Today, I want to talk about a common symptom of menopause… Anxiety!

Sometimes just before you get a hot flush, you get this very weird sensation in your body. It's really the brain malfunctioning and sending messages through your body so that you get an adrenaline surge, but it will make you feel very strange and maybe disoriented and then the flush comes on. Sometimes that’s all that happens, but many of us get extreme panic attacks and extreme anxiety.

In a recent survey, over 90% of women said they suffered from panic attacks, palpitations, and anxiety before their periods, and that can get worse as you get older.  Of course, if you've got panic attacks and palpitations, by all means, get them checked out, but don't get too anxious about your anxiety because often it’s nothing more than a symptom of menopause.

Here are three things you can do to start dealing with anxiety…

1. Relax: First of all, you need to calm yourself down and you need to think positive thoughts rather than negative thoughts about being really ill and something sinister being wrong with you. You can do that by doing a session of relaxation everyday and this should make you feel calmer and more relaxed. Go and do something that's really relaxing and therapeutic for yourself.
2. Reduce Caffeine: From my experience, you should take caffeine out of your diet completely. Even decaffeinated drinks can make you feel twitchy and alcohol can knock most nutrients sideways so I'd really keep that to a low level as well.
3. Make sure your diet is nutrient-dense: It’s really important to make sure you're eating properly and that you're eating wholesome food little and often. Deficiency of certain vitamins and nutrients can trigger depression and anxiety in some people.

If you would like to find out more about what’s going on in your body as you hit the menopause feel free to join my Virtual Class. I will be explaining the changes that occur and how to manage your symptoms without resorting to drugs or hormones.