Women you feel it, men you witness it: Riding the wave of our ever-shifting hormones as women is hard. First, we women watch as our flat chests grow almost overnight and hair starts to sprout in places we don’t want to talk about. We’re forced to choose between tampons, pads, menstrual cups, and more and finally have a need to step foot in the “women and family planning aisle” of our local drug store. As we live through our menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases each month, we have different energy levels, states of mental clarity, and hunger levels. Sometimes, we feel an overwhelming sense of purpose and calm; other days, it feels like a monster has hijacked our brain and our uterus is throwing a temper tantrum.
There are no days off. And just when we think we’ve found a way to ride the mechanical bull that is womanhood, the pattern starts to shift. Perimenopause creeps in and, suddenly, we’re in the throes of menopause. Hot flashes, brain fog, insomnia, mood swings—the physical symptoms of this mega hormonal shift can be a lot to accept and manage.
While we tend to fixate on the physical discomfort of menopause (can’t blame you there), the mental and emotional effects can be just as overwhelming, if not more. How we show up for ourselves and in our relationships can shift, but instead of feeling like we’re in freefall during this time of flux, we can turn to mindfulness practices to help. Happier Meditation—a mindfulness and meditation platform dedicated to making mindfulness practical, accessible, and effective—recognizes how powerful the mind can be when given the right tools and support, especially during such a transitional time in life. That’s why they created the Mindful Menopause Guide.
How Menopause Affects the Brain
Now, before we continue, I have a confession to make. I’m not in my 50s or 40s. I’m just a late 20-something woman. But trust me, I know how discombobulated hormones can make you feel. I’ve felt it, especially as I approach 30. I remember watching my mother, who’s now in her early 60s, turn bright red in a restaurant and, without shame, use a napkin to wipe herself down after a hot flash washed over her. I listened to my aunts, friends’ moms, and older cousins exclaim how they felt they were losing their minds.
As a health teacher, I had the pleasure of explaining this hormonal timeline and shift to students, including teenage boys who turned wide-eyed in horror. For you boys who have grown into men who now love a woman going through menopause, I’m sure you’re relieved to not be in her shoes. But maybe you also feel hopeless, at a loss for how to best support your partner, and confused by the changes taking place.
Menopause is most notably marked by a decline in estrogen, which can significantly impact brain function. Hello, brain fog, memory difficulties, mood changes, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, and more! If we want to get into the nitty-gritty, some specific regions of the brain that are affected are the hippocampus (memory), the prefrontal cortex (executive function), and the hypothalamus (temperature regulation and sleep), among others. While many of these changes are temporary and the brain can adapt, you may not feel as resilient in the moment. That’s where Happier’s Mindful Menopause Guide comes in.
The Power of Mindfulness
Studies show that mindfulness practices can improve the quality of life for women in menopause as well as lead to long-term improvements. So while you can’t change the reality of menopause, you can change how you react to meet yourself where you’re at. By supporting your mental and emotional well-being with timely and timeless mindfulness tools, you can find joy and happiness, even when your mind and body feel out of wack. Happier’s Mindful Menopause Guide is free (yes, free!) and consists of six sessions, each of which offers a meditation and prompt to equip you with mindfulness tools that you can then use in real-life moments and carry into the next chapter of your life.
Led by Diana Winston, a mindfulness expert who’s been through it all, you’ll learn to:
- Navigate hot flashes and mood swings
- Ease anxious thoughts and invite sleep
- Build focus and self-compassion when experiencing brain fog
- Embrace your changing body with kindness
- Recognize and step into your power during this phase of life
Embrace the Change
Oftentimes, when we find ourselves in a transitional or uncomfortable time in our lives, feeling seen, supported, and equipped with the right tools can make all the difference. So don’t just grin and bear it. With Happier Meditation’s Mindful Menopause Guide, it is possible to feel it all and still move through this phase with ease, confidence, and calm. And if you’re like me—a few decades away from this phase of womanhood—then learning these tools can help you mindfully meet this stage of life with an empowered mindset.
Embrace the change today by signing up for Happier Meditation’s free Mindful Menopause Guide.
Thank you for touching most of the menopausal symptoms we go through. At 50 I went through menopause. My moods were off the chart! My internal temperature felt like someone was screwing with a thermostat on my arm. At one time I actually put my head in the freezer. No doctor has really kept a check on my hormones. Now at 73, I have osteoporosis that has improved to osteopenia…only through Prolia shots. Every drug for this dangerously kills jaw bone. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies push to mask this instead of approach the cause. Now I’m trying to get off Prolia shots and take the appropriate supplements to rebuild bone health. No doctor has approached this either. It is incredibly overwhelming and medical research only refers to drugs. I’m going to dig my heels in to continue to research a natural way to better bone health.