Did I Forget How to Adult, or is it Just Gen X Brain?

Traci H.
Sep 7
3 min read

A woman throwing her hands in the air surrounded by paperwork with headline of Gen X Brain — Because adulting in midlife is basically a side quest.

You know that moment where you open a browser tab, log in, and then just sit there staring at the screen like, “Wait… why am I here?” That’s me. Daily. Sometimes I even rope my son into the game - “What was I doing again?” His favorite response: “Existing?”

And don’t even get me started on my reading glasses. The full panic when I can’t find them… only to realize they’re right where they belong - on top of my head.

The New Rules of “Adulting”

Once upon a time, I could work a full day, feed the kid, get the laundry folded, AND remember to change the oil in the car. Now? If I sit in the recliner “for a minute,” I wake up two hours later wondering if it’s 8 a.m. or 8 p.m.

High heels? Forget it. My legs loved them, but my knees staged a walkout. Now I’m all about sneakers and arch support. And don’t even get me started on the noises I make just getting up and down. Somewhere in my 40s, my body lost “perky” and gained “elastic.”

A pair of old school high tops, ankles crossed over one another with a rose tint to photo. — You can't beat a great pair of shoes!

Clutter Paralysis Is Real

Here’s my confession: I’ve never been a fan of cleaning. But I could at least keep things presentable. Now? I’ll look at a pile of stuff, fully acknowledge it needs to move, and then just… stare at it. Like the laundry will fold itself if I concentrate hard enough. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Cooking? Same. If it doesn’t fit in the microwave, it’s not happening.

Trauma Brain + Midlife Brain = Gen X Brain

I know some of this is deeper - trauma, hormones, the whole midlife survival package. Like a lot of Gen Xers, I’ve been through illness, loss, and stress stacked on stress. Honestly, the last five years feel like one big blur. And sometimes loneliness makes it even harder to get moving.

But here’s the thing: when I finally say this stuff out loud, people nod and laugh and say, “Oh my god, SAME.” Which means it’s not just me. It’s not just you either. It's full blown Gen X brain (or getting older brain).

Woman celebrating a win with her fist in the air.

So What Do We Do?

We laugh about it. We share it. We build a community where we don’t have to pretend like we’ve got it all together when our brains are basically 42 frozen browser tabs and the one playing music is nowhere to be found.

That’s why I created Survival Fun Guide:

To give us tools that are part therapy, part time machine, and part survival plan.
To open a Bookstore + Gift Shop full of fun workbooks and merch.
To build a community that feels like hanging out at the mall again, only this time with coffee, roller skates, and maybe a nap pod.