Age 49
Stationary shop owner and mother
On roof of shop with dog
Outside shop with dog
Turning 50, slightly menopausal, I presume, because you just don't know
I run a business and have a large family, so have a lot to juggle. My eldest step-daughter has just gone through pregnancy whilst I’ve been going through menopause and she’s been talking about that lack of shape in her body.As women we lose our shape and our body gets affected in menopause as it does in pregnancy.And the up and down hormones, it’s quite interesting how we hark back to that part of it as well.
My mind set has changed - I feel more empowered - capable of saying “this is how it’s going to be and this is how I’m going to do things”. I’ve become very good at setting boundaries and also making time for myself, and saying “actually, I just can’t do this right now”.
Maybe it’s also just an ageing thing, but you get to that point where you’ve done an awful lot of stuff for other people and you’ve just got to stop that and do one thing at a time because your brain can’t juggle like it could.
I’m an artist/sculptor in bone china and wire. I do printing based on the women’s body, so that whole idea of change is very much in my work as well. I’ve got a very creative brain and don't think you can compartmentalise as much with menopause; everything a little bit of a jumble when you’ve got lots of balls in the air.
It’s been hot flushes, mood swings and totally overthinking, so sleepless nights. I’ve started counting backwards from 100, just to get my brain not thinking. I’ve got numbers dyspraxia, so that takes my brain off what I'm thinking about.
I've always been interested in wild swimming and I’ve taken up swimming again I go swimming in the quarry.That has been really helpful, just to be in a space where nobody can get to you! The body of water really helps in terms of the weightlessness, the being enclosed in something.
I've heard all the horror stories about HRT. I’ve spoke to the doctor about the possibilities of what’s available; Im fact finding. I don't think women really talk about it that much, even amongst themselves, it’s not something that my friendship group talks about and it’s that thing of if you go on HRTyou are almost giving up and it’s like you’re a failure. My one friend has been HRTis absolutely the way to go and my other friend who has been really moody for a couple of years will not go on it because she just feels like it’s something she can beat herself, and you just think, well there must be something in between.
Rachel