Taming the Menopause Beast

Once we are nearing our fifties, we women face the black hole of menopause. Menopause is a difficult beast to deal with. To say it is the ultimate challenge to your sanity and well-being is an understatement.

Dipping estrogen levels play havoc with your mood and health.

You wake up from bed drenched in sweat.

You wonder why it is so hot!

Everyone seems to be against you!

No one can get what you are going through! And where is the AC, for heaven's sake?

Physical changes...read slow decline

For one, your skin and hair are not what they once were. Patchiness shows up on the face, and so do fine lines on the skin. The hair is greying at an alarming rate, and thinning with equal speed. Digestive problems have cropped up from nowhere. Joints have started creaking and sending alarming painful signals from time to time. And God knows what the state of the heart, kidneys, liver etc. are.

As usual, have slipped up on getting regular medical check-ups!

Mental See-Saw

The mind starts acting like it has a mind of its own (ha-ha).

Swaying from chirpy and cool at one moment, to black and filthy at the next, it becomes a challenge to keep in control. Menopausal effects are here with a bang, shattering your calm and breaking your carefully built poise.

(There goes the image of a smiling, level headed, confident woman!)

The Silver Lining

So is there a silver lining? Yes, there is! The carefully nurtured relationships in your life, your self assurance and your knowing what you actually want.

It is the network of relationships I had taken time to build that stands me in good stead. My family puts up bravely with my raving and ranting, patiently waiting for me to calm down.

Professional acquaintances know that I cannot be messed around with, and they better value my time. I don't settle for jobs I don't enjoy doing. My formidable body of work inspires awe and respect (and yes, admiration too!) Young people look up for advice and guidance on career and relationships.

But the biggest achievement/plus point is I know what I want from life. Gone are the insecurities and hesitations. No longer are the career blunders made just to prove my worth. Goodbye people pleasing. I live for my own self!

So, at a time when the body and mind give away, my self assurance and quiet confidence save the day. Coming to the mathematics of life, that is not that bad, is it?

#Menopause #MentalHealth #MiddleAgeBlues #Mid-50s #MentalHealthInMenopause

Comments

All We Imagine as Light- Lyricism on Celluloid

When an Indian film makes it the prestigious Cannes film festival, the world sits up and takes notice! And the lovely ladies swinging on the stage is a recent memory that brings a sense of pride. I had the good fortune to catch this film on screen recently. A review of such work is unnecessary, but still am bursting to say a few words. Right from the scintillating background score, to the events that unfold like pages fluttering in an open book, to the effortless performances, it's a masterpiece all right! The first half romances Mumbai- in the rains, at night, in the bazaars, in dingy rooms, in the local trains. Image source: Wikipedia The second half shows what light truly is, brilliant sunshine, crashing waves and salty air in a small coastal village in Maharashtra. You can feel the taste of salt, the breeze in your hair and the touch of sand under your feet, the cinematography is so real. Payal Kapadia masters the art of holding back, of showing beauty in the mundane. The hosp...

Guru Dutt - Legacy of an Overlooked Genius

"Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaae to Kya Hai:" This heartfelt anguish was literally personified by film maker and actor extraordinaire - Guru Dutt, whose birth centenary happens to be tomorrow (July 9). Maestro or Failed Genius? All his life, he strove to depict his vision, his dreams on celluloid. Yet, even as he strove for success, for renown, he was a bit of a recluse, a black sheep himself. It was as if he wanted to challenge the language of popular cinema by being within the format, from the inside. His women had brains, taxi drivers and masseurs were philosophers, sex workers pined for spiritual ecstasy, and friendships blossomed between unlikely people. Common people on the street spoke wiser logic than academics or high-nosed editors. The topics of the films may seem dated now, but the eternal truths voiced in them remain relevant. His films were distinctly different from other popular Hindi films. They had all the commercial elements of song, dance, comedy, romanc...

Shiuli in October - Transient Beauty

Image Source - IMDb Have you seen poetry on celluloid? A soft, lilting song playing out in slow motion? A story unpeeling itself, episode by episode? I have revisited Shoojit Sircar's exquisitely beautiful movie, October. The whole film unspools like poetry in motion. Each frame, each movement, each word adds to the lyrical quality of the touching film. And Shantanu Moitra's mellifluous background score brings it to life. I still can't get that haunting music out of my mind. Whoever would have thought a mainstream film - about a sudden, freak accident that sends the lead actress into coma could be so very ephemeral, so lyrical? Most part of the movie unfolds in a hospital room, amidst catheters, ECG machines, drips, and hospital beds. Yet, the way the director has handled this serious theme is spectacular. Celluloid lyricism, economy of expression The director works his magic through poetic frames, expressions, seamless transitions, verbal and non-verbal imagery. His stor...

My Page

Search This Blog