Category: Menopause
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Do I Really Have To Give Up Drinking?
My choice to drink less has nothing to do with “seeing the light” in terms of my health, or because I’ve managed to avoid the dangerous lure of addiction that runs through my family tree. It is not even based on the advice of my doctor – although I’m sure she would back me wholeheartedly.…
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Ageing: Is 10 More GOOD YEARS Too Much To Ask?
The thing about the ageing process is that one minute you’re cruising along feeling relatively young for your years and the next you are using hand cream. And yet, despite my lifelong battle with health anxiety, death scares me somewhat less than the journey there and the “not knowing” exactly how and when my finale…
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Here’s Why I’m Embracing The Menopause Belly
Despite eating less, dosing up on turmeric and exercising like Jane Fonda on Speed, there are many days during the month when my belly looks like I’m five-months pregnant
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7 Surprising Truths I learned From A Recent Health-Scare
Fortunately, on a scale of 1-10, my health scare was a one in terms of seriousness when compared to sufferers of terminal illnesses – especially now, as COVID compromises their treatments. And albeit invasive, my treatment was marginal in terms of discomfort. But it was scary enough to give me an insight into question we…
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There’s Nothing Wrong With Contentment
Recently, a friend of mine was dealing with a family crisis. She admitted to our group that she wasn’t coping and was struggling to do it all – support the child who was struggling, balance her carer responsibilities with her home life, and job hunt in a market that eschews the over-fifties. And when another…
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Wedding Anniversaries? Does Your Partner Still Buy You Flowers?
Mine doesn’t. Bitter, much? Well yes, if I’m completely honest. There are only so many bouquets on Instagram that you can pretend like. And I’ve been forced to accept this sad development (or downturn, which is my preferred term) in our marriage because otherwise I would be a hypocrite. For as my husband reminds me…
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Middle-Aged Women: We Need To Be More Selfish With Our Time
Have you felt really exhausted lately? I know that excessive tiredness comes with the territory of menopause and living through a pandemic, but what I’m feeling at the moment is more like a heavy weight pushing down on me, squeezing every drop of energy from my body. And I know exactly what it is –…
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Middle Age: Time To Stop Worrying About Our Bodies And Start Focusing On Our Brains
I’ve had a mixed reaction in my circle about my decision to shed a few kilos. There are those friends who have been supportive – in that they understand the need to manage my weight gain through menopause, if possible. Then there is the other “life’s too short to be miserable” camp, who don’t believe…
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The Brain Fog Caused By Menopause
Increased forgetfulness or fogginess in the brain has to be one of the most debilitating symptoms of menopause, and it comes at a time when dementia is already a terrifying prospect, particularly for those who have lost parents or older relatives to the degenerative condition. Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash Two or three…
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I won’t be getting sober anytime soon but I am “drinking smarter”
Photo from Damir Spanic on Unsplash I was a grown-up last weekend. The old man and I went on a date night to a swanky restaurant and I chose to drive. In my last post I talked about the necessity of making choices in middle age, and prior to last night, I would have looked…
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When You Don’t Feel Peopley Due To Anxiety
Mood-wise, I’ve experienced a bit of a crash over the past few weeks. That’s not unusual as you navigate menopause and anxiety, but it’s frustrating when I was about to launch myself into full holiday mode. Photo by Talles Alves on Unsplash I know stuff is serious when I’m not feeling peopley, because as a…
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Why Try Mindfulness In Middle Age? Because That’s When You Realise Just How Fucked Up The Worl
I took an introductory course in mindfulness a few weeks ago. I thought that the company of calm, spiritual people would wield its inner peace on me. But when it turned out that only my friends had signed up for the course, I realised something I already knew – that we’re all dealing with our…
Louisa Simmonds 