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If you’re a woman experiencing symptoms of perimenopause or menopause,
this means you’re dealing with hot flashes, weight gain, irregular
periods, mood swings and/or other symptoms typical in middle aged women.
Quite often these symptoms are unsettling because you’re entering a new
phase in your life and you’re not quite sure what to expect. Your mood
swings may be as a result of declines in your hormone levels, but it’s
also important to understand that it’s not unusual to experience
everyday life events that can also bring on stress, depression or
moodiness.
Perhaps your grown children are giving you reason to be concerned, or
maybe you’re spending a lot of time helping an aging parent. In
addition to trying to keep a home running smoothly, going to work,
taking care of parents and dealing with your children, there’s a good
chance you’re also dealing with a man (a.k.a. husband or mate).
It’s funny, but some of the personality traits that first attracted me
to my husband now are a complete pain in my “you-know-what.” For
instance, I loved watching him get excited over a sporting event or
video game. Now, these things irritate me. Not all the time, but when
there are more pressing issues to deal with, such as a broken toilet,
clothes dryer or numerous other items throughout the house that are in
disrepair. I honestly believe that men will always be boys and this is
just one more issue we women are faced with, along with so many changes
taking place in our own bodies during this period in our lives.
Not only are men boys because they would rather “play” than take care
of responsibility, but so many men can become crabby and demanding at
times, very much like small children. My sisters and I took a road trip
one year, which should have taken about eight hours. Due to a poor
sense of direction and numerous wrong turns, I believe we were probably
in the car for a good eleven hours. We all had a good laugh discussing
the fact that if our husbands would have been there, the extra time in
the car would have been a tragedy equal to that of a nuclear war.
So, what should you do when you’re getting ready for work and your
husband is complaining because he’s faced with quite a dilemma – his
coffee is cold. Or maybe he can’t find his blue shirt. Oh no! His
wallet’s not where he put it. Unfortunately, it’s in our nature to
nurture and take care of our husbands, so we stop what we’re doing and
warm his coffee, find his shirt or his lost wallet. But, it’s so very
important for you to also take care of yourself during this time. If
that means neglecting your husband’s needs once in awhile, so be it. If
your mate is in a lousy mood, don’t allow him to bring you down with
him. Remember, you needn’t count on his happiness in order for you to
be happy. Walk away. If you allow yourself to get into a confrontation
or argument you’ll only be hurting yourself, sending your blood
pressure sky-high and feeling emotionally and physically drained. If
you’re not there to absorb negative feelings, he’ll just need to get
over it, right?
Your body is going through some tremendous changes and needs to be well
taken care of. If you continue nurturing everybody else and leave no
time for yourself, there’s a very good chance that your hormones,
combined with the many stressors you’re faced with on a daily basis
will result in depression. Not only can depression leave you feeling
lethargic, sad and hopeless, but it may also lead to physical
conditions as well, such as heart disease and a loss of bone density.
Since the majority of us loves our mates and is still attracted to the
boy in them, it’s not likely that we’ll be eliminating this particular
“pain-in-our-you-know-what” anytime soon. But, because you’re a strong,
mature, capable and beautiful woman, it’s crucial to remain that way by
nurturing your body; eat healthy, exercise regularly and take time for
yourself. In a few years you’ll be past this transitional period and if
you do as is recommended you’ll feel energized and able to enjoy life
to its fullest. |