Having seen my mother go through early menopause was one of the most difficult things I have experienced in my life. Today, we are living in an era where a whole generation of women leaders surround us as they continue to live and inspire.
Today, we at Startup City are acknowledging one of the most essential stages of a woman and how one can deal with the symptoms of menopause when they are at the peak of their career.
The years leading up to menopause and this transition can bring significant changes in the female body. But, it also affects the mind and mental health as well.
While they have been perfecting their time management and tackling the stress from work and home, depression is a threat that can hit them in case of extreme burnout, women leaders have a high chance of falling prey to depression and if they have struggled with anxiety and depression in the past, the symptoms are likely to reappear
The severe shifts in the levels of hormones can cause mood swings at every stage of life and it surely does in the case of menopause as well.
The transition can cause Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome, affecting mood, and postpartum depression is another example of conditions that are driven by hormonal changes inside the body, in these cases, before menstruation or after childbirth.
While a woman is going through perimenopause and menopause, the mood shifts are most often mild and the milder depressive symptoms have been linked with hormone changes.
Research stated in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism linked an increase in depression symptoms after menopause with fluctuations of two hormones, progesterone and estradiol, the most potent form of estrogen.
The vast majority of women who develop significant mood issues during perimenopause have had them in the past, while it is something rare to happen in the case of someone who has not experienced depression or anxiety to suddenly develop a severe case of it at menopause.
From a working perspective, well, various factors can lead to stress when menopause occurs. It can be a time when women sometimes face multiple sources of stress.
Including the stress of managing things at work, in a leadership role caring for children, dealing with aging parents, and navigating life changes, all of which may contribute to the incidence of depression and anxiety at this age.
While research has linked menopause and depression, the connection is less clear when it comes to anxiety. There is some evidence that women are more likely to experience panic attacks during and after the menopausal transition.
A panic attack in such a situation would have certain symptoms including a sudden sense of extreme anxiety, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, or harmless heart rhythm disturbances called palpitations.
Hot flashes are another significant symptom of menopause, but there is a difference between a panic attack and a hot flash. During a panic attack, the human heart may race and one may feel sweaty and hot. The same is true in the case of hot flashes.
Before a hot flash, some women experience an aura. The aura is a term doctors use to describe a sensation preceding a brain condition (such as migraine). For these women, the hot flash is preceded by a panicky feeling or a sense of doom.
The changes in physical health during menopause can trigger anxiety and various other factors like lack of sleep, nighttime hot flashes, etc which can cause mood changes. In such a situation, being a working woman, you should focus on these tips:
Eating Healthy: Well, the connection between mental health and what we eat is quite clear, in such a scenario, while going through menopause, it should be ensured that one is consuming the nutrients that the body requires and taking time to make sure that one does not indulge into unhealthy food just because they are not feeling well.
Being Aware: While struggling mentally, in situations of anxiety, the emotions are ruling over the mental power to take decisions, one must take the required time and sit back to be aware of their emotions. What they are feeling and what is triggering these emotions. Once acknowledged you have control over how you can react.
Manage Your Lifestyle: Women's health is usually comprised as it is not a priority between hob and family. It is time that if you are going through menopause, you are getting time for yourself and making the required lifestyle changes such as increasing exercise, getting adequate sleep, and controlling stress to reduce potential symptoms.
Reach Out: Depression and anxiety are the things one should not ignore no matter what struggling alone is not an option that is positive for the health of the person suffering. Thus, one should talk to the people around them and take the needed support.
Menopause is unavoidable and it is a stage that comes into every woman's life. It is difficult but also essential that if you are a working woman or not, your health is a priority to keep the cycle of life going forward.