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

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