Hello there! It’s been a while, and I do apologise for my absence. I took on a position at the local Community Centre that sees me working almost full-time, and between work, teaching yoga, keeping a house, staying on top of social media and self-development, there’s been no time to sit down and write a blog.

In saying that, I recently took up journaling, and decided if I could find the time to sit down and scribble in a little book, I could sit down and write me (and you!) a blog.

I had no idea what my topic would be this time around. A fair bit has happened in the past seven months – more self-development and growth, some amazing life coaching thanks to the lovely Sabrina from Skyhigh and Believe, my grandfather died,  I have less ‘me’ time, my hot flushes have multiplied and my energy levels have dropped. So I thought I’d just do a quick synopsis of the reality of being a middle-aged woman.

As I mentioned, my hot flushes have multiplied like a paddock-full of rabbits,
and to sleep for longer than two hours without waking up to pee, throw the blankets off, pull the blankets on or change position is a rare and much-welcomed feat.

This led to a heap of research on menopause and hormonal imbalance, because every women since the beginning of time has had to go through menopause, right? Why is it so unpleasant for so many women if it’s a natural progression of life?

Today’s crazy, hectic lifestyle of constantly striving, the chemical-loaded world we live in and the processed so-called foods we are eating are all contributing to a big strain on our adrenal glands, which in turn are affecting our hormone levels.

If we are constantly striving, feeling anxiety, in a state of fight or flight, our adrenal glands are constantly pumping out cortisol. This is great if we’re running away from a hungry lion, but not so great in every day life. We can deplete our cortisol levels which lead to fatigue, disturbed sleep, low blood pressure, lowered immune function,  inflammation, foggy brain and blood sugar imbalances.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Looks like we have a winner! I’ve scored the trifecta!

The high expectations I place on myself to perform well in the workplace and not let people down, as well as the high expectations I place on others to have the same work and moral ethics as me give me anxiety. I’m a stress head, and of course, I expend a lot of energy at work and in social situations trying not to let my anxiety ‘show’, coz heaven forbid if anyone knew what the hell was going on in this hectic little brain of mine!

The only times I really don’t feel anxious is when I’m taking a break from my every day life (holidays, weekends away). The rest of the time, my adrenals are pumpin’ out the cortisol thinking I’m constantly running from the hungry lions.

This has led to making the hormonal balance of menopause being more extreme in my case, which has definitely been affecting my energy levels.

The reality of my life is that I need to work, I can’t just be on a full-time holiday, so what can I do to make things run a little more smoother for me? I can’t just stop being anxious, this is hard to do and will take more work and time.

In the meantime, my action plan involves :

• Giving up coffee (it stimulates your adrenal glands – no thanks, it seems I can do that pretty well by myself, thanks!)
• Yoga (especially yin, it’s very grounding, gentle and allows me to connect with my femininity)
• Meditation (even if it’s just five minutes a day)
• Sleep hygiene (wear loose comfortable clothes – I usually end up nudie, keep the room dark, have a window open for fresh air, go to bed and get up at the same time, avoid TV and electrical devices (I’m shocking with this one) in the bedroom, no black tea, coffee, soft drinks or alcohol before bed, and try to eat at least three hours before you go to bed)
• Journaling (it helps to get things off my mind and to process stuff)
• Eating a diet that consists mainly of whole real foods like fruit and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds
• Drinking lots of filtered water
• Moving my body (walking, swimming, dancing, bike riding, group fitness classes, etc)

So there you have it, not necessarily in a nutshell, but it’s where I’m at physically right now. A work in progress and still learning to love myself just the way I am, embrace my sensitivity, authenticity and uniqueness, and shine my light for other women who may have lost their way.