Menopause can bring up a lot!
Menopause can bring up a lot - having been through it myself, I know! And if you're a sensitive person it can be even tougher. It's like all our sensitivities become heightened. Add to that the pressures and demands of life plus the negative messages we get from our society about menopause and aging, and we can end up feeling pretty fearful, frazzled, anxious and overwhelmed.
Whatever stage of menopause you are in, whether you are just approaching it or tentatively emerging out the other side, if you are reading this you may be:
feeling fear or denial about what's ahead
feeling lost and questioning everything; who you are, your relationships, your work and your life purpose
worried that you're losing the plot in a roller coaster of emotions, that feel ‘too big’ for everyday life, including grief, rage and resentment
struggling to keep up with the demands and responsibilities of your life and finding yourself frazzled and burned out
feeling confused and overwhelmed by the huge range of conflicting advice that's out there about how you should be 'doing menopause'
and on top of it all you may be feeling alone in it all, afraid that no one would understand what you're going through if you told them what was really going on
Help is at hand
I'm Melanie, a bodyworker, Shadow Work Coach and Group Facilitator and Menopause Wellness Practitioner. I am also a proudly post-menopausal woman and a happily highly sensitive person (or HSP).
I help sensitive souls who are in or approaching menopause and experiencing anxiety and overwhelm to release trauma from their bodies, rebalance their nervous systems and find trust in themselves and in the menopause process, so they can come out the other side of menopause thriving.
Menopause is not the end
I want you to know that menopause is not 'the end' (even though it might feel like it at times and even though our patriarchal consumerist society would like to have you believe that).
I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you, even if things feel really hard right now. You are not broken and you are doing anything wrong.
I also want you to know that menopause is not just a biological process. If, like me, you're someone who searches for the deeper meanings in life, looking at menopause solely through a biological and medical lens can leave you feeling cold and empty.
I believe that menopause is, first and foremost, a soul journey and that with the right holding, this time of transition can be an opportunity for healing and growth. Menopause is like an internal winter and, if we fully allow this winter, it is followed by the new growth of spring, and the possibility of emerging:
more aligned with the essence of who we are
more able to bring our unique gifts to the world
and more able to simply enjoy being ourselves!
My work draws on a wealth of training and experience, and is informed by the tools and approaches that have benefited me the most on my own healing journey and that I have found most helpful in my work with clients over the last 20 years.
Over the last 8 years as I travelled through menopause I have been working with my 'Menopause Map' as a way of helping my clients make sense of menopause as a soul journey and understand what they need at each stage.
If you'd like to find out more or if you need support right now, you can book a coaching session, or book a free introductory session:
"I have always viewed menopause as part of a cycle and had thought that I am approaching the autumn of my life, which to be honest was a bit depressing. The Menopause Map has illuminated that there are cycles within cycles, and although I may not be in my 30’s anymore, I can explore the autumn/metal stage of my life knowing I will emerge from it to begin a new cycle... Rather than be worried by this I am now curious about what the next stage of my life will bring."
Lou, mother