12 Tips for Menopause-Friendly Holidays – TIP #5: ENGAGE IN POSITIVE THINKING
You’ve been in situations where you and someone else are going through the same experience but see it completely different (is the glass half full or half empty?). When you engage in positive thinking you’ll feel better and enjoy better health.
You may not see much to be positive about while living through a pandemic with bothersome menopause symptoms, but seeing things more positively (seeing the glass as half-full) may help you live longer, have less depression and distress, cope better in times of stress, be more resistant to colds, and have better heart health and psychological and physical well-being.
If you’re optimistic then positive thinking comes naturally to you. If you tend to be pessimistic here’s some homework to become more positive. To really engage in positive thinking requires practice and consistency and please do attempt to this at home:
- Periodically check your thoughts – are they negative or positive? If they are negative try to put a positive spin on them.
- How do you talk to yourself when things don’t go well? Practice positive self-talk. Be your best friend and talk to yourself like you’d talk to your BFF. Be kind, gentle, forgiving, and encouraging with yourself.
- If a negative thought comes on, take a mental step back and try to assess your bad thought rationally.
- Think about things you’re thankful for. Even during a pandemic and a bumpy menopause transition there are things to be thankful for. Find them and remember them often. Gratitude helps you to see the glass half-full. Keep a gratitude journal and write in it daily.
- You can’t stop the pandemic but you can choose how to respond to it. Instead of worrying about what might happen, act on what you can change. For example, you can follow public health advice like wearing a mask and staying away from indoor gatherings.
- If your menopause transition is bothering you remember that for every (peri)menopause challenge there’s a solution!
- Surround yourself with positive people. Having a safe community of women in (peri)menopause is very important – it will help you feel understood and listened to, and it will lift you up.
Teresa Isabel Dias is a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) who provides education and support on symptom management for women at work and at home so they’ll feel like themselves again and enjoy a vibrant and productive life.
Grab a quick guide and subscribe to the MenopausED Newsletter on the MenopausED home page.
If would like to know how Teresa can improve your menopause transition then schedule a complimentary Discovery Call at MenopausED.org.