Bring on the Waterworks: The Emotional Impact of Menopause

Last Updated on February 17, 2017 by Diane Hoffmaster

When you hear women or doctors talking about menopause, usually they discuss the erratic periods or hot flashes.  I don't hear a lot about the emotional impact of menopause. Sure, sometimes they talk about how bitchy a woman is acting and say 'Oh, it's just hormones'.  But no one ever told me how emotional I would become as I started moving into this lovely decade of my life. My family is looking at me like I have lost what few marbles I had left.  I cry in church.  I cry listening to a song in the car.  I cry when I get into an argument with my teenage son about his grades.  That one was yesterday's meltdown.  I spent an hour in my room hiding under a pillow until I could get my emotions back under control. I am not generally an overly emotional person and constantly breaking down in tears is seriously starting to bug me.

Bring on the Waterworks:  The Emotional Impact of Menopause

I find it hard to deal with any strong emotions without it turning into tears.  Whether that emotion is happiness, anger, or depression it seems like no matter the scenario, the waterworks start.  And then my husband looks at my like a deer in the headlights, my son has this terrified look on his face and my daughter jumps in with tissues, hugs and soft shushing noises.  She is my nurturer by nature but I think she is starting to worry about this whole dealing with hormones thing.  I wish I could tell her that menopause doesn't suck but I don't think she would believe me.

I know that there are medications out there to help people deal with emotional overload.  I am not a huge fan of prescription therapy for myself but haven't ruled it out completely if the emotional impact of menopause gets too hard for me to deal with on my own.  I have started looking into natural remedies for menopausal emotions and wanted to share a few that I found.

• Vitamin D:  I actually found that Vitamin D was very helpful for my emotional well being, however then I started reading about the side effects of too much vitamin D and I started getting nervous. I have stopped taking it for now which is why the waterworks have started back up again.
• Exercise:  I exercise daily and while it really helps when I am feeling angry or frustrated, it doesn't seem to do much for the crying.
• Talking about it:  I am honest with my family about why I am crying, even if it is just to say "I am feeling hormonal and need to be alone"  They don't really understand but at least they know what is going on.
• Mental exercises:  Whether it is meditation for stress or a short prayer of thanks for the blessings I have been given, I am trying to take more time to be mindful and appreciate the things I have in my life.  Of course, that sometimes leads to happy tears but I guess those are better than sad ones!
• Herbal teas:  I have a few herbal teas that are designed for emotional stability.  They seem to help me deal with the emotional impact of menopause and it is nice to occasionally take 30 minutes out of my busy day to enjoy a cup of tea.

I never really thought I would be facing menopause symptoms at the age of 44.  When you Google 'menopause images' you find pictures of women in their 60s who's hair is grey.  I am relatively young, active and like to think that I am nowhere near the age to deal with menopause symptoms.  Unfortunately, my mom went through menopause for TEN YEARS.  I'm not sure I can handle menopause emotions for another 10 years without ending up in therapy or divorced.

Have any tips you want to share to deal with menopause emotions?

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Only three short years ago, I wrote this post.  I chuckle about it now!

A Baby After 40? I’d rather start menopause!

 

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