The View From Here – Sorry Guys, This One’s Ladies Only

Sorry guys.  I don’t mean to exclude you, but today’s topic just might not be something you want to stick around for.  It might make you uncomfortable, so you are excused.  Unless you want to learn about why we get so emotional, angry, crazy and sad sometimes.  Then stick around.

Ladies, gather round.  Let’s chat about menopause.

Actually, I don’t know that I have any knowledge on the subject.  I really don’t know much about it.  What IT is or if I’m IN IT.  I don’t think I am.  But just the fact that I have to wonder makes me realize that I can’t be the ONLY woman on the planet with questions.

I picked up the book Menopause Manifesto a few weeks ago and have just started reading it.  Because I have questions.

Ladies, I don’t think we talk about things enough.  I don’t see any Facebook posts about suffering with terrible PMS or hot flashes or FLUSHES as they are called in my new book.  Mood swings.  Anxiety.   Anger.  Frustration.  Overwhelming sadness out of the blue.

I don’t think we talk enough about how our bodies change, and what we go through.  The struggle of hormones.  Weight gain.   Hot flashes.  Mood swings.  Are we uncomfortable having the conversation?  Unless you have the symptoms, you just don’t understand the pain of it.  And that can feel really lonely.

My mom died when I was 18.  She was only 41.   I am really not sure she ever got to the menopause stage in life. So I feel even more alone in the struggle to figure out what is happening to me as I approach the 50 mark in just over a month.

Lots of stereotypes and jokes made at our expense over “that time of the month” or  “the change”  whatever people refer to these lifechanging events.

I don’t know about you, but I would gladly trade it all in to be free of it all.

I don’t like feeling out of control over my emotions, thoughts, and feelings.  I don’t like feeling bloated and fat and gross and ugly.  Hiding in sweat pants, eating peanut butter and chocolate chips to soothe and comfort.

But I feel like with books like Menopause Manifesto, and a new online community that just launched to help us navigate these stormy grounds – it all helps to get the conversation going and help us feel not so alone.

Introducing – Peanut Menopause, a digital community to help women navigate menopause, as well as perimenopause and postmenopause (the stages before and after it).

Peanut founder and CEO Michelle Kennedy says there’s a real need for women navigating all stages of menopause to be heard, supported, and prepared.  No kidding.   I didn’t even need to know more.  I just wanted to know how and where to sign up.

From Mashable, it says Peanut Menopause will launch within the Peanut app in a dedicated section. Women joining the app will go through a sign-up process which will ask your current life stage: perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause.

You’ll then join a private network of women at a similar life stage where you can chat about experiences and discover relevant Peanut content published by the app. You’ll also be able to use features like swiping to connect, chat privately, form groups, and audio rooms.

Categorised in: Afternoons

This post was written by Carrie Buchanan