courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
(Photo 1)
Chapter 1: Bouncing back from midlife challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Hello my dear friends, how are you all today? I seriously missed my blogger dashboard. It’s been a while since I have written something. But I am claiming my life back. I have a life to live and I am living it, no matter what. Sometimes one just needs to get through life’s tough storm to appreciate the placidity of it.
I have a lot to share in this post what I went through these past months and this can be a little long. But I am hoping that my experiences will inspire, give a little comfort for those who are going through the same experience as I do and I'll share some tips and tricks on how to get through these life’s phase called perimenopause with ease and naturally.
I seriously didn’t get the memo that this is coming and it came like a tornado wrecking havoc affecting the quality of my life, like seriously!
I am 48 now and so qualified to be in the bracket. But so glad to have this age’s wisdom and truly thankful that I get to celebrate this number. Many weren’t given the privilege to reach this age and for that, thank you so much, Lord.
So what is perimenopause? This is a period in a woman’s life occurring before menopause. This is where her body physiologically makes the natural transition to menopause. Menopause is that one day in a woman’s life where her absence of period marks a full year and thus marking the end of her reproductive year.
So how did I know that I am into perimenopause? First, 48 is a ripe age to be considered one. For some women, experiencing symptoms can come as early as in their late 30’s. Second, my period was so irregular that at some point I get two in a month and they come closer in terms of days. I am just so glad I bleed lightly. I read that some women bleed profusely for long periods of time.
Those were enough evidence that I am now journeying this phase in my life called perimenopause.
Did I get tested? Yes to everything to rule out any major health issues but not for levels of estrogen/progesterone - I thought it would be immaterial as hormones fluctuate from time to time besides I decided to go natural on this.
I am happy for those women who went into this phase with little to no symptoms at all. Also, my overwhelming sympathy for those ladies, who like me had to deal with life-changing challenges brought about by this physiologically change.
To be honest my mother never told me that there will be days like these because she never had one or if she has symptoms at all they were so minimal she hardly ever noticed it.
Why?
Because of a lot of factors. Number 1 is the food that they eat before. Diet is a key factor why women experience so little to no symptoms in the heyday. The vegetables, the fruits that they were eating during their time still absorbed optimum vitamins and minerals and were pesticide-free from the non-toxic ground where they planted them.
Today, many of our food choices are loaded with empty calories - if not processed, then there's too much sugar or too much salt that as we all know affects negatively many of our body’s natural functions.
Lifestyle is another factor. My parents were farmers back then. Life on the farm requires active everydayness and an active lifestyle is a key to a long and healthy life.
In the next chapter, I will talk about my symptoms and how I dealt with it. Sort of like personal protocols on caring for my own body and mind and what I did to alleviate the pains and aches, the dizziness, the muscle pains, the lethargies, the apathy, the anxiety, and everything else in between.
Chapter 2: On dealing with my symptoms
I’d like to point out that while this is a physiological phase every woman alive of my age has to go through, not every woman has the same symptom manifestation as mine. Symptoms differ from one woman to another.
In my quest to seek validation and assurance that I’m not going crazy and ill at the beginning of my journey, I came across this perimenopause Facebook group named Perimenopause thriving and surviving. I was so horrified and felt so defeated at some point that I can only give my digital hugs to these women as many of their stories are so intense that I am so thankful to the Lord I didn’t go through the same severe symptoms as they have. I might have done something right at some point in my life to eliminate some severe issues. Though I’m still in progress to finding natural remedies to ward symptoms off as they come.
Many women undertake Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to address their symptoms. There are tons of conflicting Literature available online on the debate whether this approach poses remedy or causes cancer of different names to a woman’s body down the road. If you’re into peri/menopause also right now and still on a limbo, I suggest you research further before you decide to take on HRT.
I have made my own research as to whether I’ll go for HRT or not. I didn’t just rely on what my doctor has to say. Most doctors don’t have time to explain this (peri/menopause) holistically to me anyway. And when they do, most often than not I’ll end up taking horse urine and it’s not an option for me.
In the end, it’s my body and I have to make an informed decision on what’s appropriate to manage my own circumstance.
I have nothing against women going through HRT be it bioidentical or synthetic. It is their decision coupled maybe with their doctor’s suggestion. In my case, I decided to go natural.
So what are the symptoms that I have to deal with?
Irregular periods
The first sign of me knowing that I am now journeying this phase was the irregularity of my period. Often it comes twice a month and so close in terms of dates, I have to spend extra bucks on sanitary napkins. I am just thankful that I don’t bleed so profusely like some women confess they have like they butchered a cow.
Hot flashes and night sweats
These are some of the common symptoms that will appear when female sex hormones are starting to act out. Mine started appearing in September last year.
The first time I had a severe hot flash I panicked. They came like a tsunami of heat which started from my stomach and ended up on my face and back. This then will be followed by dizziness and sweating like I’ve worked out for hours, like what the heck! The worst part is when they appear at night. Sometimes I wake up all sweaty as heck in the middle of a rainy, cold night. Gosh, I had those for months.
As of post time, they still come and go but I can say I have successfully warded off about 98% of it with the natural remedies I am going to share with you at the end of this series.
Low libido and painful penetration
I’ll write this in a way devoid of the word s3x as Blogger will send me notification of inappropriate language. This blog is flagged as family-friendly in Google’s book.
I don’t know but I just don’t have the bite to do IT. If you’re still young and very able, enjoy s3x life with your partner as there will come some days in your life when your drive will just fly out of the window and at some point even just a touch from your partner - you just can’t deal with it.
According to my research, this happens when hormones shift making the vaginal wall thin and dry. Dryness can add friction during the act making it painful with a burning sensation afterward which honestly, ewan … masakit!
Many women hardly ever talked about it. Many just suffer the pain inside after the session for the angst of not fulfilling their wifey duties to their husbands or partners.
Many women still can’t talk about this private matter publicly. Many just endure this silently. Not to mention, our culture that sees this subject as a taboo despite the proliferation of easy-access salacious and subjective acts on the internet.
The solution is a matter of how well your husband/partner understands the physiology of a woman. Talk to your partner, lahat naman napag-usapan. If this can’t be helped, there are a hundred and one ways to do it without penetration. Imagination and creativity are the only limit.
Bloating / Acid Reflux
Another common symptom many women suffer is bloating and acid reflux. There are hormone receptors in our stomachs that get whacked-up when our hormones are all over the place.
The first time I had heartburn, I thought I was having a heart attack. And since I had no idea what was going on in my body, we had to go to the ER at two o’clock in the morning.
I still have them from time to time but they were not as severe as they were before, thanks to a shift in my diet and Apple Cider Vinegar with the mother.
Palpitations
Of the 30 and more identified symptoms of perimenopause, I probably have gotten half of it and palpitations get a highlight.
The first time my chest went bog bog I panicked. Again, I thought I had a heart attack as I was nursing a high BP back then. This seriously started me experiencing health anxiety.
Then, I had the palpitations and heart flutters as regular visitors every morning when I wake, every night before I go to sleep and it is just fearfully annoying.
When my ECG came out normal, all my electrolytes tests came out normal, I was a bit at peace. But when it happened all of a sudden again, I’m telling you … magka anxiety jud ka.
Joint pains and aches all over
It’s called osteoarthritis. It’s not really painful but there is this sting right in my knees when I wake up in the morning and I feel like I’m an old lady. At some point, I walked with a walking stick around to alleviate the sting.
Then came sakit-sakit sa lawas, like they just randomly appear anywhere. I’m not really a fan of whatever haplas. But at this point, I was left with no choice but to foster a love affair with them, especially essential oils.
At this point, I seriously don’t like my doctor anymore as every time I come to visit his clinic and tell him my aches and pains, this syndrome called White Coat would appear and my BP would shoot up. Then, I end up going home with a thick pad of pharma prescriptions.
Why are doctors like that? Aren’t there natural remedies out there without debilitating side effects?
Well, as a matter of fact, there are. I’ll share them at the end of this series.
Insomnia
Sleep disturbance is one of the common symptoms I have to deal with from time to time. Some nights I can sleep right through it, some nights it’s just me and my eyeballs popping and rolling in the dark of night.
The not so good news about lack of sleep all the time is that it can snowball to other problems. I did every single suggestion there is how to manage insomnia. Some fortunately work, some didn’t. But when this happens, the first thing I do is sleep my morning away to cover some hours of lost rest. Really, unproductive mornings.
Premenstrual Syndrome
I have not experienced this in the past or if I have symptoms probably were so flimsy I hardly ever noticed it. But lately, this thing called PMS has been driving me nuts. When you’re already experiencing heightened anxiety and the monthly period is about to come along, it exacerbates the sensation.
Ladies who already have this syndrome will understand but for one whose hormones are out of balance, navigating this situation is such a taxing and uncomfortable feeling.
Not to mention clammy feeling, restlessness, pain all over the body and so much more. Over-all, I am just feeling what my son will call it - crap and in vernacular, wa jud ka sabot sa imung gibati.
Fatigue
As in crashing fatigue like I’ve plowed a farm field for a whole day. Sometimes it even happens despite my having a good sleep on a prior night. Then, you get shoulder pains afterward, geez! I feel like I can’t just go on anymore, but heck! Laban Lang!
Dizziness/Headaches/Vertigo
This is one of the debilitating symptoms I experienced. Even as I write this post, I am feeling the sensation. As I have said, I am experiencing heightened anxiety from time to time and sometimes I don’t know anymore whether the dizziness is caused by anxiety or caused by my crazy hormones.
At the onset of my dizziness/vertigo episode, my doctor prescribed me Serc, Vert and even some sedating meds that frankly made my symptoms worst. When I learned about the potency of ginger tea to ward these all away, I ditched all pharma meds and boil myself fresh ginger every morning. No side effects!
High Blood Pressure
This is not a symptom of perimenopause actually, but when you experience severe stress as you journey this phase in your life, added with falling and rising hormones at some point your blood vessels will act out and cause your BP to rise.
I was in severe stress with my group having a member whom I trusted failed us bigtime and at that time I can’t get over the pain and maybe, since I have not been stressed out for so long, exposing myself to such an abrupt and harsh situation caused my system to act out. Got hospitalized and heck even as I write, still experiencing BP rise and fall. But it’s all under the bridge now. No regrets, moving forward.
Now, I have to deal with the side-effects of the meds and it’s not a good thing.
Anxiety and Stress (No depression, gladly)
Going through perimenopause is such a challenging journey. When you have all of those mentioned above and many more and it happened halfway in the time of this COVID-19 pandemic, it sure is a perfect storm to exacerbate the sensations.
I seriously don’t know when exactly this started but what I know is that the anxiousness I experience stemmed from the constant fluctuations of my BP, the 6.9 earthquake that happened October last year while I was attending my child’s culminating performance at school (imagine the whole school community were there) and by the emotional trauma I experience I mentioned with a member of my group above.
Undergoing heightened anxiety is such a debilitating and uncomfortable experience. I get dizzy all the time and that sensation of feeling an internal earthquake always sends my heart racing. Not to mention the COVID-19 quarantine that happened.
I am going through a lot of self-transformation programs right now and I thank the Lord for the progress I made every single day.
Seriously, women take care of your mental well-being. You will never understand how important it is until you experience the feeling that as if the sky is going to fall down on you and you'll be curling in your couch for weeks for fear it would happen. God, I wouldn’t wish this to happen even to the worse of my enemy.
For almost a year I have not updated this blog and writing this long post is a sure sign of my progress and for that, I am truly grateful to the Almighty for journeying with me. I did well, didn't I?
I know the Almighty Father will not give this setback to people who aren't strong enough to handle this debilitating and uncomfortable feeling. I know there is a reason why I get to experience this. I am now slowly understanding my true self and I am certain this new identity I am working on every single day will make me a strong woman of value for life.
Chapter 3: On managing perimenopause naturally amidst the pandemic
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| I bought a puppy as I know it would help. His name is Baste. (Photo 2) |
So how exactly I am managing my symptoms? In the heyday, when women experience unwellness, they have all the natural resources available growing on the ground. If you heard about talimughat, dahon-dahon, ugat-ugat, these are the things women back then employ to ease their symptoms and guess what? Suffer no side effects at all. Fast forward 2020, most doctors now see these symptoms as a disease and prescribe pharma treatment protocols that alleviate symptoms but pose more risks (per a lot of studies) years after down the road.
Hence, it is really important that we, women these days have informed choices when it comes to managing our peri/menopausal symptoms.
In my case, after so much personal readings, compare, contrast, cause, and effect evaluations I decided to go natural and ditch my doctor’s suggestion to take on hormone replacement therapy. I am not sick, I am just going through a new phase in my life and many of these changes can be alleviated naturally.
Just a disclaimer, I am not a doctor and these methods are not supposed to replace your medical treatments. Always consult your doctor.
But in all honesty, your doctor won’t believe the efficacy of some of these anyway, so just do it. Just proceed with caution. Managing symptoms is really a trial and error thing. Some natural protocols will work and some won’t. Just go for what will work for you and the following are what works for me.
When I experienced my first symptom I seriously didn't know what was going on. I thought I was sick so I went to my oldie but goodie OBGYN and guess what? She prescribed me nothing but positive thinking. Geessh, doc I need more than that.
So I went to Dr. Google. Well, you’re not supposed to google your symptoms as it will exacerbate your anxiety but I did it anyway… so there I knew what was going on and started researching how to manage my circumstance.
Diet
It took me six months to figure it out and revamped my diet. First, I eliminated dairy, coffee, alcohol. Then, painful as it may to not be eating refined bread, I scrap it out along with other refined grains. Then, I eliminated added sugars … bye, bye cinnamon bread and donut. Then, the meat and then ceased eating all things that move and have a face.
Then I eat mostly everything raw that grows from the ground. In other words, I went whole foods plant-based with my diet. I started to grow my own leafy green veggies, they’re actually easy to grow. Pump up my fruit consumption.
Believe me after just three weeks of going plant-based, the hot flashes, the night sweats were all 98% gone.
Pea, Sunflower, Barley and Wheat Grass Sprouts.
(Photo 3)
I also grow my own HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), meaning I grow microgreens. This actually stems from the book, Grow Your Own HRT: Sprout hormone-rich greens in only two minutes by Sally J. Duffell.
Sprouted foods are one of the world’s richest sources of plant hormones and not only the densest form of nutrients on the planet but also easy to digest. As we evolved on plant hormones, we have receptors in our cells looking for them and it supports our systems to get them back into our diets. The book also detailed instructions on how to grow hormone-rich plants on your windowsill in just two minutes a day. In addition, the author details how to self-diagnose, how much to take, and which sprouts to grow for which symptoms. This book shows scientific proof that sprouted foods contain Plant estrogens, Plant progesterone, Plant sterols, Natural detoxifying nutrients. Plus all the studies on how sprouted foods help Menopause symptoms, Cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, dementia, diabetes, autism. Grow your own HRT the way nature intended - it's quick, cheap and natural - you have nothing to lose. (Book Excerpt from Amazon.com)
Hydration is also important, I know you already know about this but just a little reminder 8-10 glasses a day of clean water will do wonders to our body.
Seed Cycling
There are little Literature and science-based evidence about the effectiveness of seed cycling as a method to balance hormones and ease symptoms of peri/menopause. But it’s a natural way I’ve found to balance my hormones and many women have testified that it worked for them so I just have to give it a shot.
So how do seed cycling works? (you can Google more of this).
Essentially, seed cycling involves incorporating ground flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds into your diet to balance hormones.
This works to regulate and support the estrogen hormone on the first phase of the menstrual cycle or the follicular phase by eating 1 tbsp each of ground flax and pumpkin seeds. And 1 tbsp. each of ground sesame and sunflower seeds on the second phase or luteal phase of the menstrual cycle to boost progesterone hormone.
If you’re not having periods anymore, you can follow the moon cycle for the dates of when to start your protocol.
Seeds contain a substantial amount of nutrients, vitamins, essential amino acids that support the hormone that is produced during the respective time of a woman’s cycle and helps to create hormones that are lacking during such cycles. I really thought this is the easiest way to balance my hormones given that I refused to take on my doctor’s recommended HRT.
Seeds are very versatile and they’re delicious. I can add them to any fruit, smoothies, kahit sa sabaw pwede or I can just snack on them in between meals. But always be aware if you are allergic to some of these seeds. Check before trying.
So did it work? It sure did! I started doing this in February and by April up to post time my periods already showed regularity.
The only challenge was securing the seeds in the time of COVID-19 community quarantine. The mobility of couriers is very limited and local stores are mostly closed and I have to find a way to contact store managers for delivery. I order most of my seeds online - Shopee, Lazada, and other small shops online.
Exercise
We all know the benefits of exercise. It can lower our stress levels down and a good buffer to bring us out of added anxiety and depression in these trying times.
In my case, I have to get into action to regulate my hormones and to lower the elevated BP. But whether a woman is undergoing this physiological change or not, exercise should be a priority.
When the COVID-19 quarantine started, I had to stop running on a treadmill at a gym. It’s quite a challenge with the restricted space at home but as an old adage say, kung gusto may paraan, kung ayaw maraming dahilan. I’m just in luck we have a bit of ground here in our compound to run around.
Some exercise protocols don't really need a big space or modern gym equipment, use Youtube to search for exercises you can start doing with limited resources and spaces.
Just a word of caution, don’t overdo it, especially for women like me undergoing this phase in their lives. You’ll stress your body more if you go beyond what your body can take. Moderation is always key to destress and not add more stress to our body.
Yoga
Aside from running and brisk walking 30 minutes in the morning. I also do yoga for at least 30 minutes every day. In the beginning, about October last year, I joined a public class but I can’t sustain the guided one-hour session especially with me experiencing dizziness/vertigo at that time.
Instead, I asked my teacher to give me easy asanas that I can follow at home. Then I turn to Youtube / phone app and religiously practice asanas that are appropriate for my situation. I can list here a thousand testimonies about how yoga can help, especially for women who are into this phase. But I’ll leave it to you to try for yourself and practice it. It’s really transformative.
It is also a very relevant practice, especially in this time of pandemic. It can transform not only your body but also your spirituality to nurture self-love and connection to limitless energy and higher vibration. And again, a good measure to reduce anxiety. Besides, it requires only a little space in your home. All you need is time.
I am now close to a year of practicing yoga and now reaping the benefits. In the beginning, it’s quite like nothing is happening but just persevere - I’m always a firm believer of what you practice, grow stronger.
Tulsi Tea is a powerful adaptogen
(Photo 4)
Practice Mindfulness, Gratitude Meditation, and Positive Affirmations
To be honest, the only meditation I did before was saying a prayer meditation before going to bed and waking up in the morning. But when I experienced heightened anxiety, I thought it’s about time I should get into this seriously, it's a shame really. I should have done this seriously before. But it's not too late.
So then, I tried doing mindfulness, gratitude meditation, and positive affirmations before going to bed. I was so bad at it that I can’t even finish a guided one without my thoughts wandering all over. But I keep doing it anyway over and over again. I follow a lot of guided meditation channels over at Youtube. There are a number of them but the ones I like the most are The Mindful Movement, Jason Stephenson, and Dr.Joe Dispenza. There’s also a long list of app you can use.
In the beginning, I never really understood the depth of the benefits of mindfulness and gratitude meditation. But I want to find solace for the uncomfortable feeling of experiencing anxiety so I started to research and was so overwhelmed by the results. Just 10 minutes of training our mind to be in the present moment does so many wonders to our brain. Mindfulness meditation is not just about emptying our mind as others may call it, but it is about compassion, about kindness for ourselves and for others as well.
Mindfulness is also about practicing and training the circuits of our brain to be in the present moment, to be in the now. As when we are in the present, we live life consciously, so aware that each moment we breathe is a gift of life. I will leave this here for you to discover more for yourself.
If you’re reading this now, whether you’re into peri/menopause or not, just get curious and try doing it. I urge you to spend at least just 10 minutes of your day connecting with yourself, the divine, the higher ones, and raise your vibration and energy.
Practicing mindfulness and gratitude meditation are just few of the most rewarding things I did with my time during the quarantine and still doing it right now as it is addictive and I have no plans of stopping. It is also a good way to spend time for myself alone.
Master the art of deep breathing
When we’re living we’re breathing, that’s about right! But mastering the art of breathing deeply is another story. It’s a little labor when you do a 4-7-8 (inhale at the count of 4, hold at the count of 7 and exhale at the count of 8) technique at first but as I have said, what you practice, grow stronger.
Practice it, more than the benefits deep breathing can do to our body, it saved my life, it changed my life.
Journaling
When you’re into this phase at some point you get a brain fog. I easily forget where and what things are. The easiest way to deal with this is to keep a journal.
As I have said, I am experiencing heightened anxiety and keeping a journal of what my fears and anticipations are somehow have helped tone the discomforts down.
Adaptogens
Adaptogens are healing herbs and spices we introduce to our body to let our body adapt to stress, fatigue, and other health issues.
Because I am experiencing heightened anxiety, often my stress level is to the roof. Thanks to meditation, deep breathing and eating right, I get to mitigate the situation somehow. But adaptogens are of great help. Thank you, Lord for these natural remedies.
I like Tulsi tea (Holy Basil tea), it's a gentle yet powerful adaptogen. I also use Valerian Root for insomnia. Ginger tea and Turmeric for the joint pains, PMS, headaches, vertigo and they’re as effective as prescription drugs without the side effects. I also like Hawthorne and Roselle tea.
Essential Oils
I spent quite a fortune on this one, LOL! The reliable ones are expensive, but I would say they really help. Doterra’s Lavender is a lifesaver.
Healthy Options should I think give me
more vouchers in December as my collection is growing. LOL!😆
(Photo 5)
more vouchers in December as my collection is growing. LOL!😆
(Photo 5)
Supplements
I’ve grown a collection of bottles on this one. The ones I have are safe over the counter alternatives. But I just employ the essentials like multi-vitamins, Chlorella, B-Complex, Magnesium + Calcium + D3 complex, L-Theanine for the anxiety, Hawthorn Berry Extract for heart health, COQ10, Grape seed extract, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Oil and Evening Primrose Oil.
If you notice, I have no known supplements for menopause like Black Cohosh, etc. that is because I went whole foods plant-based on my diet and these were addressed by it.
Remember to consult your doctor before trying, but heck again, doctors would rather give you prescription meds. Except for some maybe. Research is the key.
I handmade these hairclips made out of foamiran.
When this pandemic will ease up, I'll make time to drop these
to the girls at the orphanage.
(Photo 6)
Nurture a hobby
One of the things a woman can do at this point in her life is to nurture a hobby. Find something you’re so interested in doing and go for it. Can be gardening, especially helpful at this time of pandemic. Can be dancing, photography, sewing - whatever floats your boat really, just do it! Like right now!
I paint on canvas, I paint on stones, I make DIY bird feeders, I even painstakingly finish a bead art. I did container veggies gardening as this experience heightened during the time of quarantine. I also thought I’ll make something for the girls at the orphanage. So I created hair clips out of foamiran. Whatever you feel like doing, do it, there's nothing that’s too late for under the sun.
I call this 'Beauty in Anxiety'
One of my bead art creative outputs during
uncomfortable days of heightened anxiety.
(Photo 7)
'Purple Garden'
One of the paintings I did.
Acrylic in Canvas
(Photo 8)
I have been quarantining myself long before this COVID-19 breakout happened. I don’t like to go out, I feel so tired all the time so I self-imposed a house arrest. But eventually, I felt I needed to go out to see what’s going on outside, but I don't want to be aimlessly roaming around the mall.
So I gathered all my children’s 5 years' worth of used notebooks. I upcycled them and turned them into another set of pretty covered notes. I added more school supplies to the pack. I made food packs and distributed them to the children of parola compound in Sasa, Davao.
That was the first time I went out in a long time and that was the most personal charity work I’ve done.
Selfie with the kids of Parola Compound, Davao City
(Photo 9)
Got 50 kids happy and one adult soul feeling fulfilled during this day.
(Photo 10)
(Photo 10)
5 years' worth of unused note leafs
(Photo 11)
(Photo 11)
Taking Care of Mental well-being and Self-Love
Women, especially those undergoing this phase should take extra care of ourselves and pay much attention to what our body and mind tell us.
I assume many of us at this age already have grown-up children. I have a third-year college, a Grade 10 and a Grade 7. I’ve taught them growing up the art of urban survival, meaning knowing how to make their own pancake, make their own sunny side ups, doing laundry and other complex domestic and relevant life hacks that they can now be on their own, unsupervised.
So at this point in my life, I don’t feel guilty anymore spending time with myself not minding whether they have something cooked on the table to eat or I’ve done the laundry or not. They can do things on their own now.
Self-care for us women is especially important in this time of pandemic. Our healthcare system at this point is now so overloaded with infected COVID-19 patients that we can’t afford to be part of the scenario. Hence, it is imperative to take care not only of our physical self but our mental well-being as well.
Often when we’re in our prime and high wellness, we take ourselves for granted, thinking - Well, I am all good right now. We eat too much sugar, too much salt, too much resentment not enough peace, too much work not enough rest and so on, and so forth. In my case, I was so caught up with being so hard with myself for all the imperfections that I did. In the end, it backfired like a clogged gutter in heavy rain.
So much of my self-care realizations happen during this time of my life and now I am refastening the buttons to make it right.
This lyric of the song Serenity prayer sums this all up. "God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
At this point, I seriously don’t know when I’ll be able to cross the menopause line, my body only knows when and I have no clue what other symptoms I’ll be experiencing down the road. My only consolation is that women in the past have survived this without a hitch and not employing anything like horse urine. I always assure myself that I am not sick nor crazy, I am just undergoing a phase in my life called perimenopause.
In conclusion, life wouldn’t be all possible without the guidance and provision of our Almighty Father. I am a firm believer that He will hold on to me and journey with me in these challenging times of life, especially amidst the uncertainties of this pandemic.
So long as I believe in my higher myself, believe that I am enough, believe that I am beautiful, believe that I am talented, believe that I am a woman of value, believe that I have courage, believe that I can make a difference in this world, believe that I have a purpose, believe that compassion and kindness make this world a beautiful place to live in - then nothing is impossible with bouncing back from this midlife challenges even in this COVID-19 stricken world.
If you know of other natural protocols that will help alleviate anxiety and other symptoms of peri/menopause, I would really appreciate it if you comment it down below.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.
#Keepbelieving, #Justflow #ToGodBetheGlory.
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