“Prioritizing our Well.Being now is essential for the decades ahead of us and it starts with the practice of healthy habits.”

“The physical changes aligned with the non-visible ones, those that are happening internally, at a hormonal and physiological level will dominate this new life we have never been prepared to process. The key is not to get absorbed by despair, but to commit to the practice of healthy habits.”
— bel

Let’s Explore How Well.Being & Wellness Could Positively Influence our Standard of Living in Menopause & Beyond.

Wellbeing & wellness are intertwined concepts that are perceived and experienced differently by each one of us. And presently, there’s been a surge in addressing the importance of both which at times may be overly used for things such as eyelashes, auras and do not be surprised if, possibly soon, the “wellness” of dirt under the nails.

From terms around positive self-talk, clean nutrition, holistic exercise training, mindfulness, and even intellectual growth to all sorts of products and services (such as skin products, vacation spots, and/or empowerment retreats) promising to deliver the blocks for a better you, the boom around wellness has become an economy. Inarguably, the Global Wellness Institute projected “the wellness economy reaching $8.5 trillion by 2027.” For sure an industry that is here to stay and the concepts aligned with it to continue adding to the broad definitions of the industry itself. 

But besides the broadness of it all and the rise in a wide array of services in the wellness industry, we do need to recognize the valuable influence of channeling wellbeing and wellness to empower individuals in assessing their perspectives around what constitutes quality of life, especially with aging.

In that context, we can certainly use the connection between the positive influence of both -wellbeing & wellness- and the actions we can take to make things like self-care a pivotal element for a quality life throughout menopause.  

The foundational principles of both terms can serve as tools to better navigate the physiological and emotional challenges triggered by hormonal imbalances. Validating the emotions connected to experiencing countless moments of not feeling well becomes crucial to making ourselves aware that our health needs to matter in perpetuity. 

By considering self-care an everlasting practice to achieve well-being and the fostering of healthy physical, mental, and emotional states even with illnesses, we become better equipped to frame our subjective definition of standard of living in the face of countless challenges in hand with longevity. It simply allows us to better conciliate the things we control and those we don’t throughout the inevitable health events aligned within the menopausal journey.  

From events such as losing muscle mass, bone density, and elasticity in our arteries to vision degeneration and the gradual deterioration of all our body functions, self-care is a habit worth executing for the benefit of the future versions of ourselves especially if we are hoping for a long, meaningful life. Insofar, understanding the tenets of well-being and wellness is key to actively caring for our bodies.     

According to the American Psychological Association, well-being is “a state of happiness, with low levels of distress, overall good physical and mental health and outlook” and wellness is “a dynamic state of physical, mental and social wellbeing.”

Together, both concepts expose the relevance of which habits in over four decades of existence can be and should be tweaked to shape the optimal life conditions we should experience with the crinkling of the skin.

Our well-being (THE state of happiness) especially throughout perimenopause & menopause (P&M), becomes the end goal we bring with us to post-menopause…which is the rest of our lives. 

To get there, we could apply wellness strategies such as assertively owning our role in our health care and legitimizing our well-being with health professionals throughout the menopausal walk.  

This can be done by using the numerous conceptual interconnections of well-being & wellness as empowerment tools to never normalize feeling eternally sick as a hopeless end to getting old.  

Because P&M is by itself a chaotic event driven by drastic hormonal imbalances that will shake the quality of our lives for years and change the lives we’ve known forever, we must commit to working towards achieving well-being & wellness so it adheres beyond the menopausal peaks & valleys.

By acknowledging how critically important it is to start the menopausal journey embracing the foundational principles around overall wellness we will allow ourselves to achieve, define, and experience the standard of living when confronted with the activation of the mid-section expansion and the rest of the displeasing offerings that structure the occasion. 

Map your Well.Being.

Master how to own it.

Mapping your Well.Being is a process that will require commitment, devoted attention, and non-negotiable times to focus on what matters to you and only you. And it will take as much time as you need.

The process starts with recognizing the need for change and a thorough personal assessment of the behaviors that have defined a lifestyle. By tagging unhealthy habits that may be cutting short the potential to enjoy to the fullest this unpredictable opportunity of existence we all have, the map to Well.Being can be shaped by committing to make it happen.

Your personal mapping could be influenced by recognizing that unhealthy is not limited to what we eat or how little we move. Unhealthy is also about not cultivating peace of mind, time to ourselves, and routines that promote emotional health. Because when we make a habit out of being exhausted, unmotivated, and drained, we simply cannot conceive the possibility of changing these habits as it becomes the only way we have managed life throughout the years.

Habits may nourish this wrong perception that the life we know is unchangeable. Habits could actually be unchangeable if we decide to, but in life itself, nothing is stable. Life is precisely driven by change. Take aging as evidence and how throughout it all we morph physically, biologically, mentally and emotionally. But over the length and breadth of the complexities of these processes we have a saying and it is tied to the choices we make everyday regardless of these being beneficial or not. At the end of the day, Well.Being is connected to those choices.  

So when in menopause, think about what choices are structuring either improving or negatively adding to the spiral of physical and mental confusion in hand with it. Think of the things you’ve done forever. Things that come so natural that their execution is more mechanical than thought of. By doing so, you can initiate that very thorough personal assessment needed for change and the possibility to cultivate a more self-aware persona willing to own the tools needed to prioritize Well.Being.

Check This Out: Well.Being in P&M Could Be Put in Motion by Practicing These 6 Helpful Components of Wellness.

Commitment to healthy habits.

Healthy habits build up with practice and they have everything to do with balance and how we find ways to decrease stress, to increase the quality of sleep, to incorporate more movement, a healthy nutrition, and better mental health. These practices become more essential as our bodies morph through the symptoms & conditions triggered by perimenopause & menopause (P&M). Engaging in healthy practices today will benefit the version of yourself in post-menopause, which is the rest of our lives. Trust the process of committing to healthy habits now. The 85-year-old YOU deserves the opportunity to experience the healthiest version of herself way before celebrating that birthday milestone.

Implementing small changes.

Small changes lead to sustainable habits which are the ones you carry out for the rest of your life. Implementing small changes is the path to betterment without the pressures of unrealistic expectations of transforming ourselves in a short amount of time. Only when we start small, we keep at bay the frustration and overwhelm that may come along with broad, overly inclusive goals. These are the ones that tend to shut down any intention for change. Small changes help us stay connected to all the little things worth modifying. It helps us focus on small victories and give ourselves credit for the effort, commitment, and consistency to keep going even in the face of setbacks so commonly present in P&M.

Giving social connection a try.

Battling isolation is essential for overall wellness as it negatively impacts mental health. And even when it is expected that the meno & post-menopausal world population will reach approximately 1.2 billion by 2030, the individual journey can be quite isolating although it sounds like a lot of us. Because menopause has been kept in the dark of our social and medical interactions forever, the horrendous symptoms are not processed in a healthy and appropriate manner. When it happens, it kind of startles us which could lead to disengaging from connecting with others. So push yourself to start the conversation about your symptoms with health professionals, family & friends now. Join a class of women your age or look for events that promote awareness of this hap we haven’t been trained to successfully adapt to. Try connectedness. It makes the journey less lonely.

Allowing upward spirals.

Upward spirals are a chain of positive events triggered by beneficial actions concerning our lives. It starts by deciding to modify a habit worth changing. The benefits of one positive action will generate positive responses that will connect to engaging in more favorable behaviors. Take for example going for a walk after dinner: it will reduce the stress of the day and allow better sleep (which is indispensable in perimenopause & menopause). The following day, the walk may be for longer which may result in incorporating drinking more water, inviting someone to come along, and even practicing being present with the nature around you. This is a simple example of how you can allow the magic of upward spirals to manifest in your life!

Building a flexible mindset.

Building a flexible mindset allows us to adapt to life changes and challenges as they emerge and it becomes a highly helpful skill in perimenopause & menopause. By the time we reach midlife we are pretty set on our ways and breaking up with the ideas that have defined how we have lived until that moment is quite daunting. All of a sudden life becomes about adopting new perspectives on how we eat, train, and even how we sleep. Sticking to what has worked for 45 years will not allow a healthy transition toward accepting the physiological transformation that starts with perimenopause. Allow yourself to let go of what used to work and be open to eating, moving, and loving yourself differently.

Practicing mindfulness.

The practice of being present through meditation and the calming effects of deep breathing have become more relevant in perimenopause & menopause than ever. Being present allows us to block the ‘noises’ that add up to feelings of overwhelm or unhappiness. It gives us a moment of calm and reassurance by not worrying about tomorrow or the things we would’ve done differently yesterday. It simply allows us to embrace the moment we are at. The drastic hormonal imbalances in P&M make women experience high levels of stress, sudden weight gain, increased belly fat, and changes in body composition, just to mention some. Its effects do not add to enhancing self-esteem and enthusiasm for life. So consider giving mindfulness practices a place in your personal equation of Well.Being and P&M journey. It certainly allows a degree of balance in a chaotic experience dominated by imbalances.

“Think of Well.Being as a type of device that tracks self-improvement.”

-bel

Think of it as the tools we use to track steps or calories but through the lens of an active process of self-evaluation. And not the kind that is callous and unsympathetic but one that is aimed at emotional, physical and mental growth and development. Apply every component of wellbeing & wellness that adds to your individual growth and turn it into a process that keeps the enthusiasm about life even when tackled by P&M’s setbacks.

Consider These Recommendations as Opportunities to Prompt Self-Improvement in P&M:

Of all the things that make us who we are, habits comprise a very important aspect of it. And because habits form and develop throughout all the environmental and social interactions that walk with us throughout the years, it becomes extremely challenging to simply change what we have been doing for great part of our lives.

It’s not until we crash into the wall of perimenopause that habits become subjects of evaluation on whether they add or not to the chances of having a long, healthy life.

Because P&M one day enter the room charged with health risks that have critical consequences if not monitored, the self-evaluation of our lifestyles become crucial for opening the door to the practice of self-improvement as a type of umbrella habit to follow us for the rest of our lives.

Here are 10 helpful recommendations that could prompt self-improvement during and beyond P&M:

  1. Focus on the things you control to trigger small changes. Hormonal imbalances & the health issues aligned with them don’t apply, but movement, stress management & nutrition do.

  2. Take time to think about habits worth changing. Especially those that are amplified with P&M symptoms (like when menopausal states of low energy make us not want to move).

  3. Be honest about why should it matter to you. P&M will impact the quality of your life for many years, so giving a try to prioritize your Well.Being is a good start.

  4. Start small. Modest changes for betterment will spark positive responses so much needed in P&M.

  5. Document things you have tried to change and have not been able to change on your own. Logging setbacks in P&M will allow you to consider different approaches to what you’ve been doing as well as allow you to address your concerns with the right health professionals.

  6. Recognize and be proud of the things you have been successful in changing. Look back, celebrate your wins & keep focusing on your progress because P&M can slow it but doesn’t stop it.

  7. Get inspired by things that motivate others. Even when a body in P&M goes through a lot, it is your best ally to try things that are possible to others.

  8. Try setting meaningful and sustainable goals. When practicing healthy habits in P&M you build the path for behaviors you can continue practicing forever.

  9. Know that family, friends, and health professionals create a community of support to reach those goals. Reach out, talk, share, and never be afraid of asking for help, especially in P&M.

  10. Understand that small victories show you how you have grown and keep you moving forward. And by forward we mean beyond P&M!

By Cultivating Well.Being for P&M,

We Cultivate Well.Being for Life.

To Get There, Take a Moment to Think About Why It Is Important to Consider the Foundational Areas of Our Life as Pillars of Well.Being that Intersect.

How we sleep, move & eat and how we cope with stress and regulate our emotional & mental states will directly impact our quality of life. Here are 5 key components of our daily lives that need to be kept in sync especially in perimenopause & menopause (P&M). Because they intersect, the neglect of one area could drive adverse consequences into the other ones.

  • Ideally, we should get between 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. By doing so we give our brains the treat of disposing of toxins that build up throughout the day and make our sleep a restorative one.

    Restoration keeps our brains healthy and better equipped for things like problem solving, information retention and focus. In order to keep this component in check, it is essential to develop a sleep hygiene which is nothing other than a schedule for time of sleep and wake times. These are possible through a series of optimal conditions before going to bed involving timing meals and exercise, stress management, light exposure and even keeping our room temperature nice and fresh.

    For women in P&M struggling with night sweats, achieving the recommended hours of quality of sleep may be an impossible task. So, if you fall into this group, reach out to health professionals that specialize in menopause to discuss your options and thoroughly examine your specific risks & benefits if considering hormonal therapy to address the impact of sleepless nights.

  • When incorporating movement to your daily life, start by not fixating on structured exercise only. Movement doesn’t need to be conceived as arduous training meant for athletes at the gym because movement & physical activity are possible everywhere we go and possible for all of us.

    The key is to find activities that are engaging enough to repeat and that will promote lowering the health perils of P&M.

    Activities like biking, swimming, dancing, hiking or walking are options that can be considered for the task. Connecting to the importance of doing so, opens the path of countering the so many health risks in hand with sedentary behaviors as well as P&M.

    Research has shown that physical activity impacts all our body systems by improving our cardiovascular health, metabolism, glucose tolerance, immune system, digestion, bone density and increasing the blood flow to the brain. It has also shown that when performed at least at moderate intensities, we get to experience the effects of hormones such as endorphins and neurochemicals like serotonin which make us feel so good and also get to improve our sleep which is essential for a menopausal brain.

  • When in P&M, the task of making the right daily food choices becomes critical to maintain at bay triggers for metabolic and cardiovascular conditions so prevalent with aging.

    Keep in mind that in P&M, we start losing the protections of estrogen and a chain reaction initiates to increase our health risks. For example, because estrogen keeps helpful cholesterol levels up and dangerous cholesterol down, the favorable equation completely changes once we head towards menopause.

    Suddenly, something like high blood pressure becomes a risk for every one of us. So eating delicious, overly salty, overly sweet, processed foods becomes something we need to start thinking about in terms of consumption frequency.

    P&M doesn’t mean that we have to avoid at all costs eating pizza, chocolate ice cream or wine. P&M simply push us to consider how often we should indulge.

    Thing is that as we age, we naturally lose muscle mass and the ability to burn more calories at rest. We also store more body fat. With more fat in our bodies, the higher the risks of heart disease and diabetes. So eating right in P&M shouldn’t be an option but the go-to alternative.

    The good news is that deliciousness can also be found in nutritional foods. Reach out to registered dieticians, nutritionists or look into cookbooks on anti-inflammatory foods to discover the best healthy foods for you.

    Balanced & enjoyable nutrition is possible and if it is hard to believe, let avocados, sweet potatoes, berries, nuts, cheese and salmon speak for themselves.

  • Nothing in our modern world is meant to free us from experiencing stress. All we know is that life and work demands make it impossible to avoid it. Stress is simply an inevitable part of being alive and finding appropriate ways to cope with it equips us to better face adversity as it shows up. Hence P&M adding up to experiencing adversity.

    Stress can be acute or chronic. The acute type of stress will pass allowing the nervous system to kind of ‘tone down’. The chronic one, never goes away and can send us in a loop of overdrive and never ending cycles of unwell. Research has shown how chronic stress negatively affect immune response, metabolism, quality of sleep and brain function just to mention some.

    And in P&M, the drastic hormonal imbalances contribute to maintaining the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, high. So yes, the life already overly charged with the stressors of our personal and professional obligations suddenly gets a boost of more stressful, out of our control contributions thanks to P&M.

    Among some of the recommended coping mechanisms for stress is learning how to reframe the perceived danger of a situation as well as setting aside non-negotiable times to exercise, meditate, read, engage in a beloved hobby, build healthy routines around sleep and nutrition and seeking help from professionals when life itself feels too heavy to bear.

    Whether in P&M or not, coping with stress is a must have tool for building and preserving wellbeing.

  • It is a well known fact that imbedded in our human condition is the habit of dwelling excessively over decisions, behaviors and actions of the past. Pretty sure we all can relate to many moments of wishing we could’ve had done things differently.

    Truth is that when we dwell we allow repetitive thoughts to become intrusive and disrupt our own peace of mind affecting our everyday emotional and mental states. Dwelling on the same things over and over is called rumination and it has a direct effect on our self-worth. It also limits the ability to forgive ourselves from mistakes of the past and creates never-ending cycles of regrets that don’t allow to move forward.

    So in P&M pay close attention to moments when your self-esteem is shaken up by the physiological, mental & emotional changes it drives and the habit of ruminating on how we look, how we think others perceive us and how we deprecate aging. It’s a consequential slippery slope that opens the gate to negative self-talk that confines all the good we still have to offer as if we are done. In days when you feel that aging is the end of it all and bloating, low energy, joint pain and fatigue seem to take control of your wellbeing, disengage and shift.

    Every time you ruminate on regrets about the things you would’ve loved to do but feel that the number of birthdays cancel every hope to fulfill a dream, develop a talent, discover your potential and still look for answers in finding yourself, practice shifting negative thoughts as soon as they appear.

    One of the most recommended ways of doing so is to place the focus on the present and stop yourself from anchoring in the past or the future. Practice. Shift the focus.