Anxiety and Perimenopause
I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with anxiety and perimenopause. When going through all of this, do you feel that stress and anxiety are heightened?
@thoughtfulmomma I did have a lot of anxiety during perimenipause. I am in menapause now but I had a much harder time during perimenapause. It was harder for me to cope with stress at that time. How are you doing?
@adventurousBranch3786
I'm having a lot of anxiety issues. Perimenopause along with teenager issues and life issues... it's all become a heavy load for me and I just want it to be better. I'm searching for calm. I could handle any one issue, but with them all coming on at the same time, it's exhausting.
@thoughtfulmomma I'm sorry to hear that you are having to go thru all of these things at once .I wish that I could recommend something that I found helpful during my time with perimenapause. Have you found anything that helps?
@adventurousBranch3786
I pray, I meditate, I breathe, I work on being mindful. Oh, and I nap. :) I'm trying to up my soy intake for a natural way to ease hot flashes.
I have felt like I am not at all myself and my anxiety is off the charts now. Some days I feel normal and others the simplest tiny annoyance or inconvenience will seem like a huge deal. Hate this. Trying vitamin supplements to see if they help. Any ideas? Hot flashes at night are starting.
@Upkiki I had problems with perimenapause but I didn't know how to deal with it at the time. @Thoughtfulmomma mentioned some things that sound like good ideas. I am doing mindfulness and breathing exercises now for anxiety.
@thoughtfulmomma I can completely understand. Definitely, felt like I started to experience stress differently once I started menopause. I felt more easily aggitated and a lot less patient. Sounds like I was lots of fun to be around :)
What has really helped me was to rethink my self-care efforts which had been minimal to zero. Getting proper sleep (8 hours vs 5 hours) and exercising consistently were huge factors in starting to feel back to my old self. I felt guilty initially, but soon realized when I took care of myself, I was better for everyone around me.
I hope you are feeling a little better and if you want to chat about it more, that would be great!
@KindnessMatters2020
I have been trying to practice as much self-care as possible, but there's so much to worry about lately (and not just the current state of affairs) that I continually put myself second or third or fourth.
I really need a nice vacation...to a spa...where someone caters to my every whim for a solid week straight! :)
@thoughtfulmomma, oh my gosh, yes. I am terrified. I don't have health insurance. I'm poor. So I'm afraid of what medication I might need to get through this or once I go into menopause. I may just be one of those people who die from whatever comes from going through perimenopause and menopause because I can't afford the medication.
@purpleTree4652
hello. I went through this and didn't have much money so I had to change my daily habits by making sure to get enough rest, excercise, eating healthy and mediation. All this helped me a lot and also just being around positive happy people.
@purpleTree4652 Hi I had insurance but my MD refused to prescribe hormones. I did have a few rough years during perimenopause but I managed to make it thru. I hope that you will also.
@thoughtfulmomma
Sometimes it seems that even simply changing ones mind set can help so very much. Many times we as people take on so much in life. Do for others, neglect ourselves, everyone else comes first and we put ourselves as last on the list. People grow older, the body changes, new feelings, new energy levels that don't work to our advantage. And so even though all of this changes, we still hang onto the same expectations of ourselves, the same guilt for maybe not doing even more, pushing our older bodies to still do what they used to be able to do.
Sometimes it can be good to be honest with ourselves. Accept what is happening to us, learn to love ourselves more, be more patient with ourselves just in the ways that we have done for others. Being honest with others around us as well. Letting them know that things change, the body changes, we are growing older and now is our time to ask for help. Teach the younger ones around you some life skills. They will need that in the future anyway and it's a part of being a contributing member of a family. Sometimes if you are simply so honest and you have done so much in the past, people will hear you. Now can be a good time to use more of your mind and your mouth and less of your body.
It can be good to notice the strengths of others in your family, see what they are truly good at and what they gravitate more to anyway. And let them do it. "Many hands make for lite work". Let yourself off of the hook, take a nap if you need, get more sleep, eat better and worry about your diet now in the ways that you have worried about what others have been eating and making sure that they have gotten proper nutrition. Take hot baths and don't have a phone near when you do. Make sure everyone is okay before you do and lock that bathroom door. Let them know these could be some of the needful things for you now. After a while, they may really understand what you are saying. They could potentially even start offering and or insisting that you don't do certain things any more that they know they are better at anyway....lifting heavy boxes, bringing in boxes of Christmas decorations, putting up the Christmas tree for you but letting you fluff it and decorate it if that's something they aren't as good at or help you with that too.
Pace yourself, take your time, trust that you have taught others wisely and sit back and watch them rise to the occasion. I hope this was helpful and I send you *hugs* 
I like reading through these posts. I especially like sparkygizmos wise words in fact I took a screenshot of them so I can read them when needed. I have felt overwhelmed as I’ve grown older. I cannot keep up and do what I used to do. I am having a hard time accepting it I guess. I keep trying to push myself. I feel like I am having a mini breakdown sometimes. I cannot tolerate working night shifts anymore. I get crippling anxiety at times. I have started medication for it and it helps a lot. It is a struggle but I think it is helping me to know that what is happening is not me going crazier
