My own pre-menopause blip: 3 things you can do
To every peri-menopausal woman I see you, I hear you, I feel you.
Recently I had a particularly unpleasant bout of menopausal symptoms which hung around for over a month. Overwhelming exhaustion and a yucky headachey nauseous state. I'd had it before but never for as long.
I knew there was a shift happening and to enable it with less discomfort I had to get really really quiet, tune in and journal my heart out
You see pre-menopause is a big shift of everything that isn't serving you physically and emotionally often over a 10 yr period and in phases. We are cyclic beings after all!
And the end of pre-menopause ( typically 52) is similar to when you reach 18 in adolescence - there's no 'currency in the bank’ if you haven’t been engaging in immaculate self-care and rest.
A huge stash of nutrients have been needed which might not have even been there to start with plus there’s a big detox underway (hormones highlight our toxic load) - hence the acne in adolescence and hot flushes in menopause.
Radical rest and immaculate self-care are essential.
If now is your time to seek help, click on this link and discover everything you need to know about my menopause package here.
What had happened? I'll admit I was confused.
My healthy habits were at an all-time high!
Last year I'd overcome my biggest nemesis - comfort eating with sugar and chocolateI More on that in another email.
It didn't make sense. I'd always blamed my sugar and chocolate cravings for any symptom I've ever had!!
Yes a little on the narrow-minded side I know. See limiting belief no.2 further down!
There are actually 5 areas (I've identified) to consider in any health issue not just diet:
Family history
Environment
Diet
Lifestyle
Emotional trauma
So first of all what were my limiting beliefs?
(this is the most important 1st step in any healing process as they come with toxic emotions such as fear and shame)
1. I needed to be fit and well ALL of the time or I shouldn't be helping others with their health
2. Every health symptom is the result of eating the 'wrong' diet, in my case too much sugar + chocolate. Admittedly they don't help in excess but there's more to it. See below.*
Fortunately my coach, Korinne Le Page had a different view and helped me break out of this destructive shame cycle using a great analogy. She said; "so what you're saying is, if a mechanic has a car, it can’t break down."
I nearly fell on the floor laughing at the preposterousness of it. A lightbulb went off. "Well if you put it like that, I better start giving myself a break" and I set about changing that negative belief.
*note: Yes we can eat too much of certain foods which can cause a negative effect but a more useful question is why are we?
We're doing it to try to 'numb' out from certain feelings, to feel better
It's not the food that's the problem then is it? Food just is.
We need to take a closer look at ourselves in that moment and let go of our limiting beliefs and adopt habits which are self-loving and self-kind then dietary change is easy.
This is the work I do and which I still do on myself each and every day to keep on track so if you're keen to knock unhealthy habits on the head, get in touch.
Limiting beliefs cause stress which is a discordance between your inner self and outer self leading to dis-ease
Acknowledging them can help us free up our stress, heal quicker and be more compassionate, empathetic and authentic as human beings
So what were the 3 physical things I did?
1. I started drinking more water.
It was crazy, I always thought I drank enough but when I took the time to measure it out, I realised my 'sippy' water bottles were not quite the same as downing a large glass of warm water (3/4 pint) so I wasn't reaching my recommended 2L.
Now I drink 2.5L a day, not just 2L as I usually recommend.
Please don't drink more than 1L in 1hr. I don't want you flooding your kidneys thank you very much. And don't ask me how men can drink pint after pint in the pub.. I've no idea, other than they spend a lot of time in the loo!!
2. Breath-work - sounds simple but the difference was the depth to which I now breathe (right into the diaphragm) sometimes stopping at the top of the inhale for a moment and exhaling slowly and doing this much more frequently throughout the day.
Breathing is physically and emotionally detoxifying which decreases stress and brings you back to the present instantly. I hadn't realised how much I was holding my breath in the day keeping my stress in.
3. Fierce commitment to my intuition. Your intuition isn't necessarily an inner voice. For me it's more like an inner prompt. I just know. In any moment I just know what to do, how many potatoes to cook, where to go for a walk, who to call etc.
If the answer isn't there instantly, I let it go and trust it will come later usually when I've distracted myself or slept on it. Result = a significant decrease in stress. No more second guessing myself! I give myself up to a higher power, my intuition ( my source, inner being, my innate wisdom, whatever you want to call it). Life is so much easier this way I PROMISE.
You’re no longer looking outside yourself for answers or validation. It’s a wonderful, liberating, empowering feeling.
This is also the work I do. In-peeling the layers that disconnect you from your intuition, that stop you living your life authentically.
So why do we need more water?
2 reasons:
1. ALL hormonal change requires a big physical shift and being nearly 80% fluid, we need more at this time. Don't forget adolescence and pregnancy are hormonal shifts too.
2. Natural Universal and planetary change. We are now in the Photon Belt (occurs for 2,000 years every 11,000 yrs). This is a natural phenomenon causing a huge shedding of light onto the planet which raises the planet's vibration and ours too. Any shift requires excellent hydration, nutrition and other aspects of self-care such as time in nature and meditation.
This shift is also why we are experiencing such tremendous advances in technology and other innovation but also experiencing tremendous upheaval in our personal lives and in the world.
If you’re feeling the pull, Get in touch.
Big hug
Sophie xox