For many lucky women the menopause can come and go without a hint of a hot flush but for a larger majority it can spell total misery.

This passing of time and a realisation that you have reached another milestone can create all sorts of mental health problems as well as the physical effects.

Feelings of ageing , loss of womanhood and feelings of worthlessness are very real for many, add to that the physical symptoms of hot flushes, memory loss, hair thinning, drying skin, and the very hard to talk about vaginal dryness it’s very easy to see how women become totally overwhelmed by it with many seeking the help of anti- depressants and Hormone Replacement Therapy to get them through.

At a time in your life when the children have left and you have more “Me Time” many feel  abandoned by their bodies and hormones and life can feel such a struggle, but could there be a tool to help you cope?

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is all about being present in the here and now.  Mindfulness means paying attention to your breathing and the sensation of how your body is feeling, from the heaviness of your hands, to the way your feet are planted on the floor, even the feeling of your hair brushing on the neck. When a thought comes into your head, you simply observe it, anchoring your body back into the here and now by paying attentions to the sensations all around you. Mindfulness can also refer to using these techniques in everyday life, observing your surroundings or situation in an observant but non-judgemental way. It’s about approaching thoughts and feelings so that we become more aware of them and react differently to them.

How can mindfulness help the menopause?

Most women will tell you that menopausal symptoms like night sweats, hot flushes and irritability feel far worse when they’re feeling stressed. Relaxation techniques and a mindful attitude can reduce symptoms of the menopause.  Simply focusing on your breathing for five minutes can have a positive effect on how you feel, calming you down, and refocusing your negative and angry thoughts that these symptoms can give you, which all heightens your stress and anxiety levels.

Making yourself aware of your physical symptoms may seem a strange way to tackle the menopause but by realising and accepting these physical feelings when they happen, like a hot flush, you are mentally allowing yourself to experience them and by doing so you are accepting that they are happening and not fighting them by trying to ignore them.

By allowing these feelings to happen the acceptance creates a mental awareness that over time and practice will give you the ability to recognise you can’t change it but you can accept it in the present moment making it feel less of an anxiety and nuisance.

Mindfulness will not stop your physical symptoms but it will give you the ability to control your own thoughts surrounding it and will give you all the tools you need to ride the storm until its over.

Don’t suffer in silence, take back the control you feel you have lost.

For more information on how Mindfulness can help you please contact 01823 232206 or email info@mindfulnessuk.com