IF YOU’RE HAVING A MIDLIFE CRISIS, YOU SHOULD START SKATEBOARDING?

If you’ve seen a middle-aged person tearing it up at a skatepark, you might think they’re going through a mid-life crisis.  And you might be right.

Whatever happened to a mid-life crisis involving a new car, an affair or skydiving?  Times have changed apparently!

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New research recommends skateboarding for Gen Xers in their 40s and 50s who are struggling with depression, battling substance abuse, or just want to boost their mood.  There are a few reasons for this.

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Skateboarding can bring on “spiritual meaning” by providing self-expression, which is something that often takes a back seat for adults and parents.

And you don’t have to be good at it.  Skateboarding celebrates failure, like falling, as part of your growth.  That may help adults loosen up and enjoy the ride, unlike other sports and forms of exercise.

Of course, those “falls” can be dangerous.  Each year, there are around 50,000 emergency room visits and 1,500 hospitalizations in the U.S. from skateboarding-related injuries.  And about one-third of those are first-time skaters.

For many of the skateboarders, their own children had sparked or rekindled interest in the hobby — which rose to popularity in the 1970s and since recently has become an official sport of the Olympics.

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