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Another Personal Blog Post – Perimenopause Warning….

I usually write posts for ALL busy moms because I know no matter what phase of motherhood we’re going through, there is a universal acknowledgement that we are all working on our own health and wellness while also dealing with everyday life struggles.

But today’s post is specifically about dealing with the difficulties of perimenopause while also trying to handle everyday life.

I have never been this out of control with my emotions or my body in my life!

I’ve gone over the list of symptoms, and I swear, it’s the weirdest collection of nonsense ever. EVERYTHING is a symptom!

Fatigue, brain fog, muscle aches, joint pain, heart palpitations, night sweats, headaches, insomnia, mood swings (SEVERE!), inconsistent menstrual cycles, cramps, weight gain, water retention, itchy ears!

Like, what?!

No lie, I am in some kind of pain every single day. There is no such thing as a good night’s sleep anymore. My emotions are fluctuating all over the place and I’m bouncing from anxiety to weeping to rage in an instant.

What can be done about this?

In my case, not much right now. With my family’s medical history, it’s safer for me NOT to do hormone replacement therapy, or at least wait as long as I can until I hit ACTUAL menopause or the symptoms get “really bad”.

I’m like, “This gets WORSE??!!”

Apparently, yes.

So, what am I ACTUALLY doing to help myself out?

1.  Working on Communicating with Hubs and my family. When things are going crazy, I need a minute (or the night) to collect myself and I’m trying to be better about communicating without taking anyone’s head off in the process. This is definitely a work in progress.

2.  Stress Management. I am looking into a LOT more stress management techniques besides just breathing exercises. Prayer. Meditation. Journaling. Walking. Stretching. Affirmations. Calming music. Petting our dogs and cat. Funny videos. Sitting in the sunshine or walking barefoot in the grass.

3.  Nutrition. Making sure I take a multi-vitamin every day. Working on my protein intake. Adding more fruits and vegetables. More whole grains. Portion control. This is definitely an area where I need to refocus, since I’ve gotten into some bad habits over the last several months. It’s not specifically cutting out all “bad” foods – it’s putting the emphasis on nutrient-dense foods (the apple instead of the cookie).

4.   Movement. This is another area where I need to refocus. I need stretching – a LOT! More than I ever have in my life. Joints and muscles hurt in ways I’ve never dealt with before. It sucks. Walking is becoming my new best friend. It helps control the rage, it helps clear my head, it helps me relax, and oh yeah, that whole burns calories thing.

I’m sure there’s more I can do, and I will continue to research, communicate with my doctor, and experiment with what helps and what doesn’t.

Unfortunately, the bottom line is this is something every woman will eventually go through. These are tough waters to navigate. It may come on gradually, or it may hit you like a freight train. You will get through it, but it probably won’t be pretty.

And that’s okay. You’re not alone, other moms are going through it too, and this is a time where you just gotta hold on and do what you can to survive.

www.thehiddenpoweroffood.com

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