We now know that any type of mental, emotional and physical stress takes a toll on your hormones and can cause imbalances. These imbalances make you less able to deal with the stress, exacerbating the situation. It is often in midlife when women go through a hard time dealing with many symptoms related to the perimenopause and the full menopausal change. Ironically this is also a time of heavy stress on relationships and marriages. Many thoughts and scenarios can come into play directly affecting relationships; The empty nest syndrome, self-esteem issues due to excess weight women gain, changes in sex drive which affects intimate relationships, changes in careers or retirement which leaves an emptiness, thoughts of not being needed, or even thoughts of being closer to death. All of these scenarios can really affect a woman’s outlook and affect relationships and therefore divorce is at a very high rate at this stage in life.
On the stress scale death of a spouse and divorce rank among the highest. This is due to the fact that it is rare to find two people that separate amicably. It is either one wants to separate and the other doesn’t, there is an affair involved which damages the ego of one partner, there is disagreement over splitting of the assets or the “taking sides” that occurs among friends and family in situations like this. Divorce is one of the hardest things that we can go through because it cuts into their very heart and soul of who we are. Divorce can often make women feel like a failure and that coupled with other people’s opinions, their church’s judgement and society as a whole, women are often left feeling broken and fearing they may never love again due to the vulnerability it exposed.
Going through a divorce and going through menopause at the same time, which often happens, can literally shake a woman to her core. Having to deal with all the emotional stress while going through falling hormone levels that cause a woman to not feel like herself to begin with, can be almost unbearable. It is so important that at this time a woman takes care of herself so that she can deal with the normal emotional rollercoaster of a divorce or relationship struggle. Trying to balance her hormones and correct her eating patterns will help her look and feel her best and will sleep deeper as she transitions through this difficult time. I always tell women that from my experience, on the back end there is so much beauty, you just have to get through the storm. Women often get to know themselves better and truly love and appreciate themselves and often find new love. They need, however, to find at firm foundation of mental and physical stability to be able to do that. Helping a woman lower her cortisol levels which will be high at this point will help her to sleep better, control her eating or abuse of alcohol/ caffeine, and help to balance her estrogen and progesterone hormones. By gently raising progesterone, the woman will feel much calmer, sleep better while dealing with some of the common anxiety and depression, but also she will be able to lose stubborn weight which continues to give her motivation to diet and exercise during this time. The deep emotions that are touched through divorce can be a springboard of self-exploration, self-love and much-needed self-nurturing. Learning to eat whole foods steadily throughout the day by combining protein, fat and a small amount of carbohydrates will stabilize the blood sugar and further aid hormonal balance.A woman is going through a physical change at menopause anyway so combining this with divorce or deep relationship struggles can be especially painful, but I want to say that there is hope for a true metamorphosis to occur. By focusing on proper diet, supplements and lifestyle changes a true “butterfly effect” from the small hormonal changes can occur in her whole body. This ripple effect not only changes her life but affects her family and the community. What a breath of fresh air to see a woman go through divorce and handle it with dignity, integrity and love. I believe this can happen in many cases if we try to understand ourselves and the other person. It is hard to do that if we are not able to think clear and feel our best.BeBalanced offers “natural hormone balancing” which can aid this transition through menopause and through a difficult divorce or relationship hardship so your true healthy self can handle things the best way possible. The caterpillar who once was, who might have lost hope, can truly become a beautiful butterfly. There is truly life and beauty on the other side of menopause and on the other side of divorce. Let’s get balanced and see that beauty firsthand or share this with someone who is going through either or both of these transitions. By making small changes in ourselves and in our relationships, we can truly change the world!
To learn more about hormonal changes that can aid your mood, energy, sleep and weight, go to bebalancedcenters.com. We are here to help you in this time of transition!