REDISCOVER YOU – Simple tweaks to elevate your look in order to elevate your life during menopause.
MENOPAUSAL SELF CARE GUIDE
Why reducing stress is so important
With work scherdules, family, technology demanding we’re contactable 24/7 and constant negative news blaring out of every electrical device, just to name a few, no wonder that, as women, our stress levels have never been higher. But if youre menopausal, stress is the one thing you really want to reduce and here’s why…
Stress is one of the biggest triggers for menopausal symptoms, it ultimately makes them worse. Without going into too much scientific detail, stress causes sex hormones, such as oestrogen, to reduce. When these hormones reduce cortisol and adrenaline become more dominant, causing the body to feel more stress…see the cycle? This not only causes menopausal symptoms to worsen but also for the body to store more fat…contribting to the menopausal tummy. So reduce stress and potentially reduce the impact of the symptoms.
One of the quickest ways to suppress the stress/sex hormone cycle is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and the simplest way to do this is through meditation or thought presence.
Here’s a list of thought presence activities you may want to try:
Walking in nature
Tai Chi
Colouring in
Listening to music
Dancing
Qigong
Meditation is a powerful tool for all sorts of ailments, but reducing stress is its main benefit. Here’s the thing about meditation, many people think you have to clear your mind completely for 30 minutes for it to be effective. This isn’t the case! It takes time and practice to get a completely clear mind for long periods of time. First start off with doing 5 minutes, if your brain is particularly chatty, that’s okay, just acknowledge the thought and let it pass. It’s an important point to remember that without your brain wandering you wouldn’t be able to bring it back, it’s the bringing it back that defines mediation, so don’t get frustrated if you’re constantly having to bring your mind back to the present.
Some good meditations we would recommend are;
Meditations by Michael Sealey
Meditations by Calm – Calm provide free sessions on Youtube or, for a larger catalogue, in their app
Taking time for yourself can not only reduce stress but also help improve brain fog. Brain fog is caused by the decline in oestrogen so alongside HRT self-care has been known to drastically help. Here’s some easy ideas on how to take back some more “me-time”.
Read a book
Make your bath indulgent with salts and bubbles
Walk outside on your own
Buy a new body lotion and take the time to rub it in
Stretch to relaxing music
Journal
Move your body for fun
Hydrate yourself
Practice EFT (Drop me an email if you want help with this)
Sing
Dance like noone’s watching
Start crafting
Buy yourself a colouring book
Stroke a pet for 20 minutes
Do a jigsaw puzzle
If you would like more help with reducing stress and anxiety during the menopause, why not book a discovery call and see how we can help.