Transcript

Hello, hello, and welcome back to the Hormone Hub. In today’s episode, we are focusing on a topic that’s often overlooked and it’s critically important, and [00:01:00] this is the mental health impact of menopause and how it impacts us at work and in the workplace. So I’m your host, Kylie Pinwill, and today, yeah we just wanna have a look at some of the mental health challenges that are faced by business owners, by entrepreneurs, by professional women, you know, during their forties and fifties.

And we’re gonna give you some strategies for coping and, you know, for maintaining your mental wellbeing. So let’s dive in. Now many women are aware of the physical symptoms of menopause, so things like, you know, hot flushes, night sweats, but the impact it has on mental health is often overlooked. Now, today, I’m gonna shed some light on some of the mental health challenges that women may be facing during this, you know, period of life.

So the hormone, the hormonal changes that we experience during perimenopause and menopause can affect our brain [00:02:00] chemistry. And this sort of has a knock on effect to emotional and cognitive symptoms. So we might be experiencing mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, we might be having difficulty concentrating, you know, memory lapses are really common. Now these symptoms can be really distressing and you know, can impact our overall wellbeing, you know, both at home and also in our working and in our professional life. And I think it’s important to recognize that these symptoms are valid. You know, it’s not just a result of stress or not coping or you know, aging.

It is actually a physiological change that we go through as those levels of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone are fluctuating in the background and then, you know, eventually declining as we go through perimenopause and into menopause. All right. So what are some of the coping strategies that, you know, business women can [00:03:00] implement to support their mental health during this, this transition, you know, through life?

So here are some practical strategies to help you just cope with the mental health side. So first up, I think it’s really important to prioritize self care. Okay. And I think we need to, you know, stop sort of thinking of self-care as being, you know, a bubble bath or going off for a massage. So self-care needs to become non-negotiable.

It includes, you know, regular exercise, moving your body in a way that feels good. Getting enough sleep. So working on, you know, a sleep plan if sleep is challenging for you, of how you can have like deep restorative sleep every single night. Eating a healthy diet kind of is really important, you know, making sure you’re getting the right balance of nutrients, the right foundations, this is gonna support your blood sugar and in turn, it’s gonna support your energy levels and also your moods. And [00:04:00] I think another part of self-care is engaging in activities that bring you joy, that light you up, that get you excited, and also you find relaxing.

You know, whether that, I don’t know, painting, whether it’s, I’ve been doing pottery, which I’ve really enjoyed. Whatever that looks like for you. I think it’s important to bring that in and it’s amazing how many women have forgotten that there’s things out there that they enjoy doing for themselves.

So it’s really important to, to bring that into your life. Okay, so the second sort of strategy is get support, okay? So don’t be afraid to reach out, talk to trusted friends, talk to other business owners if you own a a business, talk to colleagues, talk to a counselor or a therapist about how you’re feeling and what you’re going through.

And, you know, having someone to share your thoughts, share your emotions can be really, you know, helpful. And, you know, as that old saying goes, A problem shared is a, a problem [00:05:00] halved. I had to think about that for a sec. But just, you know, and it kind of normalizes it too because then you’ll find out that hey, actually you are not the only one going through this as well.

 Number three is practice your stress management techniques. So just the nature of where we’re at in life right now is stressful. You know, we’ve got young children, teenage children, young adult children who, you know, still need us. We have parents who are getting older and their needs are changing. We are still, you know, trying to run a business or, you know, keep our job going or, you know, what do we need to function every day?

So this is where, you know, when we’re in start incorporating stress management techniques into our daily routine, it can really help support our mental health. So again, you know, exercise, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, getting out in nature, you know, just taking your shoes off and putting your bare feet on [00:06:00] the grass, going for a swim, you know, outdoors, you know, being under trees, listening to birds sing. It can all help for sure. 

Number four is educate yourself. So the more you can learn about perimenopause, menopause, the transition that you’re going through, this can help sort of normalize your experience, you know, it can reduce the anxiety around what’s going on and the worry about the changes that are happening in our body and also our mind.

And it also then has a knock on effect. It can then empower you to make informed choices for your own health because, you know, the more you know, the more you know, right? And number five, that sort of leads on to number five, is being able to make informed choices, like if you understand what’s going on with your body, if you understand the treatment options available to you, you can then make an informed choice about what feels right for you.

 For [00:07:00] some women it might be that hormone replacement therapy feels right for them, and that’s okay. You know, and this is certainly a very viable option these days of ways for supporting your physical and mental health. And, you know, hormone replacement therapy is very different to what was available 20 years ago.

So we’ve got bioidentical hormones, we’ve got, you know, that come in a very low dose and when they come in a very low dose, it also means it’s very low risk. But definitely, you know, talk to your healthcare provider to just determine if that’s a, a right next step for you. 

Uh, number six is practicing cognitive behavioral techniques.

 This is sort of where we can like, identify challenging thoughts, negative beliefs, you know, if we’re stuck in that thought process, write down on a piece of paper all the things that are worrying for you. All the things, all the concerns you have, all the things that are creating an anxiety for you, get it out on paper. And just by sort of doing like a mental brain dump, getting it out of your head onto paper can be really powerful because then you can actually then look at things and go, okay,[00:09:00] what would the worst thing be if that bad thing was to happen?

And you know, and then you can not, uh, down-regulate, but you can kind of then come up with a strategy and go, actually all that, you know, I’m worried about that, but actually if that happened, it wouldn’t be so bad because then I’d be able to do this and that. Hopefully that makes sense to you. But yeah, but just identifying those sort of negative thoughts or those beliefs can help manage, you know, mood swings, definitely help you manage anxiety.

And you know that low mood and depression as well. And number seven, I think it’s really important to prioritize healthy boundaries. And I think when we set healthy boundaries, both in our personal and also in our professional life, it really helps us by communicating our needs and our limitations.

So if we are not up for that, if we, you know, just don’t have the energy to do that, you know, can we delegate? Can we, you know, outsource? Does it actually need to happen? [00:10:00] But I think when we get clear on what our boundaries are, you know, we are able to set limitations, you know, and again, it’s empowering because we’re, we’re protecting ourself.

We’re protecting our own mental wellbeing, we’re protecting our own energy, you know, so it’s okay to delegate. It’s okay to say no when necessary, as well. All right, so I think it’s important to remember that, you know, perimenopause, menopause, it’s a natural phase of life and it’s okay to prioritize your wellbeing during this time.

So be kind to yourself. Practice self-compassion. Reach out for help when you, you know, and support when it’s needed. And remember, you know, you are not alone. There’s lots of resources available to help you navigate this journey. You know, we certainly have plenty of podcast episodes. We have like lots of blog, blog posts on our website and you know, this is a very big part of what we do inside the Well Balanced Woman program.

[00:11:00] So yeah, if you are looking for extra support, please do reach out. That’s what we are here for. Alright ladies, I hope this episode was helpful and I will talk to you very soon.