What are the psychological effects of menopause?
The affect of menopause on you is psychological and physiological. Our bodies and minds are integrated units, so anything we feel on a psychological level can begin to have an effect on our physical bodies as well. That is why we are spending time dealing with physical menopause symptoms by suggesting several strategies to deal with the psychological effects of stress.
Many people feel stress in their lives and too much stress can be an unhealthy thing and can result in physical manifestations of that stress. An extreme example of this is when someone goes through a traumatic experience and all her hair turns white.
While the stress in your life may not be any worse than it was a decade ago, your body is doing what it can to cope with the changes so it ends up being a little extra sensitive to the regular stress of your life.
However, many women feel that this is a very stressful time of their lives. They can face the prospect of grown children about to leave home. Often so much of their identity for years has been wrapped up in providing maternal nurture to their children and now those children want to grow up and be out on their own.
Along with feelings of loss of identity come additional feelings that the best years of life are behind them. It can be depressing to reach what has been called middle age because it reminds us that our lives are only temporary, and much of it has been lived already.
These thoughts can depress a woman in perimenopause causing her to sense these feelings more deeply and several things can happen.
Your body, already sensitive to stress, may react negatively and do unexpected things. Like increase temperature, thus giving you a hot flash or night sweats. Your mind may have a hard time quieting after a busy day, making it difficult to get to sleep. If and when you do sleep, you may not sleep well so when you wake up, you still feel exhausted.
These factors work against you to increase your stress, and start the vicious cycle over again. That additional stress will increase your hot flashes and insomnia. The psychological effects of menopause, already a sensitive topic, can exasperate the situation on a physiological level.
So it becomes vitally important for you to implement strategies and habits early in perimenopause to help you manage your stress. This will help to manage your symptoms, which will help you enjoy your life that much more.
Taking control of stress and depression
There are so many suggestions that can be made to help you break the negative spiral of stress and symptoms and help you take control of your life and manage your menopause.
The first thing you want to remember is menopause is not an unavoidable disease. It is a doorway through which you pass. You can pass through painfully and reluctantly or you can pass through gladly and with anticipation of what’s next in life.
Helping to reduce the stress in your life and the uncomfortable symptoms that result is a key factor in how you pass through menopause. Let’s look at some strategies that you’ll want to turn into habits for a richer quality of life.
Make sure that you are eating a healthy, balanced diet of all the food groups. Make the decision now to reduce foods that are high in fat and cholesterol and increase foods on the food guide.
Incorporate a regular exercise program into your daily schedule to increase your health, lengthen your life, reduce stress, get a better night’s sleep and keep your bones and heart strong.
If you smoke, quit. If you are overweight, talk to your wellness consultant about ways they can help you to lose weight.
Make your healthcare provider an important part of your life. Get regular pelvic and breast exams, pap tests and mammograms.
Don’t wait until something happens before you go looking for a wellness consultant. When you reach perimenopause, they can give you the right suggestions to help you manage your symptoms.
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and keep your core cool against hot flashes.
Buy clothes that breathe, such as cotton, or have moisture-wicking properties so that you can be comfortable and dry when a hot flash or night sweat happens.
If there are real serious stress or depression problems that persist, talk to your wellness consultant. These challenges may be part of a bigger issue that you are not aware of and a healthcare professional may be able to make some suggestions that are appropriate for you.
Be sure that your diet gets the right vital nutrients daily. A daily dietary program of vital nutrient building blocks assures the healthy development and growth of new cells and strengthens the body with the nutrients that are missing from our modern food supply.
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