Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Guest Author
Published: May 9, 2018
Contributed by Brooke Faulkner- Guest Contributor
Menopause can seem like a betrayal of the body. After decades of getting used to the first round of puberty, this second major change in the body can cause stress and discomfort. Of course, menopause is not at all a betrayal, but a transition from one phase of life to another. The body goes through menopause when it is done trying to have children, and though it may be a relief to stop needing to worry about birth control and periods, the transition is not easy.
One natural way to deal with the mental processing and to reduce stress is to try mediation. The Huffington Post reported that meditation can help ease the symptoms of menopause due to the stressful nature of menopause. The many benefits of mediation can indeed be helpful to women going through perimenopause and menopause, not only in treating direct symptoms, but also in managing other potential issues they may be going through at the same time.
Menopause, Estrogen, and Cortisol
During menopause, the body reduces its production of estrogen, which can result in physical changes of the body. Symptoms differ woman to woman, but can include less hair on the head, more hair on the face, weight gain, hot flashes, and more. These changes can be difficult to go through for some women, and may cause a lot of stress, or the production of the hormone cortisol.
One way meditation can help you through these changes is by lowering your stress levels. The article by the Huffington Post stated that an increased heart rate can also release stress-inducing hormones. Since one of the purposes of meditation is to reduce your heart rate, it naturally lowers stress levels.
Another benefit of meditation is that it can help you accept the physical changes going on with your body. By clearing your mind, focusing on your breathing, and becoming more aware of your body, you can reduce your mental worries. You can also focus on accepting the changes you are going through by coming up with a few phrases to chant in your mind. You can try the following:
- These changes are natural
- Everyone goes through them
- They make me a stronger woman
- I am beautiful
For the last one, you can pick a few of your favorite characteristics about yourself to focus on. They can be about your personality if you choose, but if you are struggling with your physical appearance, make sure to include a few positive remarks about your looks as well. Try to add on to the list every time you meditate.
Meditation and Mental Health
The changes you go through might go even further to have affect your mental health. It is common for women to experience anxiety or depression during menopause, that can also be caused by hormonal fluctuations or physical changes.
Meditation can help with anxiety by helping you focus on your breathing and lowering your heart rate. Focusing on the present can also help you get away from negative internal thoughts and worries, which, in addition to anxiety, can cause certain types of depression.Menopause can create situational depression, worsen existing SAD depression, or intensify chronic depression. and situational depression caused by menopause.
Meditating is also one of the five steps to mental wellbeing. The other steps include practicing mindfulness, managing your thoughts, developing acceptance, and being grateful. Practicing these will help provide you with balance in what can often feel like an unbalanced time in your life.
Additional Benefits
Menopause can be hard enough to handle by itself, but in life, there are usually many things going on at one time. Meditation can help guide you through other personal dilemmas in addition to helping you through menopause.
Meditation, for example, can help you through the process of addiction therapy to enhance the process of recovery. This is because meditation provides an opportunity for you to pause your life, evaluate your feelings and emotions, and move forward in healthy ways.
It can also help improve your sex life, which, in some cases, can suffer through menopause. Spending part of your meditation time appreciating yourself and your body can help you get in touch with your desires and can help give you more confidence with your partner.
Whatever you are going through in life, whether it is perimenopause, menopause, mental health issues, addiction recovery, or a combination of multiple issues, meditation can be a great tool. The best part about meditation is that you don’t need to take a class to do it. If you find yourself in need of meditating, you can find a quiet spot for yourself and spend a few minutes catching your breath and centering yourself.
Author Bio: Brooke Faulkner is a mother of two and animal lover from Portland, Oregon.
The views expressed herein this article, written by a guest contributor, do not necessarily represent those of the Red Hot Mamas organization. The content is for informational purposes and should not substitute the advice of your doctor.
