Menopause Mindset Mastery – 3 positive changes
Menopause Mindset Mastery is incredibly helpful as you approach menopause and for many different reasons.
During my weekly shopping trip to the supermarket the other day, I overheard a conversation between two middle-aged women that went like this: – “well I may as well eat whatever I want, I’m in menopause so it’s all downhill from here???. To which the friend replied “Oh yes, totally agree, I’ve gained so much weight, must be the hormones. Oh dear, a true example of a very negative menopause mindset!
Choices
I couldn’t help but take a little sneak peek into their shopping trolleys. No surprise there; crisps, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, boxed cereals, processed food, a few bottles of wine, and a lonely looking piece of broccoli.
Positive Mindset
Later in the day, I had a Skype session with one of the Flourish Beyond 40 Programme participants who happily told me that she had dropped one dress size and never felt hungry! She was happy, exuberant and excited about life. A great example of menopause mindset mastery.
I’m not saying that you won’t gain weight during menopause, or that your body won’t be extra efficient at converting excess calories into fat. Unfortunately, most of it landing it straight onto your tummy otherwise knows as the “menopot”.
We all know that menopause can be an extremely challenging time for many women, and not so challenging for others. What is evident that a positive menopause mindset will likely improve your overall health and well-being in a big way.
When your menopause mindset is focused in the right direction, you are far more likely to get the results you want. As a result, you are more inclined to make healthier lifestyle choices to navigate this phase with more ease and comfort.
Are you a pessimist or an optimist?
Take a moment and think about these questions: are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you always find the negative in situations and people rather than the positive?
Are you focusing your attention on everything you don’t want rather than what you do? Instead of thinking:
- I don’t want to be fat and frumpy after menopause
Why not choose to think:
- I choose to be fit, healthy, happy and well in menopause and beyond
Age is Lifestyle Not a Number
I get it, ladies, I really do. I too am travelling the menopause journey with you. However, I know that the right mindset works.
3 Steps to Menopause Mindset Mastery
How you too can develop a Menopause Mindset Mastery
- First of all, start to be aware of the stories you are telling yourself. What are you choosing to believe about the menopause? Beliefs such as “it’s all downhill from here???, “there is nothing to look forward to now???, “my partner will no longer find me attractive???, are all incredibly emotionally damaging.
How many times do you hear yourself speaking unkindly to yourself when you look in the mirror? Would you talk to your best friend that way? It may be time for you to show as much compassion to yourself as you do for others.
Life Expectancy
Do you know that the average life expectancy for a woman now is 86! So ladies, how are you going to choose to live the rest of your life? If you are 50 now, then that’s more than 30 years. What does your mindset say now?
No, you don’t have to dress frumpily
No, you don’t have to wear your hair short
No, you don’t have to apologize for speaking your mind
No, you don’t have to feel invisible
No, you don’t need to stop taking care of yourself
No, you don’t have to stop wearing makeup
Why not take some time this week and write down the beliefs you currently hold and believe about yourself that are not necessarily helpful or useful to you? Ask yourself why you are choosing to hold them? This is the first step towards developing menopause mindset mastery.
Once you have this written down in front of you, decide what you want to choose to believe instead. Embrace beliefs such as “I am wiser and have lots of juicy life experience to deal with life???, “I am in charge of my lifestyle choices???, “midlife can be totally liberating an empowering???.
The thing is, all of the above are actually true. Think about all that you have achieved in your life so far. In fact, why not write down all of your achievements and read it, acknowledge, accept it and celebrate all of those achievements no matter how small!
Maybe there have been times in your life where you discovered how much inner strength you have. Knowing this is incredibly empowering.
Ladies, you are not going downhill. Quite the opposite in fact. You are entering a new, exciting, liberating phase of your life. Yes, your body may not behave as it did in your 20s, but you can work with what you have to be the best version of you possible. Of course, you can’t keep the unhealthy choices and lifestyle you led in your 20s, because your body will let you know immediately.
You are entering a time of freedom from monthly periods. A time where you may find that you have more time on your hands when children have left home. A time where you can now focus on your wants, needs, and desires. Time to take care of you! How exciting is that?
Affirmations
- Write some great positive affirmations to help you develop new positive beliefs. Affirmations are a great way to change thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Make sure you repeat your affirmations several times a day and that they are worded correctly. This is another great step towards menopause mindset mastery.
Affirmations also need to be realistic, believable, and achievable. There is no point stating an affirmation such as “I will lose 10 kilos a week???. This is highly unlikely and your mind will throw it out and dismiss it completely. You could say “it is easy for me to let go of 1 to 2 pounds a week???. Take some time this week to write some great powerful affirmations to create the changes you want.
- Have you thought about how grateful you are to your body for allowing you to be able to move, exercise and live? A great exercise is to write a letter to your body such as; Dear body, I am grateful that I am able to hear, see, move, feel …… (fill in the blanks).
Creating Change
Are you taking care of the inside as much as the outside? How is your nutrition? Could you make any improvements? Are you exercising regularly? If not, why not? Are you surrounding yourself with people that lift you up and inspire you? Life is way too precious to be with negative draining people.
Reflect on these questions deeply ladies. The answers will bring you the solutions you are seeking.
So there is no time like the present to create change, so why not start today? Make a commitment to yourself to make the rest of your life, the best of your life.
If you have enjoyed this blog you may enjoy the Emotional Wellness blog, the Healthy Eating Blog and many others over at Flourish Beyond 40.
Have a wonderful day!
