Softening the blow of menopause symptoms doesn’t require a complete lifestyle transformation. However, simple changes can make you feel better, improve your mood, and even lessen health risks. No matter how many years you are into menopause, these changes can make aging easier.
1. Make Nutrition a Priority
When you put good in, you get good out. Stay hydrated to manage dryness and support overall body function, including mental clarity and digestion.
Increase calcium and vitamin D to support bone health. Eat quality dairy products and leafy greens to fill in nutritional gaps. If you’re suffering from UTIs, consider incorporating a UTI supplement to your daily routine.
Limit symptom triggering foods like caffeine, alcohol, and spicy food. These can make hot flashes worse or even more frequent. Track how your current diet influences your symptoms and your digestion. When you notice symptoms increasing, see how removing it for a week improves your symptoms.
2. Get Moving Daily
Incorporate walking into your normal routine, especially after eating meals. This can help aid and digestion and give glucose a job straight away after eating.
Walking pads have become especially popular and are relatively affordable. Hop on and walk to help maintain bone density which can lesson as you age. Making movement a priority can also help boost heart health and manage your weight. Have fun with movement and try rebounding on a small trampoline, which can help with joint health and weight loss.
3. Get Some Rest
If you’re like most people, you don’t get enough rest, let alone quality rest. Implement a sleep routine with hygiene and exercise, and create a comfortable environment for restorative sleep. Remove blue light, emitting devices or distractions from your bedroom to improve sleep quality.
Revise your sleep routine and your wind down, typically the hour before you go to sleep. Practice relaxation techniques to establish a trigger for your mind for rest. Light stretching, yoga, meditation, and deep breathing can help you transition from waking activities and sleep.
4. Invest in Your Mental Health
Taking care of your mental health is important throughout life, but during the season of menopause, it’s even more important. When you’re not in control, even if controlling it is not an option, your mental health suffers. However, you can strive to control what you can within your mind and how you respond to your challenges.
Researchers have even found that the symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes can be reduced with therapy. Specifically, cognitive behavioral therapy has shown to help women manage menopause. Other life changes are often taking place at the same time as menopause. Job changes, family shifts, and the process of aging can take a toll. Consider working with a therapist for additional support; It can make all the difference to your mental health.
5. Reduce Your Stress
Many people find a sense of boldness as they age, often influenced by earned wisdom and experience. Feel empowered to assess your now and identify what aspects of your life serve you and those that don’t. If you’ve felt obligated to continue tasks and over-commit, now’s the time to re-assess.
Pinpoint key stressors that you can do without and strategize how you can remove them. Set healthy boundaries with people, work, and even family members. Advocate for your needs regarding time, resources, and energy. Other stressors to reduce may be environmental, like your home. Reduce visual clutter, gather donations, and ensure your home base restores your energy rather than draining it.
6. Enhance Social Connections
Loneliness is one of the key influencers in supporting your mental health, especially as you age. As life does, it gets busy, and over time you may have lost meaningful connections with friends. Prioritize reaching out to your people and making time to get together. Use the time you’ve gained by reducing stressors for value-added social time.
Tap into school alumni groups, reach out to old coworkers, and sign up for events that interest you. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to throw a clay pot, there’s no time like the present. Enroll at your local community art center and allow yourself to learn and grow while making new friends. Doing so will be good for your mental health and provide a new challenge, and beautiful art.
7. Keep Up With Medical Care
Lifestyle changes aren’t the only thing that can support your menopause experience, so continue professional care. If you haven’t always maintained a consistent medical evaluation routine, start one now. Get a baseline on basic bloodwork and hormone levels to track your health and identify opportunities to improve.
Whether you visit with a traditional care provider or a specialist, it’s wise to monitor your health and risk factors. Consider your family history and let your provider know your concerns. Advocate for your health and the type of care you’d like to receive. Menopause and its symptoms can factor into bone, cardiovascular, and mental health, which can require medical support.
Managing Menopause Symptoms Can Improve Your Overall Wellbeing
Menopause doesn’t have to control your life and you don’t have to let it. Use these strategies to enhance your well-being and navigate menopause with Grace. When you do, menopause can represent a beautiful aging experience and introduction to your next phase of life.