Guide to Coping with Anxiety and Depression During Menopause

Understanding Menopause and Hormonal Changes

Menopause brings physical as well as mental changes to your body. The transition to menopause, called perimenopause, begins as soon as a woman enters forty. During this phase, the levels of female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate unpredictably, and this brings a lot of mental changes.

Hormonal Shifts and Anxiety and Depression

Both the hormones oestrogen and progesterone regulate mood and emotions. When their level decreases, mood swings occur along with irritability, anxiety and depression. To make things more complicated, physical changes due to menopause, like hot flashes and fatigue, contribute to anxiety and depression.

Do you know that 20% of women experience anxiety or depression during menopause?

Menopause-Related Anxiety and Depression - Symptoms

If you experience any of these symptoms during menopause, you must talk to your doctor.

Natural Remedies and Self-Care Strategies

As a woman with a lot of experience, you have the power to overcome menopausal anxiety and depression. Here is a small guide that you can rely on in your journey to fight against anxiety and depression.

Being Aware

Understanding and knowing the risk factors involved in menopausal anxiety and depression is very important. A self-evaluation of your conditions, like work, family, health conditions, age, etc., is crucial. Just being aware and accepting the risk of anxiety and depression can help you overcome this problem.

Loving Your Body to Stabilise Your Mind

Physical and mental health are always interdependent. Staying physically healthy and active can significantly influence your mental health. Regular exercising releases endorphins, which provide mood-boosting effects.

Sleep

Sleeping is like rebooting your body's system. When well-rested, you can deal with your emotions and stress better. 

Healthy Diet for a Healthy Mind

What you eat affects you physically and mentally. That is the reason they say food should satisfy your stomach as well as your mind. Eating a wholesome and balanced diet and food you love can help improve your overall mood and energy level. Junk food and caffeine can worsen anxiety and depression symptoms.

Avoid Alcohol and Drugs

Never go for a drink when you are stressed or feeling down. Not only will it affect your physical and mental health, but it can also lead to life-changing severe issues. 

Connect With Others

It is essential to spend time with the people you are comfortable with, those who can understand you and genuinely make you smile. Not every person gets blessed with those kinds of people in their lives. Talk to them openly if you have such people and overcome this together. 

Yoga and Other Mindful Practices

Believe me when I say just half an hour of yoga and other mindful practices can transform your life. Yoga is a practice that aims to steer your thoughts. Yoga is the practice of stopping the activities of the mind for a particular period to translate the definition of yoga exactly.

By incorporating yoga practices like Pranayama, you can be more aware of your mind, connect with yourself, and effectively control your mind and emotions. Yoga poses like Bridge pose, Corpse pose, Child's pose, etc., are very beneficial for anxiety and depression and prevent them.

Here is a simple guide to practise Pranayama daily:

Nadi Shodhana

This type of Pranayama involves alternate nostril breathing and helps to maintain a balance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The balance can effectively reduce anxiety and depression symptoms. To do this

• Sit comfortably with your back straight.
• Keep your right thumb on your right nostril and place your right ring finger over your left nostril.
• Inhale gently and deeply through your left nostril.
• Close your left nostril with your ring finger. 
• Inhale slowly through your right nostril and exhale through your left nostril.
• Continue this alternatively for 5-10 minutes.

Bhramari Pranayama

This Pranayama technique has a calming and soothing effect on your mind and body. To do this:

• Sit comfortably with your back straight
• Slowly close your eyes and then place your index fingers on your temples.
• Inhale gently through your nose and then exhale slowly through your mouth, thus making a humming sound like a bee. 
• Continue this for 5-10 minutes.

Ujjayi Pranayama (Victorious Breath)

This type of Pranayama has a calming effect on your mind. To do Ujjayi Pranayama:

• Sit straight comfortably.
• Now close your mouth and then constrict the back of your throat. 
• Inhale and exhale slowly through your nose, thus making a soft hissing sound.
• Continue for 5-10 minutes.

With regular practice, Pranayama can help to reduce your anxiety and depression symptoms and improve overall mental well-being.

Seeking Professional Help

There are several ways for medical and professional help during this particularly challenging time. Therapists, counsellors, and mental health professionals who specialise in women's mental health during menopause are available in many different ways. Some of these include:

• Private practice
• Online therapy platforms like Nirva Health
• Community mental health centres
• Hospitals and medical clinics

It's crucial to find a mental health professional whom you feel comfortable with and who has experience working with menopausal women, so don't be afraid to ask questions and look around until you find the right fit for you. Nirva Health is an inclusive platform that offers a safe and supportive environment for women aged 40 and above to unite and focus on healing and improving their overall health. By joining Nirva Health, women can access a community of like-minded individuals who share similar health concerns and goals.

Hormonal Therapy: Will it Work?

As the name suggests, hormone replacement therapy helps to replace the hormones you are deficient in. The said therapy helps overcome the decline in female hormones. One commonly uses Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to relieve menopausal symptoms such as depression and anxiety in women.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a treatment that involves the administration of either estrogen alone or a combination of estrogen and progesterone (in women who have not undergone a hysterectomy) to replenish the body's declining hormone levels. The primary objective of this treatment is to alleviate menopausal symptoms and, in some cases, potentially address associated mood disturbances.

However, the potential benefits, demerits and complications of hormone replacement therapy have to be studied. However, the relationship between HRT and mental health is complex and varies from woman to woman. Physiologically, a woman's body is designed to have a decline in oestrogen and progesterone levels, so it is best to protect your health without manually replacing it. However, one can perform hormone therapy if your symptoms are severe.

Conclusion

It would help if you addressed menopause and its psychological effects adequately. About 20% of women experience anxiety and depression during menopause. You can overcome or fight off anxiety as well as depression by using the mentioned techniques. Stay responsible for your physical as well as mental health.