The Power Of Self-Care During Perimenopause
- Brainz Magazine
- Oct 21, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 22, 2021
Written by: Kelly Swaby, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Quite often referred to as second puberty, Perimenopause is the transitional period before a woman reaches Menopause. It is a time when your body will experience a sequence of hormonal changes and events, which is what happens during puberty.
It is these hormonal changes and events that are often associated with many common symptoms that women describe experiencing, including those noted below:
Low mood
Fatigue
Heavy periods
Irregular periods
Painful periods
Headaches
Migraines
Weight gain
Anxiety
Depression
Sleep issues
Hot flashes/flushes
Low self-esteem
Brain fog
Lack of concentration
Forgetfulness
Trouble finding the right words
The list highlights just how significant the hormonal changes that occur are and subsequently to what degree this can impact how you may feel and think during this time.
Besides being a time of significant physiological change, it is important also to consider that the Perimenopause to Menopause transition tends to coincide with when you may find yourself juggling an array of responsibilities and circumstances. Whether that be childcare, dealing with empty nest syndrome, coming to terms with infertility, career, looking after elderly parents etc.
It can be a crazy time often promoting what was coined by Dr Libby Weaver as "The Rushing Woman Syndrome". This term describes when you can start to feel disconnected from yourself due to sheer busyness and the heightened sense of stress that comes from never allowing yourself to switch off.
Instead of stress and all this rushing around the Perimenopause is a time when the body and mind seek more rest and restorative activities. It is a time to get quiet, allowing yourself to tune into what your body and mind are asking for. Self-care holds its power during this critical transitional period in a woman's life. It can play an active role in allowing you to move away from the Rushing Woman Syndrome and switch off, so what is Self-Care?
The Self-Care forum describes self-care as (1):
"The actions that individuals take for themselves, on behalf of and with others to develop, protect, maintain and improve their health, well-being or wellness."
Essentially self-care is all about ensuring you find the time to take care of yourself and your needs. As the famous proverb goes, "You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first".
The Perimenopause to Menopause transition is a critical window for women's health.The last thing a woman's body and mind needs is to be running on empty, constantly activating the sympathetic nervous system, aka fight or flight. Therefore, it makes sense for self-care to play a vital role in your life during this time.
Self-care has so many health and wellness benefits, including a number related to symptoms that you can experience during Perimenopause:
Reduces stress and anxiety by promoting the body's parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging a calm state (2).
It supports your mental health as it promotes relaxation.
It helps you manage daily stressors such as the commute to work, long working hours, challenging meetings, family issues etc.
Improves immunity through its ability to reduce the physiological impact of stress on the body (3).
Improves physical health
Promotes sleep, something that can be negatively impacted during this time.
Increases self-esteem - Studies have shown a correlation between self-care activities and increases in self-esteem (4).
The great thing about self-care is that it comes in several different forms, making finding what works for you easier. Another critical point about self-care is that it does not need to be overcomplicated. Below depicts some examples of self-care practices that can do wonders to your body and mind as you navigate the perimenopausal years:
Be Mindful: Practice mindful breathwork before you start your day. This activity is excellent at promoting a sense of calm and rest.
Fuel your body on waking: Eat a healthy, protein-rich breakfast to energise the body and mind. Doing so will also reduce the likelihood of you reaching for those sugary snacks.
Take a break: To avoid being in forever busy mode, schedule regular break intervals into your day.
Utilise the power of nature: nature comes with a whole host of health benefits. Just spending 10 minutes a day outdoors can help boost your mood (6).
Practice Gratitude: At the start or end of each day, make a gratitude list. The science of gratitude comes with an array of restorative health benefits.
Journal Away: Journaling helps get racing and worrying thoughts out of your mind and onto paper, where often they don't feel so overwhelming.
Get moving: Restorative practices such as Yoga and Pilates are brilliant forms of movement that can undoubtedly do wonders when it comes to calming the nervous system.
Hydrate- As we get older, our bodies do not retain as much water compared to our younger years. Every chemical reaction that happens within the brain needs water, including energy production. As promoting our cognitive health is crucial, keeping hydrated is a great self-care practice that can help mitigate cognitive symptoms.
Boost your sleep hygiene routine: getting a good night sleep is vital to your health and well-being, so having self-care activities that promote this is beneficial, e.g. going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time each day.
In summary, Perimenopause can be a challenging time in a woman's life; and it is multifaceted, meaning several factors contribute to this. However, thankfully Self-care practices have the power to support you in mitigating these challenges, tapping into what your body and mind truly need.
Kelly Swaby, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kelly Swaby is a Health and Life Coach who specialises in supporting women with their menstrual health and peri-menopause / menopause transition. After years of struggling to get her voice heard when it came to her own health, finally, she was diagnosed with Endometriosis. At 35 she found her physical and mental health in tatters thanks to a combination of living with Endometriosis, facing infertility and not being very kind to herself. She has since been on a journey of self-discovery when it comes to her health and wellness and now dedicates her life to helping other women feel their best selves. She provides coaching services and online education resources that empower women to be their own health advocates. Her mission: To ensure women's health is no longer a taboo subject and is instead something that is supported and celebrated.
References:
Self-care Forum “What do we mean by self-care and why is it good for people?”
Pilkington, K and Wieland, L.S, (2020) “Self-care for anxiety and depression: a comparison of evidence from Cochrane reviews and practice to inform decision-making and priority-setting”
Segerstrom, S.C and Miller, G.E, (2004) “Psychological stress and the human immune system: A meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry”
Bagheri- Nanami, M, Goudarzian, A.H, Jouybari, S.S, Nasiri, D, (2016) “Association between self-care behaviours and self-esteem of rural elderly; necessity of health promotion”
