How does CBT help manage menopause?

As you might imagine, I have lots of conversations with midlife women and for many, menopause has come along and pulled the rug out from under their feet. Ask anyone, name a menopause symptom, and they will most likely say "hot flushes". They would not be wrong, this is a symptom many women experience, but it is not the most common symptom. There are 34 'common symptoms' of menopause, and as many uncommon ones, some women experience all of them or a few of them - any one of them can have a life changing impact. It is no wonder therefore that menopause is seen as something to be feared rather than celebrated.

But what if I told you there is another way? That this transition, this right of passage is, in fact, a path to greatness? I know, it's a bit of a leap isn't it. Hear me out. Something else I've noticed, in these conversations I have, is the emergence of negative emotions as a result of how the woman feels about the symptom. I hear from women who are "terrified" of going into meetings in case they get brain fog, or feel shame when a hot flush arrives mid workplace conversation. Fear, Shame, these are strong emotions right?

With Cognitive Behavioural Training (CBT) the focus is not so much on the symptoms experienced but the end state a person wants to achieve. Dynamic, goal orientated, person centered mentoring to help take you from striving to thriving. Why doesn't it focus on symptoms? My method is to flip the dialogue, reframe the narative. If we only ever focus on what is wrong, how will we reach a place where it feels like everything is right?

So, talking about the consequences of symptoms, rather than the symptom itself, how it feels to have to go to work when you've had no sleep, how you cope at work when you are having a hot flush, how you calm yourself when you feel that menorage arising, what to say when brain fog takes your words - finding new strategies to manage these feelings helps. Women work so hard to suceed in their careers, but all of a sudden feel they cannot cope in the workplace, often due to a constructed emotional difficulty rather than the physical or psycholgical symptom itself.

In my previous career, one I left aged 50 due to not being able to put up with gender inequality, I had years of experience of working 1:1 with people to affect positive change. Now trained in a number of holistic modalities - a yoga teacher, womb healer, breath guide and mentor, sauna host, I combine all of my previous experience to support women navigating menopause. My message? If you want to feel Visible, Valued, Validated and Vibrant, dealing with the emotional is going to help you thrive. Get in touch if you want to know more, lets have a virtual cuppa together.

Join me for a virtual cuppa and let's talk