Latest / The Pressing Play Podcast / Ep6 Pressing Play on The Stress Trap in Perimenopause (and 5 ways to get out)
Transcript
- Joanne Fiddy: Hello and welcome to the Pressing Play podcast. I'm your host, Jo Fiddy, and it is a joy to see you here today. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for being here. ⁓ And today is goody. So today is the last day ⁓ of Stress Awareness which is throughout the whole of April. And I thought somebody who works with the nervous system helps with stress. helps regulate your nervous system and knowing how stressful it can be in perimenopause and the science behind it, I thought it was a good idea to talk about that today in this podcast. This is a solo episode with me and we will be diving deep into that subject because let's be honest, being in perimenopause can feel really stressful and there's many ways it can feel stressful. So maybe it is your symptoms. you're not sleeping, you're having hot flashes and night sweats. Maybe you are feeling low energy, you're feeling more ragey. And maybe one of those is brain fog. and that fear that I'm losing my edge. And maybe you're sitting here and feeling it too, that your brain isn't working as well ⁓ perimenopause arrives at the exact ⁓ moment when life gets busy. It's like a really spicy time, don't you think? You might be getting it whether it's late 30s, 40s, early 50s, wherever you are in this perimenopausal journey. You might be running families right now and being very, very busy there. You also could be running your own business or working in a career that you have worked so hard for and you finally got that promotion. ⁓ I help a lot of women, you're ready to pivot. You are ready to pivot into something new. something that feels more fulfilling. So there's a lot going on in terms of lifestyle. So perimenopause arrives when it comes to stress, you've got the symptoms, you've got the lifestyle, and also the emotional changes that take place within us. How many of you are feeling that shift, that feeling that you are somehow outgrowing a part of you? Something in you is speaking louder. There's a voice inside. And that can feel a little bit scary and a bit stressful too. Not knowing who you are. So we are going to be diving deep into this subject and you will come away feeling empowered. And also I'm going to give you as a menopause expert, five tips to support you in feeling less stressed. Yes, how many of us want to feel less stressed? first of all, let's get started. Let's get into the science. So, your gorgeous, beautiful brain that we have taken for granted is going through a renovation. Dr. Lisa is a leading neuroscientist. I get very excited about Lisa Mosconi. I feel like the menopause brain her book, should be delivered to every single woman the moment she turns 30, or maybe even in schools. It is life-changing. Please get your paws on the menopause brain first of all. Right, so Dr. Lisa Mosconi was looking at the female brain and what is going on in this transition. because it is a transition and what she found was mind blowing. It changed the game and the landscape for women all over the world. The brain on estrogen and we know that in perimenopause, estrogen goes up and down. Let's talk about the areas that it impacts. It impacts your hippocampus, that's your memory. You probably know that already. ⁓ It impacts your prefrontal cortex, that is your decision making. It also the limbic system, that's your emotional part of your brain. It also impacts the amygdala, the alarm center in your brain. That's ancient cave woman brain. That's your fight, flight and freeze response. It's an incredible part of your brain. Now, does that mean? What we now know, thanks to the incredible work of Dr. Lisa Mosconi, is that our brain is rewiring. So we are going from being reproductive to productive. Yes, my loves, we... are going from being reproductive to This isn't an accident. This is by design. And what I love is that Dr. Lisa Mosconi calls this a renovation. Now I've been through a renovation ⁓ they are stressful. They get in the way. They are dusty, ⁓ and they last way longer than they told you it would actually be. Now, isn't this a great way to think about perimenopause? And your brain, your brain is going through a renovation period right now. It is rewiring, it is reshaping, it is changing. It is not that you are withering, it is not that you're becoming forgetful, it is not that this is the narrative, it's that you are going through a change right now. I mean, I know we used to call it the change, but it really is, your brain is changing. And studies show that your brain, once we get out of this renovation, It levels ⁓ out again. And does that mean? It means that that amygdala in the brain, the alarm center, that starts to calm down. Many women in their 50s talk about having more intuition. And you might be finding right now, ⁓ as you're listening this pod, that there is a voice that is becoming louder. and she knows what she wants and she knows what she doesn't want. And that inner voice starts to get stronger. And that's because your brain starts to prune itself during this renovation period. Dr. Mindy Pelz in her incredible book, Age Like a Girl, talks about how our brain is creating us to go into a leadership role. I love that because the more we talk about this, the more we look at aging with a fresh perspective, a new narrative, we start to embody a new belief about ourselves. We start to realize that we are not fading. We are not losing it. We are going through a renovation. And that my friends, well, I feel takes a little bit of the stress off. Right, let's talk about cortisol. I'm sure you've heard about cortisol a lot. This is the work that I do with women, helping them with cortisol. Because what can happen is, in perimenopause, it's like you are running on cortisol and coffee and emotion, and suddenly those cortisol shots are doubled and you're feeling more stressed. When cortisol goes up imagine it's like a seesaw. When cortisol is elevated for a long period of time, estrogen goes down. When estrogen goes down, ⁓ your symptoms feel maybe more severe. So it's really that we work on our cortisol. I Is it any that we are feeling more anxious? Especially with brain fog as well. So we now know that our bodies are more sensitive to stress and then we're factoring in lifestyle than everything else that's taking place. Now, before I jump in and talk about five ways you can support yourself, I want to talk about that anxious feeling because... ⁓ Do you sometimes feel like really anxious for just absolutely no reason? Or you feel like you used to be a confident driver and used to be able to drive and do things and suddenly ⁓ doubting yourself, you're feeling more anxious, you're starting to shrink. ⁓ not in your head. Because of perimenopause and this renovation that we're going through, this can make us feel more anxious. So if you're feeling more anxious driving at night, ⁓ That can be a symptom of perimenopause and what you're going through. And I know when I was in my first menopause, it was the anxiety. So I was in a stress induced menopausal state and it was the anxiety that got me. I felt like I was being eaten alive by my anxiety. It was bad. I was masking it a lot, but it was bad. I couldn't bear to be alone by myself. And I'm naturally quite a positive person. I do get anxious, but that level, that was a whole new level for me. And I really felt myself unravel. And I want you to know if you feel like you're unraveling too, that you're not alone, and there are ways that you can support yourself. And if you feel that your symptoms are impacting your life, please do go and speak to your medical team. There really is no need to suffer through this. Okay, let's talk about five ways to support yourself. Number one, what helped me back then and why I tap. I love tapping. Number one is tapping. ⁓ for me ⁓ everything. It was what stopped me feeling anxious back then. Nothing worked. This was the only thing that worked on my body. Tapping is a somatic technique. It works on your mind, your body and your energy. There's hundreds of studies. I highly recommend researching EFT tapping and rapid tapping and finding out the research from there because what it does is it works on the alarm center of your brain. There's alarming all the time and it helps with those racing thoughts and turning them off. It helps with sleep. It helps with memory. It helps get your decision-making part of your brain, that prefrontal cortex, back online. It helps with your performance. It helps with your emotions. It helps with dealing with trauma that you may have had in the past that's rearing up now. I always say that menopause is puberty in reverse. I see this a lot with my clients. Whatever bothered you in teenage years may be coming up now, and that's okay. This is the pivot. This is where we heal. This is where we change. This is where it happens. And we're all in it together, going through it, figuring it all out. I use tapping in my work. I use EFT tapping. I've been an accredited tapper for nine years. And I also do rapid tapping. Both are incredible. Both work. And if you feel like you need some support, come and see me. Let's talk. Okay, number one, tapping, nervous system work. Number two, Prioritize sleep it is your job. If you're having trouble sleeping, ⁓ let's talk through creating ⁓ a ritual. If you have you have a bedtime ritual. Same for you right now. Prioritize your sleep, winding down. ⁓ Yes, the little digital gadgets that scroll on ⁓ out of the bedroom. ⁓ Lower bedroom temperature. That may help if you have trouble sleeping. Even opening the window and lowering it by a couple of degrees can really, really help. Watch what you're eating and you're drinking. As you go through perimenopause, it impacts the majority of your body, but particularly your gut health changes too and how you react to food and drink. So check what you're eating and what you're drinking and start tracking how that can impact your sleep. If you do wake up in the night, do not check the time. That will spike. cortisol even more and you'll be wide awake. So where possible don't check your phone. Number three, the power of play. If you haven't, please listen to episode two, ⁓ power of play on the perimenopausal brain. ⁓ ⁓ ⁓ important for us in midlife. Play impacts dopamine. So when we go through perimenopause, ⁓ when she goes down, she takes dopamine with her. and all those happy hormones and you can boost your own dopamine through play. And there's eight play archetypes and listen to episode two and you can hear what they are. The Joker, sending funny memes. Do you want to run, move, set yourself a challenge, do something different? What inspires you? Bring more of that into your life. Play lowers cortisol, it raises dopamine boosts oxytocin and activates the prefrontal cortex. Yes, the exact region that is impacted in brain fog. It supports all of that. You can find yourself through play. and more importantly you can have fun doing it. Next, Feed that beautiful brain of yours. Omega-3s, oily fish, walnuts, flaxseeds, protein at every meal to stabilize blood sugar and mood. polyphenol, rich foods, berries, dark chocolate, olive oil, green tea to reduce neuroinflammation. and yes, look at alcohol. Perimenopausal brains are more sensitive to it. It can really wreak havoc with your sleep. And how many of you are feeling ⁓ anxious, have that the next day? ⁓ Lastly. Exercise boosts BDNF, that is brain derived neurotrophic factor, which protects neurons ⁓ and supports ⁓ memory. you take of yourself now reshapes your future. Strength training also helps regulate cortisol, supports bone density ⁓ and improves mood. And Do not underestimate the power of a walk. Even 20 minutes of brisk walking shifts the nervous system out of fight or flight. so to recap understanding your brain that you are not losing your edge. ⁓ you're going through a renovation Focus on the cortisol first and that will help with everything else. perimenopause does ask us to lean in and really look what leaking our energy and we really want to prioritise. Find ways to support yourself. And remember, you, my love, are pivoting into your power years. There is so much to play for. Sending love.