Look at your calendar. Unbelievably, 2022 is almost over. Tell me. What other season in the year is quite so exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time? 

Year-end highs and lows:

Highs include…..

• Social gatherings with all the trimmings
• Indulging in family rituals
• Enjoying a well-earned break

Lows include….

• Too much in your calendar, it’s bulging at the seams.
• Indulging, but not in any exercise
• Sweating again. Hello hot flushes.

‘Tis the busy season & 46% of women are already burned out. 

Before the holidays arrive and hormone changes take place, there is already so much going on for midlife women. Imagine the combination of perimenopause (Is it? Isn’t it? Could it be?) together with work and life. I call it the Thriving Challenge. And I know it well.

Let’s look at life. There are kids, partners, parents, teenagers, caring responsibilities, friends, fun, social life, health, home, community, environment….oh, and did I mention tweens and teens??!

And then there’s work. There are workloads, teams, colleagues, dynamics, deliverables, growth plans, job satisfaction, burnout, change leadership, travel, office working, home working, hybrid working and delivering. Delivering short-term and long-term results. Not to mention keeping safe and caring for others in your team.

And the icing on the proverbial Christmas cake is menopause. Wow. Menopause. It’s tiring, confusing, hot, foggy, sore, uncomfortable, clothes un-friendly, memory patchy, skin stuff, hair stuff, weird and not so wonderful stuff. Self-doubt, decision overwhelm and a staggering lack of support. Is it me you wonder or is this simply midlife?

We call the combination of menopause, work and life #menowhelm. Like I said, I know it well. The good news is there is plenty you can do to tackle it once you know what’s going on. 

Menopause is a life transition. A big one. A long one.

Menopause is the transition from a woman’s reproductive to non-reproductive life stage.

The menopause transition can take a long time, often up to ten years. It starts before you realise it’s begun.

Perimenopause means “around menopause”. It’s the time when we are still experiencing periods, it’s when hormonal changes cause the greatest mayhem physically, mentally, and emotionally.

We all have hormones. They change and wreak havoc with our bodies. Many women experience symptoms but don’t recognise them as perimenopause.

Use our Meno Collective Resource Guide to help understand the menopause transition and recognise your symptoms. It’s an empowering step towards owning your menopause experience.

Hot flushes don’t know it’s the holidays

It’s December and I’m in a meeting enjoying festive catering talking talent with a bunch of leaders at a hotel. I am wearing my favourite festive silk dress. All eyes are on me to make a recommendation on a topic of hot debate.

Suddenly an unwelcome burst of heat creeps from behind my knees to my perimenopausal and thinning hairline. I am melting. I am on fire and sweating profusely. A hot flush has taken over my body and mind. I grab the AC remote and turn it to an arctic 16 degrees. I guzzle water looking for a napkin to dab my sweat.

I look & feel like an indecisive mess. Confident, clear, credible me from a few moments ago is now fully distracted by the heat.

“What’s wrong with you?” says the person next to me with a look of horror. I sweat more. I forget my numbers and excuse myself in search of the bathroom.

The moral of this story? It’s hot in here and no, you don’t need to take all your clothes off. For 80% of women, hot flushes are part of the menopause transition. As a co-worker, have a jacket, a scarf or an extra layer on hand and when the hot flush lady turns the air temp down, don’t stare, don’t joke, don’t miss a beat. You know she’s having a hot flush. Step in & count yourself lucky it’s not you. She will be set for success.

It’s cool to be a meno-friendly co-worker.

That said, the silk dress had to go. Stress makes flushes worse. Silk is not your friend during hot flushes. Note to self (& the elf on the shelf).

What you resist, it persists

Slowly I learned to stop fighting flushes because what we resist simply persists. I wanted to shift negative hot flush beliefs and embrace them instead. Crazy I know but hang in here with me.

Not only can it help reduce the severity of a hot flush but a change in mindset also affects your whole menopause experience. Embracing it doesn’t mean you’re cool with it (see what I did there), it just means you are willing it to be what it is.

What are these hot flushes (flashes) anyway?

When hormone levels fluctuate, they are not as effective in signalling the body to warm up or cool down appropriately. The signals mess with our typical body experience of both heat and cold. The signals are seemingly random given the actual temperature of the environment. They are not related and it is like our internal thermostat is broken. Our body doesn’t play fair because it no longer responds to the environment as expected.

The result of this is extreme body heat known as a hot flush (flash). The added bad news is that they are not over in a flash because they can last for a full 4 minutes. They are also accompanied by profuse sweating.

Thankfully, there are things you can do and my silk dress made a comeback… 

Here’s some Meno Collective hot flush tips to help you through the festive season.

1.      Embrace-it

• When you feel a flush coming on - mentally welcome it whilst relaxing your body to signal it is safe.
• Say to yourself “Bring it on. This is a natural power surge. It will pass soon. I’ve got this”

2.      Pace-it

• Pace your breathing & take 8 slow breaths each minute instead of the usual 14.
• Evidence shows paced breathing may help reduce hot flush severity.

3.      Tune in to triggers

• Notice which foods & drinks raise your body temperature. Things like chilli, spices and hot drinks are all not your friend and unfortunately, caffeine and alcohol come into play here too.  
• Stress is a trigger so anything that helps you relax is good. 10 minutes of mindfulness, a walk in the fresh air or a quick yoga session can make a big change.

Finally, Consider Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) with the guidance of a doctor.

So what about you? What are your year-end highs and lows? Tell us below as we would love to know. 

Stay cool and enjoy the season. 

What else is cool?

Feel empowered in your busy midlife by proactively knowing about the symptoms of perimenopause & what’s going on with you. Grab our ‘Why is my brain foggy & other signs I am in perimenopause’ checklist and check yourself in.