Menopause comes with a myriad of symptoms- you all already know the drill. There’s hot flashes, loss of bone density, the very unfortunate vulvar atrophy. But when we get together with women to informally discuss the life stage, another topic invariably bubbles to the surface… ( and Yes, our informal lady talks involve a little glass of bubbly from time to time)
Changing Mental Health through Menopause is real. It isn’t as widely discussed or thrown around as night sweats, but in reality, it appears much more pervasive and distracting.
Hormone levels are fluctuating like crazy during the period right before they finally calm down. It is an exhausting endeavor to weather them. Like a storm, the emotions that they provoke are unpredictable in size and timing. Couple this physical reality with the fact that Women at this age have in many cases been putting up with a lot of crap for a lotta time, and there’s a recipe for some real fireworks.
This is a real experience for a lot of women, and let’s just say that it’s time we talk about it a lot more. There isn’t even a name for it. But there should be. The emotional gymnastics reacting to a hormonal roller coaster done on top of a tower of crap we’ve all managing as women means that these gymnastics might get crazy.
What we notice most during this conversation is the look of relief in the recognition that it is happening to so many of us.
So look at this screen right now and know that if we were all in a room together, we would be giving each other that same look.
Peri-menopause goes on for a long time. The typical lead up is from age 41 to 51 years but that fact is always buffered by the fact that there is a very wide range of typical.
Ten years is a long time to be handling an onslaught of emotions but especially if you are feeling alone.
So here’s the plan. Of course we need to do what we can to help ourselves individually. Regular exercise is an actual life saver. Healthy food increases happiness. Time in nature is soul serving. Time with friends and family is the whole point of life.
BUT COLLECTIVELY – we need to talk about this energetic shift and name it and acknowledge it. Knowing and naming what we are up against is a huge first step in at least figuring out the next steps. So let’s do that. We’ll do it now. Let’s name the situation that is the battle against our own emotional turmoil caused by a change in hormone levels while concurrently fighting the good war that is being an aging female human in a patriarchal society set up for us to have to fight HARD anyhow. Best name takes it. Email an idea to hithere@larklove.com Winner gets a well deserved bottle of lube.
