Menopause Support Group
Menopause is the physiological cessation of menstrual cycles associated with advancing age. It normally occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55, when the body begins to slow and stop the production of eggs, estrogen and progesterone production decreases, and menstruation diminishes, eventually stopping altogether.
This is a prologue to my last entry under the subject "Preparing for the Bouts in between the Bouts". In it, I touched on how important it is for us to spend the time that we have when we're feeling Normal, doing things to lift our spirits and make and keep us happy. This is important because the Bad Times are, at least for me, SO BAD that I can't feel or even perceive anything good until the Bad Time is over. During my last Bout, I sat in the yard and sobbed for hours, and it didn't matter how many butterflies were fluttering by, nor how many birds were chirping, I was incapable of feeling anything but AWFUL.
But now, I feel Normal, so I am going to do whatever I can to feel Happy, experience laughter, fun, joy, satisfaction, etc. so that I know that there's more to this phase of my life than the miseries of menopause.
Here is my list of Things To Do To Make Myself Happy:
1) Go spend the day at the mall with my 15 yr-old.
2) Go to a bookstore, browse, read, maybe make a purchase, then eat lunch out.
3) Get a massage!
4) Put on some music and sing along (my daughter can use her earbuds to drown out what I listen to)
5) Drop into that expensive chocolate shop and treat myself to one or two pieces. (Take them to a table, sit down, and concentrate on the flavors and textures of each piece).
6) Go to a craft or yarn store (this is dangerous!)
7) Grab my watercolors and find a spot in the park.
8) Bury my face in the cat and get her all purry.
9) Go through all the funny YouTubes that friends have sent me;
send some of them to other friends.
10) Catch a matinee of that movie that neither my husband nor my kid want to see, but I do. Extra points if I can find someone else to go with.
Notice that most of my things require getting my butt out of the house? I almost always feel better if I can do just that.
So what's on YOUR list?
But now, I feel Normal, so I am going to do whatever I can to feel Happy, experience laughter, fun, joy, satisfaction, etc. so that I know that there's more to this phase of my life than the miseries of menopause.
Here is my list of Things To Do To Make Myself Happy:
1) Go spend the day at the mall with my 15 yr-old.
2) Go to a bookstore, browse, read, maybe make a purchase, then eat lunch out.
3) Get a massage!
4) Put on some music and sing along (my daughter can use her earbuds to drown out what I listen to)
5) Drop into that expensive chocolate shop and treat myself to one or two pieces. (Take them to a table, sit down, and concentrate on the flavors and textures of each piece).
6) Go to a craft or yarn store (this is dangerous!)
7) Grab my watercolors and find a spot in the park.
8) Bury my face in the cat and get her all purry.
9) Go through all the funny YouTubes that friends have sent me;
send some of them to other friends.
10) Catch a matinee of that movie that neither my husband nor my kid want to see, but I do. Extra points if I can find someone else to go with.
Notice that most of my things require getting my butt out of the house? I almost always feel better if I can do just that.
So what's on YOUR list?
I enjoy being in the garden, playing with the new puppy, going out to eat (and if nobody is around to go with me I go by myself and enjoy it) also I like to go bargain hunting at local thrift stores.
I say do what you have to do, but make sure that you take some time to do something that you enjoy, even if it is just laying on the couch reading a book, watching a movie on netflix or whatever makes you feel better, a nap is a good thing too.
We all need to learn to love ourselves and not trying to keep up with whatever is shown on tv or magazines, that stuff can make a menopausal woman even more depressed and cranky.
Peace and Love.