So beautifully written, thank you. The "shift" does indeed come for us, but I think so many of us aren't prepared to recognize it until we are a sleepless, brain foggy mess. The most challenging thing about perimenopause for me thus far has been the uncertainty of how many years it will last. As my periods become more wobbly, I know I'm heading closer to menopause. But how much closer remains an unsolvable puzzle. Prioritizing sleep, nutrition, movement, tracking cycles and of course remembering the extend grace to myself (and others) has all helped me manage this shift. I'd like to believe that perimenopause and menopause offer a time for women not only to turn inward, but also to thrive.
Thank you for entering into this conversation Susan! I totally agree. Women in their 30's are not prepared for the "shift". And worse, have no idea that there is a "shift". The majority of women think that menopause is it and it happens late 40's early 50's and that's it. You just stop having periods and maybe you get hot flashes, but that's all there is to it. And this is just not the case for I would guess 90% of women?
I also agree with you on the challenging part being the uncertainty of how long until periods become so erratic that I skip 1 and then have 3 and then skip 3 and have 1 etc. Now that I have learned so much about the cyclic nature of my body, I have really started to enjoy it's predictability even if my periods are as you put it "wobbly". I am still having them every month.
Not knowing when it is coming, the year of menopause, is a bit unnerving.
That is great that you are taking such good care of yourself in the perimenopause phase.
I agree that perimenopause and menopause offers us a time to thrive. I think it is a rite of passage that is to be celebrated. Perimenopause is preparing us for post-menopause in that we are practicing a grounding now that will serve us in our Winter phase of life. The work that we do now, the practice that we keep now, the healthy things we integrate now will set us up for later. I have heard women in postmenopause say that they feel like they are 10 years old again. That free feeling that was in our childhood before puberty brought the hormone rollercoaster. And no longer ovulating also brings a freedom from performing or being in the male gaze that is just the biological nature of it.
This is all uncharted territory but I'm glad to see there are stories being told and books being written about menopause and I hope that we get our hands on those so that we can be better prepared for that too.
So beautifully written, thank you. The "shift" does indeed come for us, but I think so many of us aren't prepared to recognize it until we are a sleepless, brain foggy mess. The most challenging thing about perimenopause for me thus far has been the uncertainty of how many years it will last. As my periods become more wobbly, I know I'm heading closer to menopause. But how much closer remains an unsolvable puzzle. Prioritizing sleep, nutrition, movement, tracking cycles and of course remembering the extend grace to myself (and others) has all helped me manage this shift. I'd like to believe that perimenopause and menopause offer a time for women not only to turn inward, but also to thrive.
Thank you for entering into this conversation Susan! I totally agree. Women in their 30's are not prepared for the "shift". And worse, have no idea that there is a "shift". The majority of women think that menopause is it and it happens late 40's early 50's and that's it. You just stop having periods and maybe you get hot flashes, but that's all there is to it. And this is just not the case for I would guess 90% of women?
I also agree with you on the challenging part being the uncertainty of how long until periods become so erratic that I skip 1 and then have 3 and then skip 3 and have 1 etc. Now that I have learned so much about the cyclic nature of my body, I have really started to enjoy it's predictability even if my periods are as you put it "wobbly". I am still having them every month.
Not knowing when it is coming, the year of menopause, is a bit unnerving.
That is great that you are taking such good care of yourself in the perimenopause phase.
I agree that perimenopause and menopause offers us a time to thrive. I think it is a rite of passage that is to be celebrated. Perimenopause is preparing us for post-menopause in that we are practicing a grounding now that will serve us in our Winter phase of life. The work that we do now, the practice that we keep now, the healthy things we integrate now will set us up for later. I have heard women in postmenopause say that they feel like they are 10 years old again. That free feeling that was in our childhood before puberty brought the hormone rollercoaster. And no longer ovulating also brings a freedom from performing or being in the male gaze that is just the biological nature of it.
This is all uncharted territory but I'm glad to see there are stories being told and books being written about menopause and I hope that we get our hands on those so that we can be better prepared for that too.