Menopause and Anxiety
Anxiety can spiral out of control in perimenopause, menopause-onset anxiety is very common and can be one of the most difficult symptoms for us to cope with during this time of transition. Just knowing that it is common and that you are not alone can be immensely comforting, and being able to talk openly about your anxiety can be very therapeutic. Anxiety is like a build-up of pressure in our minds. It is stating the obvious, but to alleviate this pressure we need to vent the anxiety and prevent it spiraling out of control.
How it feels...many of us suddenly feel unable to cope with situations that were never a problem before. We feel overwhelmed by simple aspects of day-to-day living. This can be frightening and undermine our confidence and we may even assume that we are slowly going mad.
How it starts: Some psychological symptoms may be related to physical changes brought on by the rebalancing of our hormones. Falling oestrogen levels can make you feel emotional, dehydration caused by sweats and hot flushes can cause panicky feelings and the very common memory lapses can make you feel anxious that you are ‘losing it’, losing your memory and losing control.
So for many women experiencing anxiety in these years, tackling physical symptoms can be the first course of action towards alleviating some psychological symptoms.Start looking at your symptoms one by one and how you can address them...for example a common one is night sweats which leads to a bad nights sleep which heightens anxiety. If you start to work on the night sweats it will have a downward effect on the anxiety...increase phytoestrogens in your diet, reduce caffeine, drink more water, keep your bedroom window open and a shower last thing at night are all helpful for night sweats.
How it feels...many of us suddenly feel unable to cope with situations that were never a problem before. We feel overwhelmed by simple aspects of day-to-day living. This can be frightening and undermine our confidence and we may even assume that we are slowly going mad.
How it starts: Some psychological symptoms may be related to physical changes brought on by the rebalancing of our hormones. Falling oestrogen levels can make you feel emotional, dehydration caused by sweats and hot flushes can cause panicky feelings and the very common memory lapses can make you feel anxious that you are ‘losing it’, losing your memory and losing control.
So for many women experiencing anxiety in these years, tackling physical symptoms can be the first course of action towards alleviating some psychological symptoms.Start looking at your symptoms one by one and how you can address them...for example a common one is night sweats which leads to a bad nights sleep which heightens anxiety. If you start to work on the night sweats it will have a downward effect on the anxiety...increase phytoestrogens in your diet, reduce caffeine, drink more water, keep your bedroom window open and a shower last thing at night are all helpful for night sweats.