I wrote a few weeks ago about how my mental health has been a bit off kilter lately with quite a lot of anxiety and some feelings of depression. It sort of came as a shock because life has been feeling pretty great lately. Most of my chronic pain has gone, I’m loving my work both at the library and as a yoga teacher, and my dog is happy. Usually if my dog is happy then so am I! But for some reason that wasn’t the case.

So I did a couple of things. I saw a doctor and we did some tests. There’s some stuff that I have to follow up on in a month or two. And I used my health coaching skills on myself. I delved into what my lifestyle is like - how I’m eating and moving, whether I’m getting enough fun & relaxation in my life and checked in with my mindfulness practices.

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I found that a bit more exercise and an increase in veggies was my advice to myself. For the most part, I’ve stuck to my advice. I’ve found ways to increase my veggie intake and I’m doing a few more workouts on YouTube that get my heart rate up and cause a bit of glow. (I often post the video I did on Instagram so follow me there if you want some workout ideas.)

But… I also took things one step further and worked really hard to do a short course in menopause coaching so that I could offer myself (and others) advice that’s tailored to this phase of life. I’ve learned so much, especially that adding some more veggies and exercise into my routine was perfect advice!

The update is, I have felt a huge improvement over the past couple of weeks. I am smiling more. I am interested in my favourite things again. I’m being more social. I have more energy. I still woke up feeling hugely anxious during a storm the other night so broccoli and walking aren’t miracle cures. But I am very happy with how far I’ve come in such a short time. To me, it shows how helpful personalised support and accountability are when we want to make lifestyle changes to improve our mental and physical health.

After studying health coaching specifically for peri & post menopausal women I realised there are 5 essential things that we need at this point of our lives:

Gentle nutrition - not harsh diets, but attention to the food we eat and prioritising nutrients that will support us and our symptoms. (see below for a great breakfast recipe).
Regular physical activity - this is essential for mental health and can also help to alleviate some of the common problems associated with menopause.
Stress reduction practices - mindfulness, yoga, creativity, rest, these are all part of this category which will help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other common menopause symptoms.
A sense of purpose & self-esteem - everything seems to change around menopause… not just our bodies but our family situations, kids leaving, parents ageing, jobs changing. This can affect how we feel about ourselves.
A wellbeing team - a GP that listens and will prescribe needed medications along with perhaps a pelvic physio for bladder issues or pelvic pain, a psychologist to support mental health issues or a menopause coach to help create positive lifestyle changes.

I’m currently offering free 20-minute mini menopause sessions, so if you want to get started on creating your own wellbeing team, click here to book your session.