Skip to main content

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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

QUICK WINS WEDNESDAY

While we may not have all the time in the world with back-to-school creeping in, last minute vacations before summer is officially gone, and dealing with the ridiculous end of summer heat (at least where we’re located), as Busy Moms we still have daily opportunities to get Quick Wins for our health and wellness that don’t require an entire rearranging of our lives to get them. So, here’s my list of five Quick Wins you can implement TODAY with little to no extra effort or going out of your way to make them happen. Eat a Piece of Dark Chocolate Every Day . I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, and to be honest it can be an acquired taste. I didn’t like it years ago, either. But if you get 70% or higher, you’re giving yourself a mini-health boost with vitamins and minerals like copper, manganese, zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, calcium, and almost all the B vitamins. From CHOCOLATE! And an added bonus, your kids probably aren’t going to want it because it’s not a...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY IS EXHAUSTING. IT'S YOUR HEALTH & YOUR RULES - EVERYONE ELSE CAN TAKE A SEAT!

I’m probably going to get some backlash from this, but my give a cares are pretty much gone at this point in my life. I check social media platforms pretty frequently to see what topics are trending in health and wellness. I feel like it’s not only important for me to keep up with my formal continuing education but to also see what people are thinking outside of a course or a classroom. To say we have problems in this country, and as a society, would be an understatement. We have huge SYSTEMIC issues around healthcare, wellness, disease management and prevention, weight loss, etc. The list is utterly exhausting. Every person has their own ideas and opinions on what health and wellness look like to them. It might mean the absence of disease (ex. heart disease) or no chronic health concerns (ex. high blood pressure). It might mean a certain number on the scale, the range of your biometric markers (blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels), or your ratio of body fat to ...
Post a Comment
Read more

ARE YOU ACTIVELY TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH? Or Are You Simply Trying to Hang On?

This is the question I asked myself this week as I cried over going to a school event for my daughter. She’s a senior this year and I am already struggling with my “baby” about to fly the nest. But the truth is, I wasn’t crying for sentimental reasons. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was crying because I didn’t want to go . I felt obligated to go and support her because it’s her senior year and that’s what I’m supposed to do as her mother, but honestly, I’ve been feeling the burnout for WEEKS now. I didn’t want to go and socialize. I didn’t want to interact with people. And I LIKE people. We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a supportive and active community with people who are very nice and get along. Most of the time. (Let’s be real – everyone has their moments.) But 99% of the time our little town works together and supports one another and they are ESPECIALLY encouraging to the kids. So, there I was, crying and trying to hide it from my daughter and husband because...
Post a Comment
Read more