Stress

How the menopause can improve life

By Emma Hilton, writer at Life Coach Directory

Published on March 8th, 2010

Women spend most of their lives worrying about the emotional roller-coaster that is the menopause. Hot flushes, depression, insomnia, irritability as well as feelings of isolation and a lack of purpose doesn’t exactly sound like a walk in the park. However a recent article in The Times actually highlighted the good things that can come out of your post menopausal years.

The menopause does not only change our bodies hormonally but it also changes our minds and the way we think about things. The Times article points out that what is lost through the hormones that contributed towards our female identity, is gained in other areas. Dr Louann Brizendine wrote a book about the matter. ‘The Female Brain’ explores the notion that postmenopausal woman are less concerned with the nuances of emotions and keeping the peace because these are aspects that are fuelled by the no longer present oestrogen. Instead women are able to experience a heightened sense of clarity, balanced perspective, peace of mind and an energy that has been absent for a long time.

The Times have compiled a list of tips to help women to nurture their new postmenopausal brain:

Stay connected with family and friends, making sure to say ‘I love you’ mean it and say it often.

Don’t allow a minor dispute to harm a good relationship and when you make a mistake try to correct it immediately.

Find a bigger purpose than yourself and take the opportunity to do things you enjoy and have wanted to do for some time.

Eat well and exercise. Don’t bother going to the gym if you hate it though. Find other ways to stay active that you enjoy.

Finally, rediscover the best in yourself. You could do this by going back to school to get that qualification you’d always wanted or it could be giving your free time to a charity you’ve always been interested in.

The whole point of this isn’t to completely reinvent yourself, it is a simple case of a little retuning so you can enjoy the next stage of your life.