Dear Menopausal Queens

Yes. I mean you. You survived it, maybe you even thrived it. Regardless, you may feel the 12 year old awakening inside of you. Remember her? The girl who didn't care too much about her appearance. She was up for good, clean fun. She was definitely not concerned with reproduction or with her own sexual attraction. She had spunk, snap and a good dose of feisty. She was fiercely alive. Are you?

This is our moment. We’ve been in it neck deep with careers, partners, kids, friendships, grief, heartache, and the mundane chores of everyday life. But, now the air is clearing. Life renews with a sense of purpose, meaning and wonder. What will you claim for yourself? What delight is in store for you? What molds are you breaking through to begin again? I know you want it, and the world needs you!

Mainstream culture and media may be telling us to give up already. We may not have the fresh faces and youthful glow they value so much, but we have important reasons for being alive. Let’s consider elephants. They are a matriarchal society with complex social structures. Elephants grieve their dead and dutifully nurture their young. Who leads these majestic herds? The menopausal elephants!

There is something to be said for the fountain of wisdom that we now hold. Our brains have been completely rewired. In fact, our reproductive organs and sex hormones are intricately tied to our brains. This is why as teenagers, we became raving mad one minute and began sobbing the next as we rode the emotional rollercoaster of puberty. Our brains were rewiring for reproduction. During our reproductive years our brains were like fully equipped off-roading minivans with multidirectional fog lights and luggage racks everywhere. How else were we going to raise our kids, handle our households and excel in our careers? Then, as we shifted from perimenopause to menopause, our brains went through another transformation. This time they are becoming clean burning, highly efficient vehicles, so quiet that we gain the superpower of invisibility. Our brains are letting go of unnecessary circuits and synapses. Liberation calls.

That is, if we have our health foundations in order. You know me by now, I always go back to basics. Is your glucose regulated? Are you getting restful, deep sleep every night? Are you minimizing stress? Are you eating a nutrient dense diet? I hope so because the world needs you.