Self-care to beat menopause anxiety
Exercise to beat the blues
Regular exercise will help improve menopausal anxiety by burning off nervous energy. Pick a sport you like and you’re more likely to stick with it. The Royal College of Gynaecologists’ message is that consistent aerobic exercise e.g. swimming and running may help to reduce the menopause symptoms which could be causing, or adding to your anxiety. Walk more. It helps with breathing, calms you down and makes a very real difference to your ability to cope.
Relax and rejuvenate
Relaxation techniques for your body and mind will help manage feelings of anxiety. Find a calming activity that works for you. You could try yoga and breathing exercises, see our video Yoga Relaxation & Breathing Exercises. Mindfulness and meditation could also help ease your anxiety.
What about anxiety apps?
According to the World Health Organisation, a staggering 615 million people suffer from a mental health condition, anxiety being one of the most common. There are plenty of apps claiming to help calm anxiety and ease your stress. Acupressure: Heal Yourself, Trello, Stress Check, Relax Lite, Sleep Genius and Buddhify, are all stress and anxiety-busting apps that you can download to your phone. If you like a gadget, the WellBe bracelet and mobile app claim to “support your emotional well-being”. The bracelet monitors your heart rate, using algorithms to establish your stress and tranquillity levels based on time, your location and the people you meet during the day. Nice to get confirmation of who presses your buttons and causes you stress! We haven’t tried it, so let us know if you have. Try the Clarity app, the first app designed with menopausal women in mind find out more about Clarity.
A problem shared
Don’t feel isolated, talk to friends and family who might not realise that you are perimenopausal, or menopausal. Once you start talking to other women, you’ll be as amazed, as we were, at how much you can learn from each other.
Sunshine matters
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to anxiety, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and depression. Exposure to the elusive golden orb stimulates the body to produce vitamin D, just 15 minutes a day (without letting your skin redden) is all that’s needed. In the UK and northern Europe, it is recommended that we take a daily 10mg Vitamin D supplement between October and March due to a lack of sunlight. An oral spray is one of the fastest ways to get vitamin D into your system.
Sleep
Poor sleep could be a major contributor to your menopause anxiety. Fluctuating hormones can affect our ability to get to sleep and stay asleep. Try to follow the same bedtime routine throughout the week.
Avoid catnaps late in the day to help you get the best quality sleep. Use calming techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness or visualisation to get to sleep, or back to sleep at night.
If anxiety is having an adverse effect on your sleep, we give helpful tips on how to improve it in our symptoms section; Sleepless Nights & Insomnia.