Upside Stories Library

Stay curious

Explore our evidence-based insights on life’s big questions, transitions, and challenges for people approaching midlife and beyond.

Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

AI and Your Career: What Australian Midlife Workers Are Experiencing, and What Helps

Most Australian workers are already using AI at work. Many are finding it helpful. And some — particularly those in midlife, with deep expertise in roles that are changing rapidly — are also navigating something more personal: questions about identity, purpose, and what their professional future looks like. This article explores both sides of that picture, and what psychology can offer.

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Anxiety in the Second Half of Life: Health Anxiety and Existential Worry

Anxiety in midlife and later life often looks quite different. It might show up in the doctor’s waiting room and the 3am mind. It might show up as a persistent undercurrent beneath ordinary days; the sense that something is wrong, or will be, and that the window for doing something about it is narrowing. Anxiety in the second half of life is a significant clinical and wellbeing concern that responds well to evidence-based treatment; and one that too many people carry alone, for too long, without support.

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Who Am I Now? Identity Reconstruction in Midlife

Something shifts in midlife. Not a crisis, often just an unsettling sense that the person you've been no longer quite fits. This article explores what the research tells us about why identity changes in midlife, what makes it harder, and what helps you build a new sense of self.

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Will AI Reshape Your Job, or Rewrite Your Story?

AI is changing who gets to work, and how. For midlife adults, job displacement isn't just a financial shock, it's an identity crisis. Here's what psychology offers for navigating this change.

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Life Review: Why Looking Back Strengthens the Present and the Future

Looking back isn't the same as being stuck in the past. Life review is an individualised yet structured, evidence-based approach that explores how you make sense of your experiences, resolve what's unfinished, and move into the next chapter with greater clarity and purpose.

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Subjective Cognitive Decline: When Memory Worries Become Anxiety

You sit down to tell someone a story and the name you need, whether it’s a person, a place, a film, it simply will not come. You walk into a room and forget why you went there. You read the same paragraph three times and feel the words sliding away before they settle. And somewhere underneath the ordinary frustration of these moments is a more persistent worry: Is this the beginning of something serious?

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Feeling ready: Preparing for your first online therapy session

Beginning therapy is a big step, and it can sometimes feel daunting. In midlife and later life, this step often comes alongside a busy mix of commitments, and choosing to do therapy online means you can set aside time for yourself. From creating a private space to setting a light intention, these simple steps help you feel present, connected, and ready to make the most of your time with your therapist.

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Dr Bruce Walmsley Dr Bruce Walmsley

Intensive Grandparenting: When helping Becomes a Health and Wellbeing Risk

Across Australia, grandparents are stepping up. With childcare costs at record highs and working parents stretched thin, many grandparents have moved well beyond the occasional Saturday babysit. Some are providing full-time or near-full-time care — managing school runs, meals, illnesses, school holidays, and everything in between (Baxter, 2022). This article explores the difference between enriching involvement and over-functioning — and what the research says about protecting your health and your relationships while staying connected.

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