Menopause doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The transition from being reproductive to post-reproductive comes at a busy stage of life – but is there ever a phase of life that isn’t busy? That’s why this is a time for RADICAL self-care.
More Than Your Hormones
The majority of women go through perimenopause and then menopause during their mid-40
to mid-50s.It can happen much earlier through natural causes or due to medical conditions or treatments.
The levels of their reproductive hormones, particularly oestrogen and progesterone, start to reduce and fluctuate during perimenopause. These changes can give rise to symptoms such as hot flushes, irregular periods, sleep disturbance, anxiety and brain fog. And there are many factors that can impact on the hormones and the symptoms.
At midlife women may be dealing with multiple issues: children growing up and getting ready to leave home, relationship challenges, more responsibilities at work, older parents needing more support and maybe even the arrival of grandchildren. All of this can give rise to stress, and stress has an effect on the experience of menopause symptoms.
Other factors that can influence symptoms include: genes, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, mindset, support, underlying health issues, and cultural background. That is why it is so important to take a holistic approach to wellbeing at menopause and support your body to achieve a healthy post-menopause with RADICAL self-care. After all, you may be here for another 30, 40 or 50 years.
RADICAL Self-Care
A homeopath once said to me, ‘I envy women their menopause. It is a chance to re-set. It is a wake-up call to consider what changes you need to make to look after your body.’
Whether a woman decides to take Hormone Therapy or not, self-care is an essential part of that consideration. Self-care isn’t just the occasional trip to a spa or a monthly massage. I’m talking about RADICAL self-care.
R is for Relax:
Sustained periods of stress increase the levels of cortisol and adrenaline in the blood stream leading to inflammation and comprising the immune system. Taking time each day to relax will lower your levels of stress. That might be as simple as going for a walk, using a breathing technique or a daily meditation practice.
Reduce the number of things you commit to. Review your ‘to-do’ list and take off anything that is optional that doesn’t have a positive impact on your life. Learn to say ‘no!’ and mean ‘no’ so that you don’t over-commit.
A is for:
Accept who you are. Yes, you may be getting older and that is a privilege. Hopefully you will have many happy and healthy years ahead of you. This is your opportunity to set strong foundations for those post-menopause years.
Accept this stage of life. Resisting menopause doesn’t make it go away, it just aggravates the symptoms. There may be some grief and if you are experiencing that it can be helpful to seek help from a therapist.
Advocate for the treatment that you know your body needs. It is essential to be an ‘intelligent client’ of the health system. Do some reading and research so that you know what your options are for treating symptoms and you are prepared for medical appointments.
D is for Detox:
Review your diet and make the choice to reduce or avoid foods and drinks that are not supporting your health. Unhelpful foods can include: foods and drinks with a high sugar content, simple carbohydrates, ultra-processed foods, caffeine and alcohol.
Consider your relationships. Are there people in your life who cause your stress or negativity? Is it time to lovingly let some people go?
Evaluate and detox your mindset. There is so much negativity around menopause that it can affect how you think about it and yourself. If you notice your unhelpful thoughts, you have the opportunity to change them.
I is for intuition
Intuition is a valuable cognitive tool that complements rationality, enhances emotional awareness, and can guide you to making the decisions for managing your menopause.
Our bodies evolved to go through menopause and it has been happening for thousands of years. Every woman’s experience is unique and tuning into your intuition can provide guidance on what suits your body. You have been living in that body for maybe over 40 years and you know it better than anyone else. Be prepared to advocate for the treatment option you prefer (see A above).
C is for Creativity and Consistency
This is a time to be creative about the changes that you can fit into your busy life so that you can be consistent in applying them and achieving good results.
You may have been told to eat in a certain way, or exercise in a certain way, or take certain supplements or medications, but do those actions work for you and your body? If you feel any resistance, think about what the block is. And then identify what you could do and what you are prepared to commit to.
A is for Alignment:
Many women say that they feel as though they are losing themselves at menopause. This can be an indication that they have lost their alignment with their identity, values, and beliefs.
Being aligned implies a state of coherence, and harmony across various aspects of life. It leads to a sense of purpose, and well-being, which can be lost when your body, brain, and emotions are changing during this transition.
Come back into alignment by thinking about who you want to be post-menopause and the values, beliefs and actions that you can take to support that goal.
L is for Love
You need to love yourself exactly as you are in order to do what is needed to practice self-care. If you love yourself, you will take the time to do more of what you enjoy, and that will help your body to work efficiently and effectively.
You may feel that spending time on your self-care is selfish but taking care of yourself is the best thing that you can do for other people because they won’t have to do it for you when you start to feel unwell.
If you need help to establish your RADICAL self-care routines, contact me and we can talk about how I can support you.