posted 1st October 2023
It wasn't my plan to write about menopause! I didn't grow up dreaming of a life where I was the poster girl for midlife unravelling. I'd previously spent years in the glamorous whirlwind of London's media agencies, where my days were filled with meetings and fine meals. The only targets on my agenda were sales ones, not hormone levels.
However, as I realised I was one of the few who had clumsily stumbled her way through surgical menopause, I realised that others need to hear the truth and be comforted in the fact that life could, in fact, begin at menopause rather than be the bitter, bland and baron end so many others paint the picture of.
Anyway, like I said, this isn't an article about menopause.... It's a tale of one woman rewriting her life's script, creating a new narrative!
I want my daughter and my daughter's daughter to have archives of experience from which to draw on in tough times - Unlike my own 'archive', which is as bland as the narrative surrounding it, all because my beautiful mum suffered in silence and embodied the 'carry on regardless' mantra of her generation.
But what message does silent endurance send to those who are suffering? Imagine showing up to a board meeting, head as foggy as a November morning, struggling to articulate thoughts while everyone stares, expecting brilliance and all your mind has to offer is a head full of cotton wool!
Our collective silence only adds to the stigma, causing those not currently at the door of this life stage to positively turn around with fingers in their ears not wanting to give it another thought because the idea of menopause is just too scary.
I've heard those words before and to that, I reply reassuringly that we absolutely need to be talking about it! Sharing our stories of this perfectly normal and possibly even enlightening experience creates a supporting community, and THAT'S what this article is about.
Standing together, holding each other up - even when (especially when...) we walk out the door knowing we have each other's backs.
In the heart of life's journey is an opportunity for renewal - a process that is as challenging as it is transformative. So let's embrace the wisdom of our ever-changing bodies, using each chapter as a stepping stone to deeper understanding and fuller living.
If you fancy more stuff NOT about menopause, come and join the circus over on Instagram @life_begins_at_menopause.
