The Positive Side Of Menopause
With so many negative symptoms associated with menopause, is there a bright side?
Even though most women will tell you that they hate having periods, there is something that they dread even more than monthly mood swings and bleeding. That dreaded thing is menopause.
But then you have another set of women who learn to look at the glass as being half full instead of half empty. How you choose to view it is up to you, but if you are willing to learn how to look at menopause in a positive light then keep reading this article to find out what you can do.
Life itself is full of changes and phases. A seed put into the ground starts to sprout in just a few days after which it rises above the soil for all to see it grow and blossom flowers. At the height of its life, it bears fruit for all to enjoy and then it spreads seed for other plants to grow.
A woman is kind of like that. She starts life as a baby inside her mother’s womb then emerges after nine months. She grows quickly, picking up some scrapes and bruises along the way but she always comes out stronger than ever. It isn’t long before she stops looking like a baby and in her pre-teen to teenage years she starts to grow hips and breasts, looking more and more like a woman with each passing day. She starts to make her own decisions and shapes her personality. She may welcome a partner into her life and enter into her motherhood phase. After that phase is over, she is no longer able to bear fruit but stands as a testament to the magic and beauty that is life.
Even though menopause has it’s unpleasant side effects, it should be embraced as another phase in your life cycle, your golden years even. It is a time of reflection and realization of who you are and what you ultimately want out of life. It is a time of newfound freedom and change.
How To Deal With The Changes
Learning to deal with the changes that come with menopause is not a walk in the park and it will take a bit of getting used to.
Think back to your first period when you might have not even known what was happening to you or why, and, even if you did know, there is no way you could fully prepare for or understand what was happening without actually going through it. You might’ve put your pad on wrong and messed up your sheets or clothes, or made the mistake of indulging yourself in chocolate only to have a major breakout a few days after. It took some time but you finally got the hang of it, making sure you were always prepared for whatever it threw your way.
Now you’re at this point in your life, as inexperienced as you were back then with a whole new list of changes to deal with. Here’s how you can manage the inevitable:
Being honest with yourself
The first step to coping with anything in life is being honest with yourself about what is happening. To accept it, you must tell yourself that menopause is natural and inevitable and you can either make the best of it or make it more difficult than it needs to be.
Once you are honest with yourself about menopause, you will be able to welcome the changes with open arms and more importantly, deal with it better.
Talk About It
Unfortunately, some women are too shy to be open and honest about their feelings towards menopause and about the changes they experience, but you don’t have to be one of them.
Talking about these changes, especially with a woman who has been through menopause, can help to prepare you for them and help you find new ways to deal with them. You will find reassurance and courage from being in this type of company and maybe even crack a joke or two.
Being in communication with your gynecologist is especially important if you want help in dealing with not only the physical aspect of menopause but also the emotional aspect. He/she can help to reassure you about what is normal and advise you on the abnormal.
Do Your Own Research
Doing your research is super important when learning to deal with menopause. Educating yourself on what to expect helps you to be more precise and you can even find new and non-traditional ways to deal with this phase.
The Perks of Menopause
No matter how awful menopause may appear to be or feel, it does have its perks. There is a silver lining.
Not convinced? Here are some positives of menopause that will help to turn that frown upside down:
You Can Focus On You
By the time you go through menopause, chances are your kids will be old enough to take care of themselves and won’t have to rely on you for everything. Around this same time, you are probably years into your career and have a sense of security. What better time to focus on yourself?
You can use this time to pamper yourself both physically and mentally by going to the gym, eating right, having spa days, reading more books, meditating and the list goes on.
You can also focus more on your health by getting regular checkups such as mammograms and Pap smears which will help maintain or improve your health. Focusing on these things can even help to catch any illness or disease in its infancy, ensuring you live a long, healthy, happy life.
Sex Gets Better
Many women complain about experiencing [vaginal dryness] and a loss of libido as they approach menopause which can make sex uncomfortable or undesirable but these things can be addressed with some $8 lube and a willingness to try new things.
Sex during menopause can be great for this reason: you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. This means no birth control and no voice in the back of your head reminding you of what can happen if you aren’t careful. You can be free to explore your partner as you wish, however you wish since you can be more open and honest in communication.
No Messy Periods
As a woman starts approaching menopause , her period becomes irregular, might get heavier or longer, and her hormones are all over the place. When she hits menopause, her ovaries no longer make estrogen and there is no need for her uterus to shed it’s lining whenever she doesn’t get pregnant.
Menopause means that the menstruation cycle in a woman’s life is over. She can kiss pads and tampons goodbye, and say hello to stain-free sheets and undies. Plus, she can wear white!
You Can Be Adventurous
By the time menopause comes around you are very likely in your prime which means that it’s time to switch things up a little and try something new in and out the bedroom
Your risks don’t have to be anything crazy like skydiving or swimming with sharks, but can be more personal like taking up a new hobby, starting a new business or traveling.
No More Fibroids
Developing uterine fibroids is a thing many women experience as they approach their 50s. This happens because of heightened estrogen and progesterone levels during pregnancy or fluctuating estrogen levels during perimenopause.
During this time a woman may experience symptoms such as discomfort, heavy bleeding and even urinary incontinence some of which may be severe enough to warrant surgery. Most, however, are benign and when a woman reaches menopause where estrogen levels decline, the fibroids start to shrink or stop growing which means the symptoms will either recede or go away altogether.
Emotional Maturity
Your body matures as you approach menopause but so does your way of thinking and handling things.
During menopause many women will begin to take stock of their lives, having an improved outlook on things such as relationships and how they handle any problems that come their way.
There is also a noticeable feeling of empowerment and an air of confidence, meaning there is greater self-assurance and less self-doubt.
Final Thoughts
The days of being hush-hush about women’s issues are in the past. Now is the time that we as women care for each other by sharing in our experiences and embracing our different phases.
Don’t hide in the shadows and mope about getting old. Life doesn’t end with menopause. Go to that place you always wanted to visit or take up that hobby you never had time for. Go back to college and get your masters/Ph.D. or move to a new area.
Now is the time to make the most of your life. We’ve given you all the tools to look at menopause in a positive light, now the ball is in your court.
