The three biggest hormonal shifts a woman can experience.
There are so many books about puberty and pregnancy. There are talks about these topics as well as endless information and support, however menopause and the time leading up to it are just not talked about.
Amy Shah on the Mel Robbins podcast explains that we need to start talking about it. We need to normalize the topic so that we can support one another through this huge life change. Learn more about my PMDD diagnosis here.
As I get older the more, I see how I struggled with hormonal fluctuations. My body struggled with the sensitivity of changes not only monthly basis, as well as in the big hormonal changes like puberty, pregnancy, and now peri-menopause.
The key thing for me was the more I knew, the better.
This starts by understanding the different phases of the Menstrual cycle and what happens with our hormones during each one. There are certain guidelines or parameters but keep in mind that we are all different and tracking your own cycle will help you understand your body better.
What is perimenopause vs menopause? Menopause is actually when the menstrual period has stopped for 12 months. Perimenopause is the period of time before this happens, when our hormones can be all over the place. This can happen up to 10 years before menopause occurs.
Let’s talk Symptoms:
Brain fog
Sleep issues
Fatigue
Hot flushes
Mood disruptions
Muscular difficulties
Brain fog
Hair and skin changes
UTI ‘s
And more
So how do we get a diagnosis? According to mayoclinic.org ‘No one test, or sign is enough to determine if you’ve entered perimenopause. Your doctor takes many things into consideration, including your age, menstrual history, and what symptoms or body changes you’re experiencing.’ Perimenopause – Diagnosis and treatment – Mayo Clinic
With all this negative talk on symptoms it can be hard to see the positive.
Here are some suggestions on how to reframe this life transition:
- Life became so much more enjoyable for me when I learnt to let go of what I couldn’t control. Not stressing about those things that I had no control over. Life is all about seasons. I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘change is the only constant.’
- Using Reverse/opposition thinking. I first learnt about this concept when reading ‘The monk that sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma. Opposition thinking replaces negative thoughts with positive ones. It involves being aware of your thoughts and recognizing that you can replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
- Talking about Your high, your low and your buffalo. My husband’s cousin does this with her family and I just love it. Each member of the family thinks about the best and worst part of their day. The buffalo is thing that surprised you or caught you off guard.
- Creating healthy boundaries. Positive psychology says ‘Setting healthy boundaries requires self-awareness. We need to be clear about our expectations of ourselves and others, and what we are and are not comfortable with in specific situations. Setting healthy boundaries requires good communication skills that convey assertiveness and clarity.
- Be mindful. Gretchen Rubin explains in her podcast “Happier” how a very normal moment in which she realised she was at a greater risk for losing her sight, inspired her to focus on her senses. It basically inspired an incredible method of incorporating mindfulness into our everyday lives using our 5 main Senses and I loved it. Life in Five Senses | Gretchen Rubin.
- Connect with your community. We can do this by creating our own third space. What is a third space? ‘A third place is a familiar public spot where you regularly connect with others known and unknown, over a shared interest or activity. “What Is a Third Place? (And Here’s Why You Should Have One) – The Good Trade
Check out my podcast. We dive deep into topics like perimenopause. How to set boundaries and even how to figure out what your values are.
You don’t need to do this alone. Join our tribe here
M x