Why Am I Irritable All The Time? Anxiety Therapy in Seattle During Perimenopause
On average, women experience menopause between their 40’s and late 50’s. The changes that perimenopause brings last between 4-8 years. During this time of transition, it’s important to neither over nor under attribute mental health changes solely to hormone changes. It’s normal for many women to experience anxiety, irritability, depression, and brain fog during perimenopause, but you don’t want to blame everything on hormones. Just because something is common doesn’t make it easy. It’s important to look at your life as a whole and understand the context in which such changes are happening. It can be helpful to look at change as a neutral event, rather than attempting to make it all good or all bad.
What is Anxiety Like During Perimenopause?
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Anxiety isn’t just about worry, but it can manifest as feeling overwhelmed, stressed, irritable, or fearful. Along with such feelings, anxiety express itself in the body, resulting in:
· Muscle tension
· Stomach aches
· Increased heart rate
· Sweating
· Headaches
· Nausea
· Panic attacks
For some people, anxiety becomes overwhelming as a response to trauma. Past traumas that weren’t dealt with previously may arise during this time due to the flow and rhythm of life changing. I’ve worked with many women who discover they’re neuro-divergent during perimenopause because they were no longer able to mask in ways they previously could. Anxiety also tends to show up with its best friend, depression. It’s important for you and your providers to investigate the ways anxiety manifests itself in your mind and body, your mental health and physical health histories, and explore what social factors may be impacting your well-being.
What Contributes to Anxiety During Perimenopause?
Again, you don’t want to over or under attribute mental health changes to physical changes. The following are all factors to assess and monitor in relationship to anxiety and overall mental health. Some or all the following areas of living may contribute to anxiety and wellbeing during perimenopause:
· Hormone Changes
· Job Stress
· Family Stress
· Partner Stress
· Aging Parents
· Financial Stress
· Diet
· Previous Mental Health History
· Physical Health Status/Physical Changes
· Sexual Changes
· Relationship to substances
· Misogyny
For many women, this is the first time in their life that the mind and body are yelling at them to stop and take account of what’s happening. The body doesn’t lie, and folks who have functioned at high levels often reach a point where what worked before doesn’t any longer. This is okay, nothing is wrong with you. This may be a great opportunity to re-assess what prioritizing yourself look like. I also find many women who’ve worked their entire lives for the promise of something better, only to find they’re still stuck in a man’s world. The patriarchy is alive and well and our society still hates women. Navigating aging in a society that doesn’t value maturity is challenging for women.
Wellbeing During Perimenopause
It’s helpful to think of mental health and wellbeing wholistically during all parts of life, but especially during perimenopause. It’s a huge time of transition for most people physically, socially, and mentally. Below are questions to ask yourself to extend the picture of factors contributing to your wellbeing.
Questions to Assess Your Wellbeing During Perimenopause
· What changes have you noticed during other hormonal shifts in life? (Periods, pregnancy, thyroid issues, diabetes, endocrine challenges)
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· What is your family history in relationship to peri-menopause and hormonal changes?
· What are my main values at this phase of life?
· Am I happy in my relationship? If not, what needs to change?
· What do I want my relationship to work to look like for the next 5 years?
· Who can I talk to about the way my body is changing?
· Who can understand?
· Historically, where have I invested most of my energy? Do I want that to change?
· What have I been avoiding?
Treating Anxiety During Perimenopause
After a thorough assessment of your overall mental, physical, and social health, a curated approach will be applied to your specific needs. I love collaborating with health care providers to make sure my clients get the proper treatment. Often, a team approach leads to the best outcomes. Interventions include:
· Hormone Replacement Therapy
· Talk Therapy
· Psychiatric Medication
· Diet Changes
· Peer Support
· Movement
Mental Health and Menopause in Seattle: What Therapy Can Do
By no means is the list below exhaustive of what therapy can help with during perimenopause, but it’s some of the common themes that come up in my work with folks moving through this phase of life.
· Build acceptance around what you can’t influence
· Build psychological flexibility
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· Build better relationships
· Set boundaries
· Manage grief
· Manage expectations
· Make the implicit explicit
· Provide ongoing assessment of mental health
· Get informed support from someone who works with this population.
· Address regrets or disappointments.
· Build a clear vision for the future.
· Process physical changes.
· Identify current values.
· Challenge internalized misogyny.
· Get Health at Every Size informed care.
· Process trauma
Schedule Anxiety Therapy in Seattle Today!
Chelsea specializes in working with individuals and families facing grief, anxiety, and trauma. She’s been practicing 13 years throughout the Seattle area and is passionate about effective, tailored treatment that meets your needs. Schedule a free consultation today!
Learn more about Chelsea’s specialties: grief, anxiety, infertility, pregnancy loss, chronic illness, menopause, medical trauma
Learn more about Chelsea
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