Health Fitness

Coping with anxiety during menopause

Although pregnancy is not a major concern for most menopausal women, anxiety can be. In fact, anxiety is one of the most common perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. Anxiety is something that everyone experiences during different periods of their life. It is normal to feel anxious, nervous or worried at times, but these are feelings that should not be felt constantly or make one feel overwhelmed or trapped.

What Causes Anxiety During Menopause? Menopausal women are more susceptible to anxiety due to the fact that their hormones are in a constant state of fluctuation as their body prepares to shut down its ability to reproduce. During this time, many women experience depression and high levels of stress. Feelings of depression are believed to be the result of insufficient estrogen, and anxiety is often a symptom of depression.

Additionally, research has found that the hormone progesterone, which is also depleted during menopause, is known to have a calming and relaxing effect on the body. Therefore, the lack of hormones is unsettling and allows emotions that were once overlooked or produced minor anxiety to be exaggerated.

Anxiety can cause emotional and physical symptoms that include:
– tremors or tremors
Fast heartbeat
– Short of breath
– Feeling of tightness or fullness in the chest and / or throat.
– Profuse sweating or cold and clammy hands.
– Muscle tension and / or pain
– dizziness
– nausea
– Tired
– Constant worry and feeling of sadness.
– Lack of concentration
– irritable
– Sleep without rest

The above symptoms can be felt independently during different times, or many of them can occur suddenly, last for a period of time, and then disappear. This sudden attack of anxiety is known as an anxiety attack or panic attack. Women who experience these attacks probably have an anxiety disorder.

The severity of anxiety that women experience will vary and is usually worse during perimenopause. Anxiety symptoms tend to go away after menopause is complete. However, despite how anxiety can affect you, it is important to seek treatment if the anxiety you feel weakens or disrupts your lifestyle.

Here are 5 ways you can help ease the anxiety you feel:

1. Identify and reduce stressors in your life: Take a careful look at your life and think about what triggers your anxiety or causes you a lot of stress. Is it your job, your home life, or the people you work with? Do you feel like you don’t have enough time to get things done? Once you identify stress, you must find ways to relieve it. This may mean changing jobs, getting help at home, and finding ways to free up more time.

2. Take time to have fun: You need to take time to relax and do the things you enjoy. Everybody needs a break. If you don’t relax, your stress will catch up with you.

3. Eat Right: Avoid heavy diets, skipping meals, and eating before bed. These eating programs are surefire ways to increase your anxiety level and cause restless sleep. Make sure you stay well hydrated, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, avoid alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, and stay away from processed foods that are high in fat. Be good to your body!

4. Exercise – Yoga, Tai Chi, walking, swimming, jogging, or playing sports are excellent ways to increase energy, clear the mind, speed up metabolism, strengthen the body, and improve circulation.

5. Seek the advice of your doctor – If you experience physical symptoms that disable you or seriously interfere with your daily and social life, you should seek medical attention. Severe anxiety is a sign that what you are suffering from is a disorder. You may need antidepressants to help you cope, or you may find that what you are suffering from is not anxiety but another condition.

Remember, anxiety is not something to be ignored. Take care of yourself by eating well, relaxing, and telling others how you feel.