10 Helpful Mindfulness Ideas To Relieve Menopausal Symptoms Today
What is Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a powerful practice that teaches us how to manage stress and panic attacks and helps to keep us calmer and more in control of our emotions and our day-to-day living.
When we are mindful we are completely aware of what is going on in our immediate world. Noting our thoughts and letting go so we can handle situations more efficiently.
The benefits of practising mindfulness daily are incredibly helpful if you are suffering from any perimenopause or menopause symptoms. Research conducted over the last few years has shown that mindfulness can be used to treat anxiety and mood swings at this stage in life.
The advantage of using mindfulness as an aid for menopause symptoms is that you can practice it anytime and anywhere.
Once you understand the principles behind mindfulness you can do the practice on your own without instruction from another person. It can help in all areas of your life, has many benefits and is completely safe to do.
What are the effects of menopause on mental and emotional health?
Perimenopause and menopause can be a difficult time for many women. There are many physical and emotional issues to face that can create real problems in all areas of their lives.
A woman’s mental and emotional health can be greatly impacted by the symptoms of menopause. Physical symptoms such as;
disrupted sleeping patterns
lack of sleep
aching joints
hot flushes
headaches
palpitations
weight gain
can all have a detrimental effect on their mental and emotional well-being. There are also many mental and emotional symptoms related to menopause such as;
poor memory
lack of concentration
brain fog
anxiety
low self-esteem
panic attacks
low mood
depression.
Any of the above symptoms can be difficult to manage but when there are many lumped together, the overall effects of peri-menopause and menopause can be far-reaching for all areas of a woman’s life.
Finding a treatment that can work with all of these symptoms can be difficult. Although HRT can be used to great success for some women, it is not an alternative for everyone and indeed some women would rather use a holistic practice that doesn’t have the side effects. This is where mindfulness comes in and why it is such a powerful treatment.
10 Helpful Mindfulness Tips
1. How frequently should I Practise mindfulness
There is no set amount of time you should practice mindfulness but it is worth noting that the more you practice it the better you will become at it.
As a rule, adding mindfulness to your daily routine is a good place to start.
The more you use mindfulness, the greater the benefits will be and the more you will want to continue with this practice. Do aim to practice daily at first and build up.
2. What is the method for practising mindfulness
There is no one set way for practising mindfulness, you need to do what works for you.
Some women will prefer to go for a mindful walk, some will enjoy sitting down and focusing on a particular object. You can use breathing exercises or guided imagery as well.
The most important thing to be aware of is that you are intensely aware of what you are focusing on.
You have no judgement of the situation you are in, you are just experiencing everything in the moment and are accepting of it.
3. How to go for a mindful nature walk
To go for a mindful walk, follow these simple steps;
As you start your walk become aware of how your body feels, is it stiff, relaxed etc?
Observe how it feels to walk.
Begin to notice everything that is going on around you, sights, sounds and smells.
Begin to notice any physical sensations in your body. Is there warm sunshine hitting your body, is there a cool breeze? What do the soles of your feet feel like as they make contact with the ground?
Be open and aware of everything going on around you. You don’t need to dwell just let your focus spread over everything you are engaged with.
Notice how you are thinking and feeling as you are practising your mindful walk. Become aware of the thoughts you are having.
As well as the benefits of mindful walking for menopause symptoms, you will have the added benefits of being in the fresh air and exercising, all of which can help to ease symptoms.
4. Sitting and concentrating on your breath
Sitting and concentrating on your breath is another simple yet highly effective way to practice mindfulness. This is a good practice if you are new to mindfulness as your breath will give you an anchor to concentrate on.
Spend 5 minutes sitting daily. You can lie down if you prefer, and have your eyes opened or closed. Notice your breath as it moves in and out of your body. In through your nostrils and out through your mouth. How your belly expands and contracts as your breath comes in and out of your body.
Breathe in and out in this manner, concentrating on your breath for five minutes. This is an excellent way to relieve stress and anxiety and can be beneficial in getting a good night’s sleep.
Below is a guided breathing meditation you can use.
5. Using a mindfulness meditation app
There are many meditation apps available where you can download mindfulness and meditation exercises. They will range from 5 minutes to 1.30 hours or more. They can have music, someone talking you through the meditation, or silence, punctuated by bells at the beginning and end.
Choose one that works for you, one that resonates with you and that you enjoy listening to.
6. How mindfulness can relieve stress
Stress can be one of the biggest mental and emotional symptoms of menopause.
As your body goes through so many changes, you can begin to lose sight of who you are. You can almost become a stranger to yourself, which can cause a great amount of stress and anxiety.
Incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine can help when you feel anxiety or stress rising in your body.
The more you practice, the more these emotions will subside. As you develop the ability to be in the present moment, you can minimise the feelings of overwhelm.
7. How mindfulness can help with mood swings and hot flushes
Mood swings can be problematic not just for you but for your relationships as well. Although people around you can be understanding, it can be difficult in work situations.
Hot flushes can be embarrassing and can cause severe disruption to sleeping patterns which can exacerbate mood swings. Using mindfulness can help in both areas by reducing stress and irritability. When you focus on the moment, it can take your mind from a stressful situation. Focusing on your breathing can help to calm you down, and lower your heartbeat and blood pressure.
Although mindfulness can’t work on the physical symptoms caused by hot flushes, it can help them to be less bothersome. By concentrating on the present moment and not focusing on past or future events, you can relieve the feelings of stress associated with hot flushes.
8. How to stay in the moment in everyday life
Everyday life can be hectic and stressful at the best of times but when menopausal symptoms are added to the equation you can feel even worse.
Facing family or work pressures on a bad night’s sleep can be challenging, to say the least.
Learning to live in the moment regardless of circumstances around you can help to combat stress and anxiety. It can make your life far more manageable and make you calmer and feel more in control.
9. Making mindfulness a priority in your life
If you are suffering from menopausal symptoms it would be a good idea to in your life to make mindfulness a priority. Recent studies have shown the effectiveness of this practice.
Making sure you take care of your physical and mental well-being is important at any age in life but it is especially important at this stage when your mind and body are going through so many changes.
Incorporate a mindfulness session somewhere into your daily routine. If you are having trouble sleeping, it would be a good idea to do one before you retire to help you relax before bed.
10. Mindfulness as part of a healthier lifestyle
Imagine how much fitter everyone would be if they approached life from a holistic viewpoint.
If they realised that their physical, emotional and mental health were all interconnected and looking after one area would directly affect the others.
What you eat, and drink, how much sleep you get and what you think, affect every part of your physical and mental well-being. Incorporating mindfulness as a part of a healthier lifestyle will aid not only in menopause symptoms now but it will future-proof your health moving forward.
Final Thoughts
Adding a daily dose of mindfulness to your life will help you through perimenopause and menopause.
If you feel like your life is imploding you need to start taking some decisive action and this could be just the help you need.
The research in this field is clear - mindfulness can help to combat some of the symptoms of menopause. It's not just a new age trick but a practice backed by scientific evidence.
If you need some help in incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine, you could think about using a life coach.
Coaching can help you to understand menopause symptoms, offer you support talk you through what is happening in your body and help you devise a holistic plan to cope.
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