Find your balance the natural way through menopause
I am not a medical doctor but I do know about being a women and as a polarity therapy practitioner and shamanic healer I have helped many women over the years find balance in their female rhythm of life.
However, in recent years, rightly or wrongly menopause has become medicalised into something that is a problem that needs to be solved.
Perimenopause and menopause is an inevitable part of being a woman. We are amazing creatures, our bodies do incredible things all with an underlying natural instinctive rhythm that is in tune with the forces of nature.
I know how debilitating the symptoms of hormonal imbalance during menopause can be. When our hormones start changing it can seem like you are losing yourself to the symptoms, life is governed by how you are feeling, how much energy you have, whether or not you can focus and for some women these symptoms are incredibly destructive when dealing with everyday life. You may feel like you are out of control, feeling stuck, suffering anxiety, suffering the effects of hot flushes, perhaps your body is changing shape and you seem to have lost your spark, your drive and then, those around you start to notice this change in you too which adds to the worry around being loved. To make things worse we live in a society that simply does not support, in most part, the natural force of life’s rhythms and the female cycle.
Work, social engagements, relationships, family commitments continue at the same pace, with the same demands on your energy resources, yet our internal chemistry (hormones) which help to balance and stabilise internal energy resources cannot reconcile with the way of our current lifestyles. Your body is desperately trying to find the space to rebalance, yet the demands of life just don’t allow for this to happen. It is a process and no one year or month or even week or day may be the same. We have had years of knowing ourselves in a monthly cycle, now our identity is being disrupted by the unknown!
In this article, I hope to give a more naturalistic viewpoint during this precious time in a women’s life and how you can adapt your external life with the change you are experiencing inside.
Be with the flow rather than resist the flow.
There is a natural energetic intelligence at work behind the scenes of life and it is a fact that our bodies are always seeking ways to balance and heal themselves.
Energy is the underlying thing that perpetuates movement in life. We are made up of energy patterns that permeate every single cell of our bodies. These patterns of energy when healthy are polarised, like a magnet, however when we experience stress and pressure our underlying energetic magnetic matrix suffers and we feel the effects of this through pain in our bodies, chaos in our minds and emotional turmoil.
In our menopausal years, the natural cycle that kept us primed to reproduce is no longer required and a rebalancing of our energy pattern is needed. Isn’t it amazing that our bodies’ reproduction knows when to switch off! When our oestrogen and progesterone levels change during this time a whole new set of patterning needs to be established in the way we live our life. This can be of varying degrees. As you start to feel the effects of what can be very subtle changes in the beginning, you may feel yourself resist and choose to stay in your zone of comfort and do the things that have always worked in the past, to stay in control of your monthly rhythm. But in time it becomes inevitable that fighting against our natural instinct is futile!
Go with the flow rather than against the flow of change
Finding your balance during the phases of perimenopause and menopause takes a conscious effect to become your own observer, your own witness to change. Becoming aware of what is going on in your body, take note of your thoughts, recognise your emotions, be aware of the environments, people and situations that stress you. We need to manage the mind and emotions as well as the body during this time, to adapt our outlook in life and our lifestyle, to forge new identities and really come back into our centre of power.
Tips for getting you on the right track
Become your own witness; Keep a diary on situations in life that uplift you or deplete you.
Reduce stress – this a fundamental must when going through the change. It may take a change in your work pattern and adapting the demands of home and social life.
Get the right nutrition – so much can be done with helping the symptoms through the right nourishment. For a while keeping a food and drink diary, noting how foods and drinks are affecting how you feel and your energy levels, you will soon become aware of what is good for you and what is not. Awareness gives you choice.
Movement to keep muscles and joints, toned and flexible. In polarity movement classes we combine specific exercises to provide the following 8 ways to balance the energy of your body, mind, and emotions: Lengthening, pressure, activation, breathing, energy balancing, brain gym, movement, and sound.
Relaxation, rest and rejuvenation – essential at this time of life we need lots of breaks and rest. As you lack in one area of hormones it is your adrenals that take the brunt of giving you energy and adrenal burnout is possible, so regular rests, walks in the fresh air do marvels for restoring your energy.
Learn to quiet the mind – meditation is a challenge for some people, but there are different ways to quieten and calm the mind it, is a matter of finding a method that suits you. First, you can start by noticing your thoughts and attitudes to life, do you moan about life for the most part or you can see both points of view. Understanding how your mind works can be really helpful in adapting how you feel, so your mind can work for you not against you. Learning to meditate is to focus on one thing at a time (mindfulness), then when you get practised you can find yourself in a place of stillness.
Express your emotions – women find strength and comfort in talking, talk to the right kind of people as speaking about how you feel releases emotional energy and helps you rebalance and gain perspective.
In my experience, I have found that a multi-level approach is best and although the tips above are not new, becoming more aware about each of these areas in your life can help you become more conscious to choose and regain your internal power in a balanced way. Polarity therapy sessions help keep your underlaying energy balanced, so stress, pain and tension is released and mind becomes clear. Sessions also help you gain a different perspective in your life, relationships, your business or career and help you build in strategies that will support you as you adapt into a fresh identity. Your nutritional needs are a key factor in maintaining the correct chemistry during this change in life, so finding a good naturopathic nutritionist can be key.