For so many women, menopause can be a really stressful time - between physiological changes, lack of adequate medical care, lack of social awareness, explaining things to partners and/or kids, neurological and emotional changes... well, we could go on and on. The bottom line is that menopause does bring about (for a lot of women, but not all) significant changes in their lifestyle. However, there are ways to help mitigate some of the stresses of menopause, to help make sure you can enjoy this phase of your life and be your best self!

Making the Menopause a Zen-O-Pause...

• Meditation: Not only can meditation increase your glutamate and endorphins like dopamine and serotonin, it can strengthen areas of your brain responsible for memory, learning, attention and self-awareness. The practice can also help calm down your sympathetic nervous system which kicks into gear when we are stressed. Over time, mindfulness meditation can increase cognition, memory and attention. It can also help increase natural amounts of DHEA in your system. It helps naturally lower cortisol, and can improve overall stress levels. All these directly contribute to heart health, sleep patterns, and brain fog - many issues commonly associated with menopause. Think about combining your meditation practice with breath work, which can have long term health benefits in both body and brain!
• Therapy & Life Coaching: Working through past problems, traumas, and maladaptive patterns can help us in the present day, but learning new techniques for managing things like anxiety or relationship communication can help ensure we have a better future. Working with a counselor or coach can help you learn cognitive behavioral techniques that can improve your career, your daily life, and your relationship, as well as your self-identity - something that many struggle with as they age. A form of treatment called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be an effective way to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories.

• Hormone Replacement Therapies: Many issues associated with menopause are symptomatic of chronically low hormone levels. Be aware that often, women are told their levels are 'normal' - what is a more accurate statement is that hormone levels are in the most COMMON ranges for your age demographic, but in no way is that necessarily optimal. Normal does not equal optimal when it comes to peri/post menopausal hormone levels. As such, many women find significant life improvement when they add in low dose topical hormones like estriol, estradiol, progesterone, and DHEA.

• New Horizons: Studies have shown that taking on new challenges, trying new activities, and learning new things all contribute to better overall cognition and wellbeing. Take that cooking class, learn a new hobby or sport, or even consider taking a class in something you're really interested in online or at your local community college (hello, forensics!). Learning later in life is directly correlated with protecting the brain against aging because it promotes 'neuroplasticity' (the brain's ability to develop new neural pathways). It helps you gain a new perspective on the world around you and trains your brain to handle a wide range of challenges.

• Friend Vibes: Be it besties, church, community programs, or babysitting your grandkids, community matters to our sense of self, our sense of calm, and our overall health. In fact, community, faith, and family are ALL considered key pillars in Blue Zone societies (these are the societies that have the largest number of healthy centenarians in the world!). Shifting away from an individualistic perspective to a collectivist one can help us set down some of life's burdens we often feel we have to shoulder alone, and gives us people to share life experiences with. Many times, menopause can feel isolating, foreign, and burdensome - but it does not have to be!
  
  

Is There Anything Else I Can Do?

Supplements: There are definitely supplements that can help with a wide range of menopause related issues like stress, sleep, libido, and even brain function. Supplements such as GABA, Sea Moss, and even dandelion have been found to have clinical efficacy for helping menopause. To read more about them, check out this blog on which supplements are worth it, or this blog on non-hormonal supplement options! Plus, to read the science behind GABA, DHEA, and Progesterone (all great ways of balancing different issues in menopause), check out our Science of Menopause Page for more info.

For those struggling with a lot of stress, our bestselling Chaos Calmer contains GABA, L-theanine, and magnesium, all of which have been shown to offer relief from stress, brain fog, and lack of sleep. You can learn about Chaos Calmer here.

For those struggling with brain fog, fatigue, lack of energy, and overall aches and pains, DHEA is a supplement that cane be considered (if you are a good candidate) as it can really help in these areas. You can read more about that here.