How to Make the Most of your Peri and Menopausal Years

Rethinking Menopause at Ladies’ Night

Earlier this month I did a mini presentation to a group of women at a car dealership of all places. Funny, eh?

Funnier? Once a quarter they host a fun event, called “Ladies’ Night,” where they invite women from the community to attend. I have attended this event before as a guest and had a blast. There is magic and food. Pretty good start, right?

Next, the women are divided up into small groups and each group visits 4-5 stations to hear speakers present on various topics. This is where I came in.

It was a tricky presentation to prepare for because I knew I’d be speaking to women of all ages, for about 12 minutes per group.

I took the first 3-4 minutes of my talk to briefly describe naturopathic medicine. I have to remember that not everyone knows what that is. In fact you may not even know! Don’t fret you can find the Cole’s notes here.

That left me 8-9 minutes to talk about something relating to women. Tons of time! Ha! I ended up focusing on menopause through an unexpected lens. I knew some of the ladies would be years beyond that, and others wouldn’t even have it on their radar, but I figured the younger ones could talk to their grandparents, and the older ones could talk to their grandkids about it.

The important thing was I wanted people talking.

I could see the information made some head spins, but I’m okay with that. It is my job is to challenge what people believe to be true about their wellness.

– Dr. Tonia (You can Tweet that.)

Girl Talk Time

Ah yes. The moment in a woman’s life when she stops menstruating. I’m really fascinated by this time. I’ll be honest I’m a few years away from it myself.

But I’m drawn to this topic. And I want to present it here with a different spin. I’m not going to dwell on the symptoms of menopause. I’m not even going to be talking about what herbs, nutrients or bioidential hormones you can use to ease your hot flashes, or sooth your dry, irritated lady parts.

I know all that stuff, but I want to take the conversation to a deeper level.

This article is all about rethinking menopause. I strive to create questions in your mind. I am trying to plant seeds, that you can take away and nurture.

My main draw to this topic? I find it anthropologically curious.

But at the same time heartbreaking.

I believe it is a topic that needs healing on a societal level. But not all societies.

In other cultures such as the first nations of North America, the aboriginals of Australia and most Asian traditions, menopause is a time when a woman transitions to her wise, elder status.

And she, The elder, the crone, is a very valuable. Her wisdom, her experience is revered.
Her community seeks out her expertise as a leader.

Interestingly in those cultures, menopausal symptoms rarely exist, if at all.

No hot flashes.
No crappy sleeps.
No brain fog, depression or weight gain.

Isn’t this intriguing?

In sad contrast, at a societal level in the western world, there is a perception that one’s value decreases with age.

My Grandma’s Confession

Her story is an example of this cultural perception that is so topsy turvy.

A physical Manifestation?

Could it be that our bodies are responding to this belief about aging, and turning that unsaid pain into the symptoms women experience as they approach menopause?

It seems likely that it could be a contributing factor. Again, remember the cultures who consider aging women highly revered members of the community? And, remember how they had no symptoms of menopause?

The truth is that menopause is more than just the stopping of a woman’s periods.

It is a time for deep inner listening.

After a life of nurturing her family, her career and everybody else, she is primed and permitted to take her energy and turn it inwards to nurture herself.

With the cessation of creativity in its reproductive, baby-making form, a new artistic, intuitive creativity can develop.

This new creativity actually peaks when a woman turns fifty and lasts until she is about 80 years old. This is not only a physical transition but a deeper exploration into her true needs, and true wants.

It is a time for her joy.

For her to finally live HER life.

It’s an opportunity to reinvent herself according to her innate values, and not those of her boss’s, or her family’s; a chance to course correct, to make sure she is aligned with her higher purpose.