Mindfulness through Menopause
“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
To the menopausal woman, it may feel as if our bodies are working against us.
That does not need to be so. In the past few weeks, I’ve used this space to talk about menopause. I explored what is happening in our bodies during this time of change and delved into the importance of building and maintaining physical strength as we age.
But menopause is so much more than a physical change. Although the hot flashes and night sweats get all the press, women also need to take care of their emotional needs during perimenopause and menopause.
For a long time prior to menopause, women’s cycles are usually fairly regular, and we become accustomed to the things our bodies do over the course of a month. Shifting hormone levels during perimenopause bring changes that disrupt that sense of normalcy, and this alone can be enough to upend us emotionally.
Moreover, those hormonal shifts are apt to cause disruptions in our sleep cycles, causing insomnia and exhaustion; meanwhile, we may also experience mood changes, irritability, and anxiety, all of which can lead to symptoms of depression.
If this sounds familiar, I urge you to speak with your health provider, who can prescribe the right combination of therapies to help.
There are some very effective things we can do on our own to help us navigate the emotional roller coaster that is perimenopause and menopause, and all of them are rooted in mindfulness.
As Jon Kabat-Zinn writes, “Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” We need not allow our bodies and minds to become our enemies at this time. By incorporating mindfulness activities into our daily lives, we are able to deepen our friendship with ourselves and our bodies.
How exactly does mindfulness help a woman experiencing menopausal changes?
Mindful practices create space in our routines that allow for self-care and balance.
Women tend to devote most of their time to family and work obligations, but taking care of our own needs is equally important. New tensions created by the changes in our bodies and minds can be met and understood through meditation and other mindful activities, and we are therefore better equipped to develop healthy coping mechanisms.
Meditation can also help slow us down in moments of greater anxiety, helping us to cope with the unsettling feelings that come with hormonal changes and move us out of the stress response, which can be harmful to our health.
By mindfully staying in the moment, we avoid dwelling in the past or worrying about the future. Training your mind to think positively, perhaps through an appreciation journal, can help you to cultivate positive thoughts and emotions. Such practices empower women to take charge of their lives and their health, both physical and mental.
Finally, I can’t close this blog post without highlighting the power of laughter. The North American Menopause Society writes that “Laughter brings us closer to people, moves us into more positive mind-sets, can stimulate our immune system, enhance our learning and memory, and help us cope better with the stressors in our lives.”
Laughter is a mindful activity; when you think about it, laughing is an act that is completely in the moment, connecting us to those immediately around us at that particular time. So let go of the tension and allow yourself joy! Laugh!
“In this moment, you are precisely as you should be. In this moment, there is infinite possibility.”
