Are you over 40 and in generally good health? You may be surprised, but anxiety can increase with age, especially for women heading into menopause. You’d be surprised who many patients I treat feel anxious, just like you.
About 23% of peri-menopause and menopausal people experience anxiety. It’s so important that you get support now before anxiety takes over your life. Most people think of menopause as hot flashes, night sweats, and weight gain. Yes, those are the most commonly discussed symptoms, but anxiety needs to be highlighted as well.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to feel find relief and feel better today.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety can happen to anyone. Everyone feels may experience it differently. Often a feeling of unease, restlessness, the tension in the body, fear, and even shortness of breath can occur. Other symptoms include sweating, shivering, nausea, diarrhea, chest pains, and high heart rate. While these are all common symptoms, severe anxiety may also include depression, digestive problems, sleeplessness, and chronic pain. Whether you experience mild or more severe symptoms, there are things you can do to feel better.
Menopause and Anxiety
Menopause is a hormonal, life-changing process that some people can find miserable. During menopause, your estrogen and progesterone levels decrease, resulting in unpredictable emotions with the hormonal shifts. You may experience several instances of mood swings. Some women reportedly experienced depression and irritability, but it is essential to know that hormonal shifts aren’t the sole cause for your anxiety.
For some women, moving from childbearing years to not can create a sense of loss. That loss can be exacerbated if the past was fraught with fertility challenges. Menopause can often be a taboo topic not easily shared or discussed. People don’t openly talk about menopause, even with their family or friends. Feeling lonely during menopause can worsen anxiety. In short, while hormonal shifts can contribute to your anxieties, it is not the sole contributor.
So, what can you do about it?
Tip#1: Therapy
Talking to a professional is probably the best solution as they are the ones that understand what you are going through and can guide you through your experience. Talk to your doctor or find a therapist. I find Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to be the most effective treatment as it trains you to be in control of your reaction to stress that may be triggering your anxiety. It gives you strategies to redirect the anxious feelings before they overwhelm you. This is a treatment strategy that focuses on changing your way of thinking. This can improve your coping skills and reduce the impact of all your anxieties in your life.
Tip#2: Paced Breathing (4/7/8 breath)
Paced breathing is an easy technique that everyone can use. You can practice it anywhere and anytime. It helps alleviate your anxieties by letting your mind enter a sense of peace and be calmer afterward.
Here are the following steps that can help you quickly follow this simple exercise:
- Close your eyes
- Relax your shoulders.
- Breathe in deeply for 4 seconds through your nose, and watch your abdomen and chest rise.
- Hold your breath for 7 seconds.
- Slowly exhale, through your mouth, for 8 seconds
- Repeat for 3-5 rounds
This technique will engage the parasympathetic nervous system which will tell your body you are safe.
There are a million different breathing exercises out there. If you don’t like this one, find one that works for you. I like to do this one and then repeat a calming mantra. Play around and see what works best for you. Once you have mastered a technique, you will feel the difference.
Tip#3: Watch your diet
The gut-brain connection is something that is not often thought of when it comes to anxiety. What you eat can cause you to feel anxious, happy, depressed, or even irritable.
Some of the common foods to avoid are diet sodas, caffeine, processed sugary foods/drinks, alcohol, and even gluten or dairy. Everybody is different. What I often suggest is to keep a food/mood log for a couple of weeks. When you’re feeling anxious, ask yourself, what did I eat today or even yesterday. You’ll need to be a detective and figure out which foods are your triggers as they vary for everyone. Once you’ve found your triggers, avoid them. Do a cleanse by taking the trigger foods out of your diet for 21 days. Then add in one trigger food for a day and see how you feel. There may be some foods that you can enjoy only sometimes and others you may need to eliminate altogether. A great book you may want to read is “This is Your Brain on Food.”
Tip#4: Digital Detox
Anxious thoughts can be triggered by distressing news, especially in the morning or right before you sleep. As much as possible, avoid checking your social media accounts since it’s the most common source of stressful information, especially when you’re about to start or end your day. Resist the temptation to check your phone in the bedroom by moving it to another room when you’re about to sleep or by using an old-fashioned alarm clock. If you must use your phone as an alarm, always put it in airplane mode. The EMF signals from your phone and other electronics in the bedroom can disrupt your sleep. And sleep is essential for helping reduce anxiety.
You can do this.
I know first hand how hard it can be in menopause. I want you to know that I challenged the assumptions when it came to menopause. I didn’t accept that life wasn’t going to be fun anymore so I created a plan that helped me and now I can help you. Want some support? Make an appointment and let’s chat. Or you can do my program. The next live coaching program starts on November 7th. Registration ends October 31st. Hope you can join me. http://healthcoachdonna.com/menopausereset
Sources:
https://blog.lisahealth.com/blog/2020/6/3/menopause-and-anxiety
