Tired, upset, feeling low, wanting to hide away and wishing the days away, yes we all feel like that sometimes. Some of it is down to our pesky hormones too. Who knew they were going to be so troublesome for us as we get older? It’s not fair, it really isn’t.
It is, however, sometimes down to the ever present challenge of ageing. Some people accept it gracefully, others feel down and miserable, and a few just want to hibernate and wish the world would go away.
Sometimes, knowing why we feel so bad, can help us get out groove back. Perhaps our bodies aren’t as good as they used to be, or the mirror shows an older face beaming back at us, but here’s a little reminder of what happens to us as we hit that mid life hormonal challenge.
It didn’t happen overnight. In our thirties and forties, our hormones start to ebb and flow, and the per-menopause can begin to bite. Yes, it can be as early as that. I entered peri-menopause in my early thirties and was fully menopausal before my mid thirties, so although it’s usually older, those pesky hormones can strike early as egg reserves dwindle. With eggs beginning to run out, our bodies may miss out a cycle of ovulation here and there, meaning that stress levels can rise and weight gain/inflammation can rear its’ ugly head.
In our later forties and early fifties, nobody bats an eyelid at a lady flushing and blushing, as it’s acknowledged silently, without as much as a wink or a blink, that a hormonal woman may be going through the ‘change.’
Thinking back to my own history, one day I remember vividly, still makes me cringe. In my thirties, early menopausal hot flushes rose from my toes to reach the top of my head in frequent rolling waves of unpleasantness. I used to be adept at excusing myself before it got past my stomach and elbows, heading up to my armpits.
In an office environment, it is often quite easy to sidestep for a few minutes and avoid being a sweaty betty in public, but at times, it can be quite an embarrassment. I was talking to a male colleague and with no escape route, I felt a hot flush begin to surf up and out. The colleague had a big issue that needed dealt with urgently, and I couldn’t concentrate on what was being said, for trying to hold my breath and attempt to mentally banish the hot flush back into my ground rooted boots.
The hot flush hit my cheeks with the force of a mini tsunami. With no escape, and two people manning the door behind, it got to my forehead, at which point, my colleague looked mildly horrified and stumbled over his words. He’d obviously thought I fancied him……. Bless!! The point is, that if I’d been in my late forties or fifties, he might have offered to get me a glass of water, open a window and understood what was going on. I gave up on decorum, reached for a few pieces of paper, swiftly folded them in half to fan my face, and apologised for the early menopausal heebiejeebies!!!!
That was the point I decided that honestly is the best policy when in a pickle where the menopause is concerned. There really is NO hiding it if hot flushes are your big go to symptom…
The pesky oestrogen and progesterone hormones causes loads of symptoms as they begin to get out of balance. Although symptoms differ from person to person and in intensity too, there are some common issues that can point towards our hormones making us enter a challenging phase.
- Period problems.
- Hot flushes (see point 1).
- High cortisol and increasing stress responses.
- Low mood.
- Sleep disturbances.
- Low libido.
- Anxiety.
- Brain fog (see trying to suppress a hot flush in point 1, and everyone else thinking brain fog 🙂
- Thyroid issues.
- Weight gain.
- Dry skin.
- Joint pain.
Barrelling through the peri menopause is one thing, but living in full menopause is a totally different thing. There are opotions nowadays. HRT didn’t work for me, but it does help lots of people avoid being in the situation I found myself in with the hot flush above. To do that, you have to see a GP and have your hormone levels tested, to make sure your issues really are with your hormone levels. It was quite a blow so young in my thirties, to find out that I’d entered full menopause, but at least I had a reason for my symptoms.
Managing stress and learning to live with life changes is another way to help us cope. There will be times we will be on top of it, and times some of us aren’t. We know the goal is to exercise, eat well and take the right supplements, and sometimes we recognise mental health needs adjusting to reduce stress levels too.
If you are looking at reducing stress levels, treatment below can have a good effect on wellbeing, to relax the body and promote calm mood and relaxing sleep.
- Indian head massage.
- Facials.
- Reflexology.
- Reiki.
- Hand and Foot Massage.
- Meditation.