World Menopause Day 2020
Senior Operational Manager Hazel Burleigh shares her experiences and top tips on World Menopause Day 2020:
This time last year I was blogging as the “Menopausal Runner” to up the profile of the impact of the menopause on both physical and mental wellbeing. Who would have thought then that we would be facing a global pandemic?
Going through the menopause is a personal journey. As I have said before, there are no right or wrong ways of dealing with the challenges. Here are a few of my top tips:
- Be kind to yourself. You are not past it! Your body is just rebooting and in the process, creating a few problems.
- Talk about what you are feeling, whether that’s to your GP, friends or family.
- Work out what works best for you. For me it’s exercise, for others it’s HRT – there are many options.
- Let people at work know what support you may need.
It took me a good year to work out what I was experiencing was the menopause. Once I realised, it was a relief because I knew what was happening and could make changes in my life to get through the journey in the best way I could.
What to look out for:
- Fatigue/tiredness
- Hot flushes
- Night sweats
- Body pain
- Dizziness
- Weight gain
- Low mood
- Anxiety
- Increased stress levels
- Problems with memory
- Irritability
So there we are. I am still on my menopause journey, taking it a day at a time. I am still running and smiling and looking after myself in the best way I can.
There is lots of support out there, don’t hide away, you are not alone.
For more information visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/, for support visit the Menopause Support Resources Page.