Understanding Menopause Anxiety
Menopause is a natural and inevitable stage of life for women, but it can come with a range of physical, emotional, and mental changes; one of the most common and disruptive symptoms that women experience during this time is anxiety. In fact, studies have shown that women going through menopause are up to twice as likely to experience anxiety than women in other stages of life. And for some women it is the only symptom they experience, leading them to conclude that they’ve somehow lost their resilience and former ability to cope.
Recently I was invited to give a presentation on this topic by the very lovely Jo Adams of Future Fitness Personal Training. Jo specialises in working with women over the age of 40 to improve all aspects of their wellbeing.
You can watch a recording of the presentation below. In it I explain what Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is and introduce you to its core framework and explain how you can use that as a helpful reflective tool as part of a journaling habit. I then go on to talk about anxiety specifically, why we get it and why changing our relationship with it rather than trying to get rid of it completely is preferable. And finally, I guide you through a couple of grounding exercises which you can use to help calm your nervous system down when you feel the anxiety building, along with providing some self-help resources that you might find helpful (links below).
If you found this useful then please do share it with anyone else who you think may benefit from it.
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