Where Did I Leave My Hormones?
I’m turning 47 next month and it seriously feels like shit has hit the fan. I look healthy, my skin has never been better, I have never felt as young in my head but hell do I go through emotional rollercoasters!
Hot flashes, anxiety, insomnia, depression, weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, bloating, low sex drive, vaginal dryness, incontinence ....you name it. It’s amazing how some women are never affected by hormones and go through menopause like The Teletubbies and others live in hell.
I’ve been suffering from a hormone imbalance for quite a while now and really learnt what works best for me when my hormones start to go crazy (watch out world, I am on a RAMPAGE).
One option is Hormone Replacement Therapy: note there are lots of pros and cons to HRT. My mum suffered from breast cancer twice at quite a young age so my doctors don’t really allow me to take any form of hormones and I’m not willing to take the risk. For others it works wonders !
“It’s amazing how some women are never affected by hormones and go through menopause like The Teletubbies and others live in hell.”
Let’s talk
What I have learned in the last year is not to freak out so much when those symptoms kick in because stress is your worst enemy (for stress and literally every disease out there that you want to prevent). It’s easier said than done, especially with mood swings or emotions that I can’t control. It hits you like a lightning bolt from one hour to the next and you become a hormonal b*tch or a crying child.
So I learnt to talk about it and try to express how I am feeling, especially to my hubby who obviously walks on eggshells during those moments. If the communication is right, guys can really understand and actually help you. Talking about it openly is very helpful and makes things more manageable for everyone. Hormone imbalance can cause huge anxiety and oppressing how you feel or trying to ignore it can make me even more anxious, so communication really does help. Hormones and relationships can be very tricky. Let’s not kid around. Kids are going to university, you feel weird, you hit your 50s... you have to reinvent your life as a woman. Kind of a new beginning to your life.
Stress Less
Stress is the number one enemy and triggers so many symptoms. I’ve lowered my stress levels a lot by just caring less about the little things in my daily life. I am a German perfectionist (ja!) at heart and really had to work on caring much less about the household and my daily tasks. I do care less about the dishwasher being not emptied... (my daughter would not agree).
Brain fog is also extremely annoying to the extent that at one moment I thought I had early Alzheimers. Then again, communication is a must.
This is a book that I liked reading about menopause called Confessions of A Menopausal Woman - Andrea McLean. It gave useful tips on how to manage going through the menopausal changes.
“There is one thing I refuse ! It’s to feel old. Menopause doesn’t mean you are an old woman or you have to start dressing like a grandmother.”
Ommmm
Yoga is definitely one of the best practices that I started when I was first struggling with my hormone issues. Often just twenty minutes of self practice works wonders and helps during travelling. If you can’t organise a teacher at home or fit group classes in your schedule, there is a great app I use called Yoga-Go. Girls, go do yoga !
SupplEments
There are many supplements on the market that are sold to fight hormone imbalance and some might work for me and others for other women so this is very personal.
I take Lumity's Morning & Night supplements which I find really great. I saw improvement in my hair and skin as well as in energy.
I take Evening Primrose Oil every night and Magnesium which helps with relaxation and sleep. The sleep is often a struggle (writing this blog at 2am btw) , I just lying there in my bed all night with my eyes wide open and my brain wondering to an extreme extend. Stress level 10/10.
Twice a year I get a vitamin D shot done and every 2 to 3 months I get my vitamin B12 shot at my private GP at Mayfair Practice, it’s really worth it.
Lumity Morning & Night Supplements - Click to check it out
Available at Boots - Click to check out
Selfcare
I find going through peri-menopause quite scary at times when symptoms such as anxiety kick in out of the blue or I can’t fall asleep for four days in a row. The hot flashes are also kind of crazy at times but I manage with layering my clothes and wear looser stuff. Taking my time to get a massage done, doing my exercises, having a good facial or enjoying a funny movie is so important. I also learnt to accept to cry a whole day in my bed and get lots of rest when my hormones trigger my emotions.
You know what I would actually love to be out there ? A sort of Menopause Support Group. Just to be able to drop in a meeting in your area when you feel like it and share what you are going through.
There is one thing I refuse ! It’s to feel old. Menopause doesn’t mean you are an old woman or you have to start dressing like a grandmother. It’s a physical phase some of us go through but it does not have to define us. Hey ! Jane Fonda is 80 and hell she is hot !
There are some great apps out there that help you keep track of how you are feeling and give tips about how to get through the menopause symptoms. This is the Clio App which I really like - Click to download
If you have any more questions, I would love to hear from you and hear about your personal struggles (or accomplishments!) with menopause.
Please check out my blog about the Emsella Chair, to explore another way of taking care of yourself.
Share your tips with me and I’ll share them.
sarah@sarahnicollieruk.com