Yesterday, I was on a call with nine other women talking about this stage of life, from perimenopause to menopause, to post-menopause. Ages ranged from 45-60.
We each shared the story of our body changes. But more important than naming our symptoms was the chance to BE SEEN and VALIDATED.
The larger conversation, and the one I focus on in my expert conversation series, Full Living After 50, is the emotional and spiritual up-leveling available to us at this time of life.
Here are some thoughts that were shared in the group, have you felt them too?
- “My body is forgetting how to do things it used to”
- “Can I trust my emotions? Where did my optimism go?”
- “This hit me like a freight train”
- “My body feels like it’s going through a nuclear meltdown”
- “These symptoms feel so disempowering”
- “I’m losing my shit, everything is breaking down”
- “I feel isolated”
- “I feel like I’m dying”
- “I don’t know who I can talk to about it”
“Midlife is not about the fear of death. Midlife is death. Tearing down the walls that we spent our entire life building is death”
– Brene Brown
While there’s no denying the physical losses, this is also a time of rich opportunity. If we choose it, we can:
- Reclaim our own power
- Find joy in life again
- Focus on what we want
- Create solidarity
- Deeply honor ourselves
- Find community
This is also the time when we get to ask:
- Who am I really?
- What’s important?
- What do I value?
And then create a life that reflects that.
This time SHOULD feel different from our last. What’s scary is not having a lot of information about what happens next.
If you’re ready to stop going it alone and join a community of women who are charting their own path then join us.
I hope you’ll tune in!