This is a blog post for anyone who wants to know about menopause.

Whether you are a spring chicken and no where near menopause, or maybe you are a spring chicken and menopause has arrived earlier because of a medical situation. This is also a blog post if you are a man, with a wife/partner, or maybe you have best female chums. I feel it’s important to know how you can support someone who is going through, because take it from me, it is RUBBISH (again, trying not to swear).

Respond with kindness.

If someone is unexpectedly snappy with you, don’t snap back. ( I know this is difficult)

If someone unexpectedly forgets something or they struggle to find the words when talking, don’t make fun of them.

If someone gets upset for the most minor thing, and ends up in floods of tears, don’t be impatient.

This is so so difficult in so many ways. Menopause drags everyone around a person with it. Family, friends, and in the workplace or work from home place.

Menopause also means that the people around someone going through it, have to gain a level of patience and understanding that may not come naturally to them.

I’m going to do a series of posts on this subject as it’s all about information in bit size chunks.

First up, I’m going to speak about hot flushes. Oh joy, oh rapture, not.

I have been reading A LOT of comments on social media from ladies not knowing how to handle hot flushes, why they are happening, and what can be done. I’m really going to try not to bunny on too much as quite frankly, give me a soap box and you could leave me there all day. Specialist subject.

Lets just get this out of the way. Hot flushes are crap. There is no sugar coating this. It just really is crap. I’m actually using stronger language than this, but I’m trying not to swear in a blog! There is no cure, there is only ways of managing it, and being kinder to yourself.

Don’t go looking for some kind of magic pill or supplement to help, outside of your GPs advice, because you may just get upset when they don’t work.

For the sake of clarity and bite size chunks of information that are easy to digest, I will bullet point my tried and tested advice. Out of everything I list, there will be one or two points that will stand out for you. Even if there is just one, that’s a win win as far as I am concerned.

The BIG THING to remember here is Stress = Sweat.

Anything we can do to reduce stress is key here.

• Organise your day, the night before. Get your bullet journal out (get one if you don’t have one) and write down everything you want to do, and everything have you to do.

• Have your showers a little cooler than you normally would.

• Give yourself plenty time to do everything. If some says they’ll pick you up at midday, be ready for 1130am. Don’t rush yourself - you’ll end up trashing your outfit and make up!

• When using a hair dryer, open a window or a door!

• Don’t beat yourself up at the gym, or starve yourself. Lots of colourful veg and fruit, take your time with your meals

• Watch out for food triggers that will make your sweat. You will have them! Mine are tea, not coffee funnily enough, white wine (vitamin red is ok), and anything that has a high GI index and causes an insulin spike, white bread, white pasta, potatoes.

• Have a great bedtime routine. T shirts and shorts for the win. A great Aussie pal recently gave me the gem of putting a damp cold face cloth on your stomach to fall asleep. This works because your abdomen contains some pretty bad ass veins and arteries, as well as vital organs, so it really does help in cooling down the core. Don’t just fit sleep into your day, make it a priority. Don’t have anything in your bedroom charging. When you turn the lights off, it shouldn’t resemble the DeathStar.

• Try not to fidget in bed. It actually increases your body temperature!

• Before you go to bed, get a bullet journal out, and plan your next day.

I hope you have found this useful.

The reason I am writing this is because:

• I’ve been through perimenopause, and menopause.

• I’ve tried every trick in the book and this is most comprehensive list i can give you to manage this stage of life better.

• I haven’t had a hot flush aaaaalll through lockdown, until 2 weeks ago. Great. Not. I have been through the main show, so I know how to help myself. Confirmation of this was sitting have a cup of tea and then WOOOOOOSH! Tea set the hot flush off before so I know to what to do

I hope you found this useful, and if you think of anyone that would also benefit from this, please pass it on!

It is so important to start conversation around it, and know what to do for yourself, and also others in your life.

Please get in touch if you have any questions. There’s nothing I enjoy more than a menopausal rant.

In best health

Elizabeth