Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: July 14, 2021
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
-Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)
Dear Red Hot Mamas,
All in The Family was one of my favorite sitcom’s. I especially remember the episode when Edith was experiencing menopausal symptoms. She had mood swings, her temper was flaring and Archie did not know what was happening. Gloria, Edith’s daughter explained to her father that Edith was going through menopause. Archie, frustrated by these unpredictable mood changes yelled at Edith “If you’re gonna change, Edith, change! Right now! CHANGE!
Mood Swings…Emotions that run from mild to wild!
I know many women, including myself can relate to the ups and downs we experience at menopause. I even wept when one day my spouse brought home the wrong bread from our local bakery. And, that did not go over big at my house either. To make matters worse, at that time, my irritability and mood swings were no laughing matter as I held public office and was Selectman of my local town. I was experiencing four moods in ten seconds confronting my inner bitch.
Throughout the years many menopausal women have told me about their flagrant displays of temper flare-ups and crying spells. One minute they may feel fine, and the next minute they might feel edginess and melancholy. And, it doesn’t take much for them to want to chop off their loved one’s heads if they feel aggravated even in the least way. It only takes a little provocation. In my opinion, it could very well be that there’s a number of women sitting in prisons because of their raging hormonal turbulence at menopause.
By now, you must feel bewildered and confused and trying to make sense out of what’s happening to your mind and body. The constant fluctuations of our estrogen levels can have a troubling effect on our emotions. That, coupled with sleep deprivation due to night sweats can also create those roller coaster feelings of being out of control.
We also can’t blame all those mood swings on menopause because during our midlife years many of us have so much going on in our lives. We are often dealing with aging parents, personal or family medical problems, children going off to college, possible relationship issues, divorce or widowhood and career and work issues. So any of these factors can lead us to feel overwhelmed.
But, for all of these reasons it is vitally important to focus on your health. What will help? You can relieve mood swings by sticking to a fitness plan that gives you time to focus not only on your physical fitness, but also your mental fitness. Set some time each day to exercise which will help you relieve stress and help you adapt to the many changes that are occurring in your life. Exercise helps everything, including your disposition.
Other actions which you can take are making sure that you get enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, try to reduce stress, and tweaking your attitude by keeping a positive attitude about menopause and life. I always tell women to keep a sense of humor – keep a twinkle in your wrinkles.
When more help is needed….It is important that if your mood problems interfere with your functioning at home or at work and they last longer than two weeks it is time to get help and to make an appointment to see your doctor.
In closing, I hope that some of these options provide you with hope. Just remember to take the time and make the time to do positive things to improve your health at menopause. Think positive and savor the good things in your life and look for activities which encourage you to laugh and which lift your moods. And, lastly, visit your healthcare provider regularly.
Good Health to You All,
Karen Giblin
