How is it possible to feel empowered during menopause? It creates miserable symptoms, creates thinning hair and dry skin and can make you feel like you are becoming unhinged.

Menopause literally means a pause of your monthly cycle. Its a huge understatement of what actually occurs when estrogen declines in your body. And…it also fails to illuminate the immense personal power that is present during the pause.

This is why I chose the name The Empowered Pause, to describe what I have experienced in menopause and what every female can experience as well. The Empowered Pause calls the transition what it actually is – a time for great empowerment of self. The feeling of empowerment you experience when you are able to turn your suffering into strength is incredible.

Menopause is not to be a feared or dreaded transition. Although it can be difficult, depending on your symptoms. Hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings and vaginal dryness, for example, are some of the most obvious symptoms of menopause. It can be the precursor for numerous medical conditions like heart disease and you’re also at higher risk for diabetes and osteoporosis. 

? This time in life is for you to focus on YOUR health care, before serious health issues arise. ?

I know that it can feel overwhelming at times to grapple with all the ways life impacts your health and well being. Eating right, exercising, doctor visits, can feel like too much to take one. I went through the same thing.

Without a road map of what symptoms I was going to deal with or how to treat them, left me in a state of paralysis. When it finally became unbearable I started looking for help. In the end it took three years of trying and failing to get my menopause symptoms under control.

During that time I still had to manage my expanding waistline, debilitating hot flashes and dramatic mood swings. I tried every new diet, exercise plan and treatment I could get my hands on to feel normal again. Some worked, some didn’t. But, in that process, I discovered six distinct, and deeply connected, areas of life responsible for the quality of your menopause experience.

These six pillars, or power sources, are areas that will work for or against you. They can be where you experience feeling drained, anxious, fearful, uncomfortable and exhausted. Or, they can be sources of energy, strength and joy, that make you feel vibrant and look radiant.

Looking at these pillars individually helped me to sort through my symptoms. They directed my attention to where I needed to focus on getting my power back. Every female born person alive in their 50s has or will go through a drop in hormone levels as they approach menopause. Each of them will have a totally different set of start times, symptoms and treatment options.

The Empowered Pause uses the six pillars of power to evaluate the ways our bodies respond to dropping estrogen. This enables you to tailor your self care and treatments to what works best for you as an individual.

It also empowers you to help each other. As you begin to recognize and understand the vast symptoms and beliefs around menopause it’s important to give back. You must also help others to learn about the power of the pause and teach the next generation to embrace, not fear this change.

The Six Pillars of Menopause Power

These pillars are separate but highly dependent on one another for the best results and outcomes.

?? Hormones: Your hormones are responsible for the way you are feeling now. Physically and mentally, so getting your hormones back to normal levels is priority number one. Proper hormone treatments will support every other effort you make, across the board, to improve your health. 

Hormone therapy generally consists of replacing the lost estrogen and progesterone. Because menopause is a “natural” process for anyone born with a uterus estrogen therapy can be controversial.

Hormone therapy does not have a higher level of risk for disease than letting nature take its course. In fact it’s the opposite that should concern you. Once you enter menopause, you must replace those hormones or be at far greater risk for a host of preventable diseases.

Weigh the benefits and risks of taking hormones for menopause symptom relief. Do your research and talk to women in your circle about their experiences. Don’t neglect yourself by not exploring your options for treatment. Your quality of life, your health and your vitality for years after menopause depend on it.

Talk to your doctor to determine if Hormone Replacement Therapy is right for you.

? Beauty: Skin & Hair: The visible signs of the menopause transition have a devastating impact our appearance. Skin and hair get dry, thin and dull and there is no hiding what you’re going through and it can be detrimental to your self esteem.

The right products and self-care routines will make a noticeable difference. They give your hair a new luster and volume and your skin becomes firm and supple with a beautiful glow.

? Lifestyle: Diet, Exercise, Sleep & Stress Your diet, exercise, sleep and stress all need to change during menopause.

Your body requires different nutrients, processes food differently, and holds onto weight in new places. The right treatments and diet will lose weight and even curb your menopause symptoms.

Exercise becomes tedious and you lack motivation. You also see diminishing returns on your efforts as bone and muscle loss accelerate during this time. If you don’t get regular exercise it will be hard to maintain any muscle tone. Infrequent exercise will also increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. Exercise during menopause is an absolute must. It doesn’t require intense workouts or hours of exercise to get the benefits you need at this time. The right exercise routine will keep your body strong and lean for years to come.

Your ability to get restful sleep and manage your stress change as well. Falling asleep is harder and stay asleep can feel impossible. This triggers a cascade of other issues including increasing levels of cortisol and stress. Most often it’s less sleep and more stress that hits your mood and your weight harder than ever before. What you do across all pillars will impact your sleep and stress the most.

They are parts of life that impact one another greatly. You will experience deep sleep and relaxed calm that will supercharge your days when you learn to support your sleep and stress properly.

? Sex Dry painful sex and loss of libido can create its own kind of stress and depression. Even when your libido is high, vaginal atrophy, incontinence and dryness can turn make sex too painful. It can kill your desire to be sexually active. Once pregnancy isn’t an option your sexual desire is nonexistant. But there are solutions that can turn back the clock on the dryness and atrophy. Sex can be fun and fulfilling again with the right treatment and support.

? Physical and Mental Health Menopause, as you are learning, takes a massive toll on our bodies. Not just on our physical health but also on our mental health and any mental illness.

Our achy joints, depression and anxiety are all amplified during the menopause transition. It can make you feel like an out of control teenager, unable to make sense of what is happening to you. Learning how to work with doctors and other medical professionals to get the help you need is the power source of this pillar. Stop putting off the doctor visits and the lab tests and start focusing on your long term health. Empower yourself to be your own health advocate.

? Relationships: This may be a hard pillar of power to embrace. Menopause changes us and our relationships. Especially when it comes to getting the support we need from friends and family. We get so used to doing it all for everyone except for us and then we have no clue where to begin. Fortunately there is a lot of support available to you.

It can be a tremendous source of power to get through this time in life. Support groups, menopause coaches and specialists are great resources. They can help make the transition to a more empowered you easier.

Working with the 6 Pillars of Menopause Power will help you to create a body that is strong and a mind that is stable. You’ll also improve your sex life, long term health outlook and confidence in yourself.

Menopause presents an opportunity to get serious about taking care of yourself. In ways that fit with your life and resources. Make small changes to create lasting impacts on your overall health and wellbeing.

The key is to find ways to put yourself first. The Pillars of Power can be your guide. Your body has a magical way of bringing you into the present moment during menopause. Reward it by listening to your symptoms and soothing the suffering with the right support.

I promise you, what you will find on the other side of this transition is a new life. You look and feel your best and taking on life with confidence and true and lasting power. Welcome to the Empowered Pause: Empowered You 

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