Many of us find the time around menopause stressful. This may be partially due to hormonal changes and symptoms such as hot flashes and disrupted sleep. In addition, family and personal issues such as the demands of teenage children, overweighed by work and home, midlife spouses and intimacy, aging parents and career changes often converge on women during these years.  When feeling overwhelmed, the body’s natural temperature rises – causing more duress.

Chronic stress is not good for anyone’s health. It may cause increased blood pressure and heart rate, headaches, gastric reflux, depression/anxiety, and more. It’s been said that chronic stress has a directly affect our immune system, making us more susceptible to illness, infections, and even cancer. Stress affects not only our health but also our relationships, general sense of well-being, and quality of life.

10 Practical Tips

Here are some practical tips to help change the way you think about stress:

  1. Build in extra time—the number one cause of stress is time pressure (feeling overwhelmed).
  2. Learn to expect that a certain amount of stress is to be expected from the situation in which you find yourself.
  3. Passing judgment on others will only create underlying resentment within you.
  4. Let go of worry – for it is not a reality.
  5. The minute you encounter a problem, start looking for a solution.
  6. Avoid blaming others for things that happen to you.
  7. Listen more, talk less.
  8. Prioritize what is important in your life. Create a NOT to do list.
  9. Pause – take a couple of deep breaths, smile and exhale. Stop holding your breath.
  10. When all else fails, do something else. Switch gears!

At any moment you could choose to be a better person. Which moment will you choose? The choice is yours… Liza

If you feel overwhelmed and want to talk about options to reduce stress NOW, schedule an appointment.