[tredre3]

> I can tell you for a fact there is someone your age or younger with a family and mortgage and a career change to think about. There’s probably someone your exact age whose entire career got derailed for any number of factors, wondering if they’ll get another go at it. But here you are wondering if your brain will stop working in a few years, or if you will ever get to write a movie.

Feels a bit counter-intuitive to tell people "your feelings are invalid because others have it worse".

[jesuscript]

It’s not invalid. That particular counter argument you reused has been overused. We live in a relative world. Sometimes you do have to realize your perspective is off when you over internalize and take a narrow view of just your own predicament.

When you over emphasize your own situation without considering what the average situation is like, you exit reality based thinking and enter fantasy world. In fantasy world you operate with fantasy expectations, and since it is a fantastical expectation, when you don’t achieve it in the real world you enter misery.

One must stay grounded, and finding just where the ground is from the air requires you to look beyond your own cockpit. Check the measurements, find the horizon line, look for buildings and yes, other people on the ground.

[tredre3]

I can certainly agree that OP shouldn't "waste" time pondering on those feelings because they're unlikely to go away. I've changed career in my late 30s as well and getting a late (re)start in life is very daunting and any lengthy dwelling takes a real toll on your mental health.