Am I crazy or is this menopause?

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Kim Morton, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

So what if I feel out of control, it is JUST my hormones.

Kim Morton, personal life coach

What or whom has taken over my life and my body? Am I really going crazy? This is a question I have asked myself many times as I reached my 40’s and still wonder who in my mid 50’s, who is really in control of my body?

Sometimes it feels as if a small gremlin has entered my body at night and played havoc with me. I wake up feeling muscle weary, joints aching, and with fuzzy thinking. After I have moved around for awhile my body begins to feel like my own again, except for the new ache in my “whatever”. This uncomfortable visitor may remain for a day, a week or longer but does seem to move on in its own time though I never feel quite the same after that visitation.

Some days I’m calm and peaceful, others anxious and irritated and sometimes full of joy and energy and then sad, gloomy and tired. Just who am I?

I have heard experts say that going through mid-life hormone changes (peri-menopause, menopause and testo-pause: for men) is like going through puberty again. Just because the hormones are going from full steam ahead to a near stop instead of the opposite doesn’t mean that there isn’t as much turmoil mentally and physically. Of course, our infinite life wisdom and decades of living in our body prepare us for these changes, right?
Hardly, but how do we cope with this newly emerging person who we barely know anymore?

Changes in our hormones can cause or activate a gigantic list of uncomfortable body changes: migraines, joint pain, higher blood pressure, sleeplessness, body temperature changes, mood swings, anxiety, paranoia, weight gain, heart palpitations, changes in the skin and hair and the list goes on and on. Every one of us will manifest these changes in different ways.

* You are not going crazy
* We are all different in our symptoms and also the solutions
* You are not alone, there is help out there
* Hormones are not an excuse for being out of sorts but an opportunity to become better educated about your emotions

* There are simple solutions besides hormone replacement therapy
* This is the time of life to recreates ourselves and it is important to be an active participant in this process
* We can age with grace
* Practicing extreme self care is imperative

Because we are all different there is not a “one size fits all” remedy. I have found help and relief from a series of medical people both traditional and naturopathic. Acupuncture, Rolfing, Massage and Yoga have also lessoned the symptoms. Diet, exercise, practicing honesty with myself and others, laughing, spending time with friends and having quality time for myself has been important. Make sure that you create a support system that nurtures and educates you as you tumble through these changes.

Many practitioners, including me, believe that this time in your life can be one full of creativity, wisdom and joy. So taking care of yourself, accepting the change and asking for help with some of the symptoms is a great path through menopause and peri-menopause