It is different strokes for different folks when it comes to menopausal mood swings and attendant challenges as different women of the age have expressed their experiences. From hot flushes to aching joints and sleepless nights, the physical symptoms of the menopause can be crippling, the women told Daily Mail online.
According to Sally Brown, a psychotherapist “ perimenopause can start up to 10 years before periods stop, many women don't immediately associate the changes in their mood with their hormones”.
She therefore offered ten natural remedies to cope with menopause
- 1. Get active – and do it regularly…
Exercise is like a magic bullet for lifting mood and energy levels and improving sleep.
- Talk about it
Try to be open up to your partner about what you're going through and why you may seem more irritable or tearful.
- Use mindfulness
Rather than turning your mind into a ‘blank screen' (an impossible task), mindfulness is about noticing your thoughts and the impact they have on your feelings.
- Eat your way to a better mood
Rob Hobson, Head of Nutrition at Healthspan said: ‘Our diet can boost our mood and it also works the other way as our moods can also influence our food choices.
‘Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as oily fish have been shown to help with mood especially in the case of depression and deficiencies in folate.
‘Vitamin B12 and magnesium, have also been linked to low mood so try boosting your intake with wholegrains, pulses, eggs, dried apricots, green veggies, nuts and seeds.'
- Avoid overthinking – and count your blessings
When you're depressed or anxious, you can get stuck in the ‘whys', spending time ruminating and trying to work out why you feel so bad. Simple gratitude exercises like this have been shown to reset your ‘mood thermostat.'
- Set small goals
Make a list of things you've been putting off, rating them from easiest to hardest, then try to tackle one a week, starting with the easiest tasks.
7.Cut back on the booze
Stick to the healthy drinking limits and try to have regular alcohol-free days every week.
- Plan little pleasures – and be kind to yourself
There's a new buzz phrase in the world of psychology right now: ‘prioritising positivity'.
It's about having little hits of pleasure throughout the day – a growing number of experts think it could be a solution to society's rising anxiety levels.
- Get some herbal help
Studies have also found a link between low levels of folic acid, a B vitamin that helps regulate the nervous system, and incidences of depression.
Recent research has also focussed on an amino acid called tryptophan (found in turkey, fish, nuts, seeds and pulses), which helps make the happy chemical serotonin.
- Remember that less is more
So many of us have got hooked into ‘busy lifestyle syndrome', thinking that a busy life is a successful one, but then we feeling guilty for not being able to keep up.
Be realistic about you can achieve in one day.
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