Celebrating International Women’s Day: 10 Ways to Prioritise Yourself

International Women’s Day is one of our favourite days to celebrate. In our community, we spend each and every day focused on how our work can help empower women as they enter midlife and beyond, walking with them through one of life’s most intense biological experiences: menopause. 

As women enter this season, they often find themselves navigating a wide range of physical and emotional changes. This can result in shifting relationships with identity and self, with so many fluctuating experiences bringing new challenges to the course of everyday life.

With this in mind, we’ve decided to focus our celebratory efforts today on you: you’re the woman we most want to celebrate.

To do so from afar, we’ve rounded up 10 ways you can prioritise yourself in the midst of your menopause journey. Our hope is that even just one of these methods can help create time, space and focus to enable you to prioritise your relationship with yourself, no matter which stage of menopause you’re currently navigating.

1.Prioritise sleep

Let’s start with one of the most basic ways you can prioritise yourself day after day: by getting enough sleep! Disrupted sleep is a cornerstone for many women in their menopause journey. Hot flushes and night sweats can contribute to nights of tossing and turning, with many individuals also experiencing trouble staying asleep, even when they’re able to fall asleep in the first place.

Work on prioritising strong sleep hygiene habits to support yourself in these fundamental areas. A regular sleep schedule, avoiding large amounts of caffeine, and creating a quiet, comfortable sleeping environment are all keys to building your sleep quality on a consistent basis.

2.Take time to exercise

In the midst of a busy schedule, prioritising regular exercise can feel like just one more demand on your time. However, regular exercise can be key to helping to reduce menopausal symptoms, as well as supporting your mental and emotional health through this life transition.

If you’re finding it difficult to build consistency into your exercise schedule, allow yourself the chance to explore new forms of movement and routine. Look for an approach that’s achievable on a regular basis, and you’ll thank yourself at the end of each sweat session.

3.Focus on your nutrition

One of the best ways you can fight the impacts of menopause is by embracing a balanced, nutritious diet. This, too, can be a difficult task to fit into your daily routine, but by making sure you’re giving yourself the nutritional support you need for the demands of each day, you can lessen the intensity of menopausal symptoms.

4.Make self-care non-negotiable

Self-care can suffer from a reputation of being ‘indulgent’. Ultimately, practising regular self-care isn’t about indulgence – it’s about building a framework where your own needs are considered, met and protected in a sea of demands on your time and energy.

This will look different from woman to woman. Your idea of enriching self-care might be settling in with a great novel, spending time pottering in the garden, walking with a podcast, or breaking out a new recipe in the kitchen. Whatever your self-care weapon of choice, building regular downtime into your schedule is a necessary tool as you move through the challenges of menopause.

5.Build your support community

Sadly, too many women suffer through the impact of menopause in silence. We’re firm believers in the power of community. By connecting with your friends, family members and trusted healthcare practitioners through your menopause experience, you can find vital support for each challenge it brings your way.

If your support community is currently lacking, our team would love to connect with you. We’re here for every Australian woman as she navigates the menopause journey.

6.Make use of available treatments

For so many of menopause’s symptoms, a treatment exists that can reduce or remove its intensity.

We’ve seen the dramatic difference treatments such as hormone replacement therapy can make at each stage of menopause. Our expert practitioners can build a custom plan that’s focused on the exact hormonal support you need at every stage, reducing the impact of menopause symptoms on your daily routines and overall wellbeing.

7.Grow your understanding

When you’re not aware of what’s coming next, menopause can be a constant rollercoaster of experiences and emotions.

Take the time to understand how each stage of menopause – perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause – brings its own unique changes. 

By building your understanding of the physical, mental and emotional changes you can expect at each transition point, you can make sure you’re as equipped as possible for the season ahead.

8.Treat yourself kindly

Positive self-talk is a powerful habit for everyone, not just for women in the throes of menopause. It can be an essential practice, however, if you’re in the midst of these changes. Positive self-talk can increase your self-awareness, self-compassion and your understanding of your unique experience. 

This habit can also help you to identify and manage feelings of anxiety or depression, bringing a heightened awareness to the mental health challenges menopause may bring. 

9.Remove unnecessary stress

There’s a good chance life’s full and busy as you reach perimenopause. If you’re finding yourself under constant stress and pressure, look at how you can adjust your responsibilities and time commitments to create more space for yourself. This can be a lifeline during some of the more intense periods of the menopausal transition, allowing you to focus on supporting your body’s changing needs.

10.Look for the beauty

Practising gratitude is one small, mighty way to find beauty in the midst of the challenge. Take time to acknowledge the smaller aspects of life that contribute to what you appreciate, value and connect with. You may want to keep a journal, or simply set a few minutes each day to reflect on the parts of life you’re deeply grateful for. 
No matter how you choose to prioritise yourself this International Women’s Day, we’re here to remind you of just how important it is to do so. If you need further support in reducing the intensity of your menopause experience, contact us today to learn more about how we can walk with you through this season.