Own Your Individuality this International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day represents a celebration of women around the globe in striving for a gender equal world. Inclusivity, empowerment, safety, diversity, integrity and above all a world free from bias, discrimination and prejudice. All things that women should be entitled to but is it not only important to recognize equality, but also individuality?
Hormonally, women have an enormous amount of issues to deal with through the ages, including pubity, menstruation, pregnancy, post pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. But although we will all experience the perimenopause/menopause, we will not all have the same experience. Your menopause is unique to you, so when it comes to the menopause we should be treated individually. Awareness in many areas including the workplace has progressed but greater education and understanding is required so that the menopause is not regarded negatively or passed off as some kind of comical excuse for someone’s behaviour, ‘she’s probably menopausal’ accompanied by the obligatory eye roll.
· Symptoms – You are not broken and you are not weak. Your body is not ‘letting you down’ it is working hard to navigate the transition as best it can. There are over 60-100 different menopause symptoms affecting the mind and body, yet it is probably safe to say there is only reasonable knowledge of the more common few. Many factors will influence your menopause experience including genetics, hormonal blueprint, lifestyle, stress levels and overall health. Some women sail through unaffected while others suffer badly but everyone will be dealing with their own symptoms in their own way. There will be similarities but there will be unique differences so the answer lies in listening to your body and understanding how you can support it through this phase.
· Advice - There is an enormous amount of advice about what you should be eating, what exercise you should be doing, what supplement you should take and more but ultimately the answer lies in your body. Lifestyle choices play a huge role in how you can manage your menopause. Advice is exactly that, it’s a guideline as to how you can improve your experience, but it’s more about a personal process of elimination. Working out what factors of your lifestyle trigger which symptoms and managing that. Once again it comes down to individuality. The beauty of the timing of the perimenopause/menopause if you fall within the most common age bracket (45-55) is you are old enough to know yourself better but young enough to implement a few changes to help you through. Mother nature places you in the transition at a time in your life when she has the highest confidence you are up for the challenge.
· Support – Depending on your ability to cope with the changes will dictate how much support you might need through this phase. It is individual to you. There is no shame in reaching out and no right or wrong way to deal with what you are going through but what is important is that you don’t struggle on alone. Talking about how you are feeling to friends, healthcare professionals, support groups will help you feel heard and less isolated. Although your experience is unique to you, there will be some common ground that may help you put in place your own plan to support your body through the transition.
· Pride – Be proud of yourself and your body, it has served you well and is changing and adapting to the next phase of life. Let go of social media and societal led preconceived ideas about what you should look like and what life should look like for you now and lean into honouring the person you have become. Treat yourself with kindness and take confidence and pride from feeling more aligned with yourself, you don’t have to love every change in your body but recognize how wise, capable and comfortable you feel in your own skin. Be proud of your body, it is individual to you and expresses your uniqueness as a person. Having a sense of self respect and compassion for yourself is incredibly empowering.
· The Best – Take some time to dwell on how well you’re doing. You are dealing with your own individual set of symptoms on top of all the other challenges life throws your way and ultimately you are doing your best and that’s something to be celebrated. Small wins are no less significant than bigger achievements, even little tweaks and daily choices can make a lasting difference to long term wellness. Often we criticize ourselves too harshly instead of championing how we still made it through another day successfully. Despite the sleep deprivation, we still went for a run. Despite the aches and pains, we still managed to be in the right place at the right time for the right person. Despite the brain fog, we still showed up and did our job to the best of our ability. Despite everything we are dealing with, functioning at the capacity we do as a menopausal woman should give us strength, empowerment and satisfaction.
Final thoughts
This International Women’s Day celebrate the woman you are. Celebrate your body that has evolved, adapted and supported you through all the phases of life and is now navigating one of the biggest changes of all. Celebrate your mind that has provided you with the knowledge and power to traverse the transition efficiently and the best way you can. Celebrate your soul that has provided you with the wisdom, strength and grace to carry you through all the twists and turns of life, guiding you through each season. Above all celebrate your individuality, the very essence that makes you unique and has enabled you to stamp your own distinctive blueprint on the world. Being a woman is an honour and a privilege. Being an individual is a gift.
PS “Where there is a woman, there is magic.” Ntozake Shange To discover your individuality contact Positive-Soul.