Release menopause meltdowns with meditation.  I often discuss womb health and the menopause  but today I am introducing 5  easy to incorporate meditation exercises to support  menopause symptoms.

 “Honestly, it is possible to reduce menopause meltdowns with meditation and mindfulness.  Even better, meditation is simple to learn and free.  You can do it anywhere!” Justine

Can meditation really reduce menopause meltdowns? 

Yes, it can!   Many women have mastered the simple concept  of meditation  to ease this transition in their life.  From a physiological approach  mindfully breathing ,  focusing the mind and consciously relaxing  have helped them to  reduce  their heart-rate,  reduce cortisol  pumping around the body, and helped to convince their brain that there’s nothing  to be anxious  or hot about – thereby releasing menopause meltdowns!

Once you have integrated these simple techniques  into your daily life you will have the ability to actively change your brain’s  response to  menopause meltdowns, restore calm, repose, and return to emotional and hormone balance . So,  it would appear you can teach an middle-aged dog new tricks!  So, what’s the difference between mindfulness and meditation?   There’s nothing difficult about this – mindfulness it simply a modern name for meditation.

 3 reasons to try meditation  to ease menopause  meltdowns

As you transition into this new chapter of your life (I call this time of your life the “wise teenager”)  it is a fantastic opportunity to develop a connection with your true self. I honestly believe that this is an amazing period of life!

Meditation helps you to re-connect with the inner you.  It is essentially a tool to help calm the mind and find the point of stillness.

Inner calm  encourages a positive menopause mindset rather than  the emotive  feeling of  fear and change.

It actively supports hormonal balance and enables you to control and reduce  your menopausal symptoms.

There are numerous forms of meditation  – all help to eliminate the stream of “monkey chatter” that crowds the mind &  reduces  stress response.  I  teach various meditation techniques  1-2-1 but today we are  discussing  simple Mindful Breathing: simply focusing on the breath.    Whatever reason you  introduce meditation into your life you are  inviting a deep sense of inner peace and balance.

I sometimes find myself meditating while I am working, especially when I am providing hormone balancing reflexology.  I am so in tune with the moment that I forget everything else.   It is blissful.  Other times I consciously make the decision to meditate.  When I am feeling nervous, having a hot flush or simply needing so time to be I just take a moment to acknowledge my reactions and breathe.  I inwardly retreat.  I  become aware of how my mind and body are reacting to my anxiety/flush/concern and BREATHE. 

 

5 meditations to release menopause meltdowns

Before we begin please get yourself something to write with or makes notes with.  Now write your  personal menopause symptoms down and scale them 1-10.  My blog Is the menopause (peri) stressing you? offers a symptom list.  So scale the symptoms like this

1 is no problem – 10 is horrendous!  Once you have done this , date it and put it away.  It is time to consciously take control of your menopausal symptoms!

For the next 4 weeks or so (maybe forever) commit to a daily meditation

See whether these FREE, SIMPLE and LIFE CHANGING support tools help your menopause madness!

Mindful Meditation  1.  Just Breathe

Get into a comfortable position, ideally with your spine straight.

Close your eyes.  Take deep, slow breaths. Become aware of the sensation of air flowing in and out of your lungs.

Stay like this, in the present moment, experiencing your body and the world around you, without your mind drifting into abstractions.

When you feel calm, slowly bring yourself out of the meditation.

Adaptations to this:

When suffering with a flush or anxiety moment visualise that you breathing in cool air as you inhale.  As you exhale imagine that you are blowing  out the heat of the flush or anxious thought.  Repeat as often as you like..  Start with 2-3 minutes and work upwards!

Mindful meditation 2: Be Peaceful

Thich Nhat Hahn offers this short mindful meditation in his book Being Peace:

“Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment.”

Sitting calmly, consider this verse and then repeat it to yourself  with intention daily.  You can repeat the mantra as many times as you feel right for you.  Remember to pause and breathe between each mantra.  I would suggest you begin with 7 repetitions daily and work up to 21.  Use carnelian and moonstone crystal mantra bracelet to count the repetitions if you like.

3.  Meditation –   Take a minute!

I remember when I first attended a Brahma Kumaris workshop I was inspired by their simple approach to integrating meditation in daily life and maintaining balance. This is what happened.  The workshop was progressing as normal,  then suddenly a bell rang gently.  This was the sound for silence.  It indicated that it was time to stop, be still, breathe, be present.  Then, after a minute the bell rang again  and everyone  returned to  their task. The bell ringing happened throughout the day at no specific time that I could work out but each time it called for silence, stillness, presence and being present.  It was random in both senses of the word but super powerful.  Maintaining balance in your day and returning to your centre  will not  make your symptoms  or  monkey-mind dissipate  but what it will change is how you connect with yourself and respond to each menopause challenge. I invite you to introduce this Brahma Kumaris technique and set your phone alarm at various times of the day.  When the alarm rings it means STOP, Take TIME OUT, HP INTO SILENCE and TAKE A MINUTE OUT OF YOUR DAY TO BREATHE.

Meditation 4.  Reboot your Senses:

It doesn’t matter where you are just breathe and connect within yourself.

Then  draw your awareness to outside of yourself.  Begin by listening to the sounds around you, identify what you can hear.

Now  let your awareness connect with the sense of smell.  What can you smell?

Draw your awareness to the sense of touch – what does it feel like?

Now returning to you – the sense of taste – what can you taste right now?

Opening your eyes become aware of  what can you see.  Notice the vibrancy of the colours.

Now  tune into them all together  and connect with  universal inter-connected-ness.  Notice how everything  changes all the time – flowing and in sync .

 

Mindful meditation 5: Gratitude:

Take time to express gratitude daily.  Acknowledge 3 positive things that have happened in your life today.  Either say it aloud to yourself of write it down in whatever way suits you.  As you can see, this illustration has written it as a mindful exercise.  Remember to complete the exercise by repeating thank you thank you thank you with deep heart felt thanks.

After a month  revisit your symptom checker and  re-scale your symptoms .  How are you doing?  Any changes? Keep going!  And finally: Don’t feel embarrassed or unsure about meditating.  I know it will feel a bit odd in the beginning but remember  there have been many research studies on the benefit of meditation  including helping people control depression, high blood pressure, longevity and heart disorders and addiction.  If it can help these people, it can hopefully support your  menopause!

 

Justine Evans ND is a Hormone Alchemist . She is a fully qualified nutritional therapist and registered naturopath (ND). Passionate about female health  Justine integrates a mind/body approach to  reproductive wellbeing.

Disclaimer: This article has been written as personal opinion and guidance only and should not be construed as medical advice.  I am not a medical doctor.