Overwhelm, anxiety and depressed feelings:

What is stress? What is perimenopause? How do I tell the difference?

NOTE: Mental Health IS Health: If you or someone you love is in crisis, please reach out for support by contacting your primary care provider, go to the nearest emergency department, or call 911.

Vina writes: Everyone tells me to prioritize my mental health which I seem to be able to manage when I'm feeling well ... but when the overwhelm, anxiety, and dark clouds set in, I feel nothing but doomed. Is this perimenopause? Is this the stress of midlife? How do I tell the difference, and where do I start?

My reply: Hi Vina! Two things to remember first and foremost: 1) You are not alone. 2) It's ok to ask for help.

I feel your words, and I often feel my own “mental health pendulum” has been swaying back and forth for years. It's never a box I can check, but rather, always an ongoing work-in-progress.

Whether your journey is MILD or WILD, it's essential to know how to navigate; to understand where to begin so you are making the best health decisions for YOU.

Perimenopause (also known as the menopause transition) can arrive with unexpected detours. Or, for some, it can be a jolting bumpy ride. Whether your journey is MILD or WILD, it's essential to know how to navigate; where to begin so you are making the best health decisions for YOU.

Here are some considerations about mental health and menopause:

• In perimenopause (perhaps your mid-to-late 40s, but everyone's journey is different), our hormone, progesterone, begins to decline. For some, this shows up as changes to mood, changes to sleep and changes to bleeding.

• Women describe "changes to mood" as everything from "I just don't feel like myself anymore" to more pronounced experiences with PMS (premenstrual syndrome) to new depressed or anxious feelings, and sometimes, to rage.

• Perimenopause is a phase of life; not a diagnosis. This phase of life closes out our reproductive years, and for many of us, it is also surrounded by peak stress: caretaking responsibiities, career and financial responsibilities, and for some, there is also an overlay of relationship challenges, grief, and the burden of chronic or other health conditions.

• (This is really important!) Just because changes to your mental health at this time may be associated with reproductive health, and just because we may have been previously socialized, patronized or otherwise dismissed surrounding issues related to our menstrual and hormone health, does not mean you are meant to suffer! Having a confident and informed confirmation about your mental health with your health team could prove to be an excellent way to invest in your current--and future health.

Start by asking yourself some key questions--either by looking in the mirror, or writing in a journal.

"Where do I start?"

It's such a key question. The best answer is going to be yours. Maybe you will begin by booking a health appointment, or learning as much as you can (check out the links below) about definitions of anxiety, depression and mood disorders. Or, maybe you will start by asking yourself some key questions--either by looking in the mirror, or writing in a journal.

For example:

• On a scale of 1-10, how well am I eating? moving? sleeping?

  • Is it possible any of my new feelings of anxiety could be related to my lack of movement or lack of sleep?

  • Is what I'm feeling (short fuse, rage) possibly a "daytime consequence"of sleep disruption or chronic insomnia disorder?

• Is stress (cortisol) contributing to your overwhelm and recent changes in your mental health?

  • Do you have a regular practice for stress reduction, such as exercise, walking in nature, mindfulness exercises?

  • What brings you joy and how often do you it: line-dancing, rollerskating, puzzle or favourite craft? Try to find something that doesn't involve a screen.

  
  

• Am I missing anything nutritionally?

  • You can discuss your own personal nutrition needs with your health team and take note of things like: how much Vitamin D (sunshine) you are getting, are you low in iron (and therefore trying to function but constantly pushing through fatigue and exhaustion?) Both of these are easy to address.

  
  

• Is there possibly something else going on with your health, like a thyroid condition?

  • Because symptoms of thyroid conditions are often overlooked, we might be experiencing poor concentration or new depressed feelings and not realize it is related to thyroid. This is easy for your doctor to check.

    
    

• Is now a good time to investigate the potential benefits of menopause hormone therapy for me?

  • Now is always a good time to get curious. Women in perimenopause are often making decisions about hormone therapy. Some are considering a protestin-IUD for contraception and management of bleeding. Others are choosing oral progesterone to support those changes in mood, sleep and bleeding. You may make a decision now, or use this learning to prepare for down the road and your future options.

Menopause & Mental Health Learning Resources:

1. Dr. Ariel Dalfen, MD, Psychiatrist from BetterBria.com, explains & shares insights on anxiety, anger & mood changes. Tap here to watch.

2. Dr. Stephanie Bayliss & Dr. Taylor Thurston, NDs and Menopause Society Certified Practitioners explain the role of hormones and mental health BEYOND your hormones Tap here to watch.

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• FACT: Hormone shifts do influence our mental health--at every age and stage--increasing the risk of depression, mood swings, anxiety, and other emotional changes. I use this "pyramid" with members in the Menopause Chicks Community to help kickstart the curiousity for what could be contributing to changes in hormone health, and mental health. Hopefully it helps you jump back into the driver's seat of your "mental health bus" and feel more like yourself again. Please let me know how I can best support you. 🦋 Shirley

  
  

• From page 21 of Feel Amazing: Your invitation to rethink perimenopause, menopause & postmenopause (tap to download free e-copy)

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p.s. The National Menopause Show is back for year TWO! Let's meet up & learn on October 18 & 19 in Toronto or online everywhere! Grab your tickets early + save!

USE CODE: MCHICKS15 to save 15% until June 30, 2025!