covid came and I didn’t know if I wanted to continue in the sport, if I was a one-trick pony.”

He continued to The Sun: “But now it is more that I acknowledge all the best people I have worked with, they have down time and if they have a great group around them, the group will carry the ball.”

A mid-life crisis can sound daunting.

Coined by psychologist Elliot Jacques, “midlife crisis” was originally used to describe the period of life where adults tend to “reckon with their mortality.”

But if you recognise some of the signs it will be easier to overcome.

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A mid-life crisis is most common in the age range 35-55 with some variability between genders.

Signs such as feeling unfulfilled in life, a sudden lack of interest in activities you previously enjoyed, increasing thoughts about death and mood changes including anger, irritability and sadness can all be commonplace.

Symptoms tend to be similar to those found in depression, however a key difference between the two is the ages that people suffer with them.

In addition a mid-life crisis involves a person questioning their identity whereas depression has little to do with goal-directed behaviour.

According to an article in Healthline a mid-life crisis occurs in three stages.

The trigger: This is a particular moment of tension or stress that leads to concerns over ageing.
This could include job loss, health scares, children moving out or the loss of a parent or close friend.

The crisis period: This typically involves some examination of your life.

This includes doubts, relationships, values and a sense of self and if you do not like what you discover you are urged to want to change or reshape your life in some way.

Resolution: When you are able to become more comfortable with yourself and begin to accept what your life now has in store.

Research by economist David Blanchflower suggests that happiness is the shape of a U.

It begins to decline by early adulthood, eventually reaching its lowest point in the middle to late 40s.

But then, it begins to rise once more.

Experts don’t quite know why this dip happens but the findings hold true for people in 132 countries around the world.

If you think you may be experiencing a mid-life crisis it is important to first of all acknowledge your feelings and take care of your mental health.

Wolff has also spoken out about the importance of online psychological support in particular Instahelp, a platform for online psychological counselling in which he is an investor.

He said: “For me, talking to somebody has become a routine. Online psychological support is important and essential to get a neutral opinion.”

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