5 Proven Strategies to Achieve a Positive Menopause Experience
For women facing menopause, the journey often feels complicated.
While it is a natural part of ageing, it can create a range of physical, mental, and emotional challenges.
The good news is that there are proven strategies to help women positively navigate menopause and create a positive menopause experience.
In this post, I share my top 5 strategies to help women achieve a positive menopause experience.
Understand What Menopause Is and What to Expect
Menopause is not a disease that needs to be ‘cured’.
It is a natural process that women go through when their bodies no longer need to create new life.
In today’s society youth, beauty and being thin are revered and this puts immense pressure on women as they age to retain the tight skin and slender figure of youth.
However, what they don’t tell you is that confidence, self-acceptance and living in alignment with your values shine out of you creating such beauty.
Add to that the the knowledge you have gained over the years about life and living and you have a really powerful combination.
Menopause is the transition from the Mother Archetype to the Wise Woman, (or crone, I am going to make that word sexy if it kills me 😆) via the Wild Woman Archetype.
It is the Wild Woman who harnesses all the experiences of her life, assesses them and throws aside everything that is no longer working, aligning with everything she has ever wanted to be.
The natural drop in our sex hormones enables us to do this without the guilt we may have felt amid our nurturing phase of life.
I know I have painted a picture that omits the roller coaster of emotional and physical pain that this transition can bring but I want to inspire HOPE in you not fear.
Menopause is not a disease, it is a transformation similar to puberty and shifting this perspective puts you in control of the journey.
Listen To Your Body
Your body is communicating with you all the time, however, modern society has drowned out these important and unique messages with fear.
Everybody wants to do the best for their health and the health of their family but the messages we receive from society cause fear or set unrealistic expectations.
Each of the 34 menopause symptoms along with many of the unoffical menopause symptoms that you experience are telling you something about your body.
It’s now your job to figure this out.
The trouble is symptoms such as fatigue, low mood, tearfulness and apathy can be misdiagnosed as depression for which anti-depressants are prescribed.
Symptoms such as chronic widespread pain throughout the body including tingling and burning sensations can be diagnosed as Fibromyalgia. This diagnosis could be right but these are also symptoms of menopause.
Discovering the underlying cause of the symptoms you are experiencing, whatever the label these symptoms are given, and treating these for long-term relief rather than a sticking plaster solution is what will transform your menopause journey.
Discover What A Real Healthy Lifestyle Is
What is a healthy lifestyle?
Be honest with yourself, do you equate being healthy with the number on the scales?
In our fat-phobic society, we pursue a number on the scale based on what is considered to be a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index). Not only that this number on the scale also dictates our mood for the day!
Did you know the BMI was devised by a Belgian mathematician in the mid-1800s and it was based on men’s bodies, not women?! It is also outdated science.
What is relevant is your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). This is the amount of energy your body would need to survive if you were lying down all day doing nothing, like in a coma! This will be more than 1200 calories per day!
Pursuing a number on the scale leads to restrictive diets and deprivation. As well as punishing your body with a lack of nutrients and thinking you have to earn your next meal by the number of steps you have walked or the calories you have burned.
Don’t get me wrong, exercise is important, but women can be turned off ‘exercise’ because it is seen as a form of punishment or they have used it as a tool to manipulate their body composition rather than a way to nourish their body.
Leading this kind of lifestyle can slow your metabolism, and reduce your muscle mass and bone density leading to sarcopenia and osteoporosis in later life. It can leave you with dry skin, thinning hair and a whole host of other symptoms.
I believe true health is;
- Feeling happy
- Having the energy to meet your lifestyle
- Being motivated to engage wholly in life
- Being free from chronic pain
- Maintaining a disease-free body
Excess body fat is a symptom and to find relief from this symptom as with every other menopause symptom, you have to address the root cause.
Focusing on reducing inflammation, improving liver function, increasing your healthy gut microbiome and balancing blood sugar rather than conforming to the number on the scale is the way to achieve optimal health and long-term relief from menopause symptoms.
Try Different Complementary Therapies
Stress is a major obstacle in overcoming menopause symptoms.
In our modern society, stress permeates every facet of our lives. Whether it emanates extrinsically from the demands of work, familial obligations, or self-imposed pressures, or arises intrinsically through emotional strain, dietary choices and rigorous exercise routines, we find ourselves ensconced in a web of stressors.
Self-care is a common phrase and women often don’t make time to take care of themselves because there is always someone or something else we need to take care of first.
If you are not taking care of your health and well-being (not putting your oxygen mask on before you help others) you will burn out or worse and that won’t be good for anyone.
There are many ways to invest in your health with stress-reducing therapies such as;
- Massage
- Reflexology
- Aromatherapy
- Crystal Healing
- Yoga
- Breathwork
- Sound baths
- Reiki
- Life Coaching
Alternatively, start small from the comfort of your own home;
- Nourish your body with well-balanced meals and snacks
- Move your body in whatever way you enjoy
- Expose yourself to natural daylight, preferably first thing
- Prioritise quality sleep
- Take time out for yourself during the day and do something that brings you joy
Reach Out for Help and Support
Although the stigma of mental illness is lowering many women find it difficult to ask for help.
We have been sold the dream of ‘having it all’ but it can come at the price of your emotional or physical health.
Menopause symptoms can make you feel like you are a stranger in your own body. The things you used to be able to do, the tasks that you used to be able to juggle can now cause stress and emotional outbursts.
Rest assured this is all part of the process of letting go, reviewing your life and assessing your current needs.
It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help.
Get support around the home, delegate to household members or hire jobs out. Sending my ironing out while my kids were in school uniform was the best £10 a week I ever spent!
Most women carry the burden of the invisible or mental load. Have open and honest conversations with people who can support you.
Speak to your GP if you are finding it difficult to cope with day-to-day life. Learn as much as you can about your body and its cycles, and go armed with this knowledge to mitigate the probability of not getting the help you want.
Look for menopause support groups, I hold a free online event on the first Wednesday of every month where women can just get together and talk about their experiences, it can help to feel less isolated.
Read books, articles and blogs (like this one 😉), educate yourself about menopause and start listening to what your body is telling you about yours.
How Can I Help
Get started in creating your positive menopause experience by understanding how to nourish your body during menopause and beyond by downloading my free ebook, 5 Nutrients Your Body Needs During Menopause.
Perhaps you are ready to take bigger action?
I am so excited to be offering my 10-week 1-1 program as a group for the first time from 8th January.
Discover your unique pathway to an Empowered Menopause Journey;
- Reconnect to your body, mind and soul
- Discover my formulas for uncovering the root cause of your symptoms
- Learn how to create a Healthspan as long as your Lifespan!
- No more fad diets, design your toolbox of strategies you can come back to again and again as your life ebbs and flows
For more information and to secure your place follow THIS LINK.
If you would like to book a free no-obligation 30-minute menopause assessment, you can do so HERE.