Stress management
Midlife tends to be stressful; menopause can make things
worse. Our society tends to encourage the use of various ‘chemical
crutches’ to manage stress and mood swings, most of which have undesirable
side-effects in the medium or long term. They may also exacerbate some
of the physical signs of menopause, like hot flushes; it is worth looking
at your own patterns to see whether this is so for you. If you want to
explore evidence and solutions, see websites on:
- women and alcohol
- smoking, either the NHS site Giving
up smoking or
Quit, the UK charity site.
- drugs, whether ‘street’
or prescribed
There are, however, alternatives to ‘chemical crutches’, and
menopause can be a good time to develop and start to use new ways to look
after yourself in stressful situations.
Relaxation
One important strategy is to cultivate a method of physical
and mental relaxation. Many people use the word relaxation to mean something
like sprawling on the sofa in front of the TV. Specific relaxation methods,
however, refer to something very different – a disciplined pattern
of behaviour which will still the mind and body and allow it to recover
from the ‘fight or flight’ reaction that is our inbuilt physical
response to all kinds of threat. It is important to find a method of
relaxation
that is comfortable for you. The BBC and Channel4 websites
provide both more information and detailed methods for you to experiment.
You could also start with some really simple breathing:
Get comfortable (take your time over this); then breathe out, pause, and let your breath come in when you feel ready; pause again, and breathe out. Try this for, say 6-10 times, and then let your breathing return to normal. The idea is that the pauses allow a sense of space within to grow – and the new pattern of breathing requires you to concentrate on that and nothing else. And it has the advantage that you can do it anywhere – on the bus, in a lift, at your desk, in the kitchen…
Some people prefer to use a tape to have someone talk them through
the process. Tapes and background information based on the physical
processes
of stress and relaxation were developed by the charity ‘Relaxation
for Living’ and are available through their website.
There are also methods which are attached to ancient or modern physical
and spiritual disciplines, for example:
- Five
Rhythms Dance
- Tai Chi
- Transcendental
Meditation
- Yoga
Massage and Aromatherapy
These are independent but linked ways to foster relaxation.
Partners and friends can give one another massages, and aromatherapy
oils
can now be bought in a number of retail outlets, for use in burners,
in baths, or for home massage. Alternatively, women can pay a professionally
trained masseuse or aromatherapist. Both massage and aromatherapy have
a wider therapeutic function than promoting relaxation; for more on
aromatherapy,
see the International Federation of
Aromatherapists' website.
You and your feelings |
