Exercise | Menopause

Menopause anxiety and driving

What a yucky Sunday! Where has the sunshine gone?!
I have not left the house today because of this weather!
The last few days have been busy and just wanted to be still; my daughter has been ill so Friday I drove 3 hours to see her and then back again yesterday for a friend’s lunch.

Why am I bothering to write a blog about this?

I am feeling thankful and extremely grateful as I would not have been able to do this a few years ago.
My daughter needed some help and that’s what mum’s do, and my friend has just finished her radiotherapy for breast cancer so wanted to be at the lunch.
It would not have been an option a few years ago and I would have felt too overwhelmed and exhausted to be able to do both.
I stopped driving on the motorway for years because of my menopause anxiety; I posted this on my Insta stories on Friday and I had a couple of Meno’s askde me how I got over it.
It was a slow process; lots of positive thinking, movement and self-care.
If you have been following me for a while you will know that my journey has not been smooth.
When I entered menopause, I was the most physically inactive I had probably ever been in my life. I had been being hit by a car and life changing surgery, so I was not moving regularly.
Our minds and bodies are closely connected, they work closely together; coaching clients for over 20 years I find that if someone understands what is happening then it will help them make changes and take control of their health.
I went through some of the content on my site and my blog found this, I hope it helps you if you are suffering with anxiety, self-doubt and thinking your life will never be the same again.
Blog from Dec 11 2017
“I would like to share a secret with you from both my personal and clinical experience. Cardiovascular and weight bearing exercise will not only help your body but also your mind.
When you hit menopause not only do you have the physical changes to deal with, but also the psychological changes. These symptoms vary from woman to woman, some suffer more than others with each symptom, and of course I was one of the unlucky ones as I suffered with all of them!
Brain fog, forgetfulness, low mood, anxiety and just generally not thinking straight can have a very big impact on some women.
I like to call this phase, not a clinical term, but referring to myself as Bonkers.
Any normality you thought you may have in your forward-thinking brain seems to disappear and in creep’s self-doubt which can contribute to one’s anxiety.
However, do not fear my lovely ladies as with every problem there is a solution.
Depression and anxiety
The unfortunate thing is that most GPs do not understand that depression and anxiety are a common symptom of menopause and prescribe anti-depressants to women. However, this is treating the symptom not the cause, which is the drop-in oestrogen levels due to menopause. HRT can help with the feelings of depression and anxiety as it will put back the oestrogen lost. Some women, through personal choice or medical reasons, will not go down the HRT route. However, whichever path you take, exercise is a must at this point in your life, to keep your mind happy and clear and to fight off depression.
Forgetfulness and memory loss
Many women, think they have the early onset of dementia so my top tip is to write everything down or record things. When I am meetings I ask if I can voice record it because of my memory, I obviously ask first and explain why, luckily most of my meetings are menopause related so sympathy is there. Asking this question in itself can set off anxiety which can start a vicious cycle. I joke about it now, however, I have not always been this confident in my management on menopause symptoms. Managing it this way takes away my anxiety and that is my coping mechanism.
We all know that exercise helps, but why?
Good mental health can benefit self-confidence
Our mood is directly affected during menopause. Research proves that having a fitter body will directly link to positive mental health therefore helping with our self-confidence, mood, self-esteem and a sharper thinking brain. FULL BLOG POST
MENOPAUSE EVENT!
It it s real pleasure that I have been asked to talk at this fab event in Cirencester on the 23rd March; it is a full day with lots of fabulous content, a restorative day of learning, self-care and all things menopause.
The day has a lot to offer and is going to be great, it isn’t super cheap however have I asked for our Meno’s to receive a discount; if you would like to book please enter “Kaliyoga friends” at checkout.
Have a great week!

Hugs as always xxx