“What was that? I didn’t quite catch all of that.”
Ever find yourself thinking, saying that? As you literally watched your mind wander off, despite trying to pay attention.
This is a User’s Guide through the Menopause Cloud.
Or “I know I came in here to do something! Now, what was it?”
“When was the last time I had my keys?” You frantically ask yourself while searching.
Oh, and let’s not forget calling your son by your brother’s name!
Maybe you have Menopause! (Or Perimenopause)
Symptoms include forgetting why you walked into a room, interspersed with bouts of hot flashes and temper flares. Side effects include dark thick chin hairs that appear out of nowhere, blowing up at the kids over dumb stuff, being awake from 2:30-5:30 AM and a rounding belly.
Ask your doctor about. . . no on second thought, DON’T! At least not yet. The answers you get may be worse than the symptoms.
Ok. So you’re starting to realize that’s where you are. NOW what?
It’s not as hopeless as it seems. You’ll get to the other side of this just like everything else; one day at a time. But there are things you can do to ease the pain.
Let’s look at 5 things:
First things first:
- Simplify life: Take a survey of what you do and ask yourself, “DO I really need to do this?” “I” is the operative noun here. From cleaning the kitchen sink to preparing dinner to putting away laundry, there are many mundane chores we take on as women that could be, or SHOULD be relegated to the kids.
Heck, your kids need to learn how to do the basics of taking care of meals, cleaning, and more by the time they’re 18 anyway! - Basic structure: Are you getting consistent sleep? If not, develop a good routine that includes shutting off electronics earlier and winding down with a cup of herbal tea. (I’ll address more about sleep in another article soon).
- Get regular exercise. Getting your heart rate up into your conditioning zone every other day will help reduce stress. It will also make you physically tired so you’ll sleep better. With better sleep will come better thought processes.
- Meditate: I like to think of meditation as structuring and taming my brain. Take just 5 minutes a day to sit quietly and train your brain. Concentrate on one thing, observing your breath. It will make a tremendous difference over time.
- Eat the right foods:
Yes, I’m writing this. You knew I’d get to this sooner or later.- Eat fewer animal foods. High protein, high-fat animal foods contribute to plaque formation in both the arteries and the brain tissue itself.
- Eat more greens: The nitrates in greens are converted to nitric oxide by the good bacteria in your gut. Nitric oxide allows your arteries, including the arteries in your brain to expand and bring in fresh blood flow.
- Eat more fruit, especially berries: Blueberries are an amazing superfood. Studies show blueberries help memory in dementia patients; so they can certainly help you.
Ok. So there you have it. Some basic things you can control and actions you can take to make a difference in your life today.
Need more help? Schedule a call & let’s talk.
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