Everyone seems to be freaking out about how they look in them, from celebrities like the Kardashians to Courtney Cox and every day regular women.
Here's a controversial twist on perimenopause, menopause and aging: it's not the worst time in our life.
Hot flashes, changing bodies and faces and hormonal changes may be uncomfortable and yes we are entering a different time of life for us, but why does society automatically label it as the worst half of our life?
I think this second half of life is actually a mystical portal where you start to live in your soul’s purpose, and we should honor it that way.
And yet my feed is filled with midlife stories of women who are suffering in agony once reaching midlife.Dry skin, hot flashes, weight gain, moodiness, you name it, it all sounds horrible, like a train at full speed entering a dark, scary tunnel and there's no detour or way to slow it, except for maybe the magical HRT (hormone replacement therapy).
It kind of reminds me of how we approach teaching young girls about their periods in our culture. We say, “we’re on the rag,” “that time of the month,” “shark week,” “female troubles,” or “Aunt Flo.”
I read an article that said these slang terms, “actually make "that time of the month" almost bearable. Almost.” Because how could our menstruation possibly be bearable?? We are taught that we will suffer for about a week every month until it ends, and then that suffering morphs into menopause.
Entering the phase of life of perimenopause and menopause seems like a continuation of this negative societal attitude towards our naturally changing bodies.
When I was younger I read a book called, Her Blood is Gold: Awakening to the Wisdom of Menstruation by Lara Owen. It taught about the magic and power we experience each month as our bodies go through the cycles of menstruation, and how to use each wave of the cycle for a different expression of our true selves.
Similarly, menopause is a journey into a right of passage as it takes us into a new state of wisdom and spiritual awakening.
There used to be a time when women lived together in villages and the elders taught the other women about their inner clocks and how to map out their energy changes.
Rather than fight our hormonal waves, we should learn to understand what each phase represents. Sometimes we need to turn inward and find stillness, and during other phases we need to express our creativity and use our voice.
How to ride the hormonal wave with natural support:
Chasteberry (vitex) can help with night sweats and hot flashes by regulating prolactin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). This is why chasteberry is included in Queen Tulsi’s unique formula, because it helps to balance that monthly moodiness.
Zenwalks, as I like to call them, are simply going outside for a 15 -30 minute walk where you disconnect from your phone for a portion of that walk and just let your cortisol levels balance out as you walk quietly.
Meditation: I don’t have time to meditate. But I do have 8 minutes in the morning after I have my morning water and coffee and before I wake the kids up for school to sit quietly. I turned that into my meditation time. I put a gentle timer on and sit quietly so I can connect with being present in the moment.
Let me know in the comments if you have anything you’ve tried that has helped you enter this new phase of life naturally!
Love you,
Caroline
