I had always thought about menopause as a brief moment in life.

I pictured myself transitioning almost overnight, only experiencing a few hot flashes, and  maybe some bad mood, but then, voila, it would be over.

I was so wrong…. 

When perimenopause hit me, at age 48, I felt miserable, and I sure was not  prepared for it. Mood swings, sudden drops of energy, loss of libido, hot flashes, headaches…I started to wake up at 2 am every night, sweating and feeling anxious. I became irritable, impatient, intolerant. The worst version of myself. I was living in a body and mind that I did not recognize. It was as if someone had taken control over me. 

Yes, my gynecologist said after testing my hormones, you are entering perimenopause. It was the first time I even heard about this word. 

Why are we so informed about conception, and mis-informed about menopause?

No, menopause does not last a few months, but a few years. Perimenopause included. No, it’s not just hot flashes. It is all the fun things that I listed, and a few more! 

Here I am, this educated woman who had read everything about procreation and education but nothing to prepare herself for menopause. Why is that?

Because menopause is not attractive... In our education and collective consciousness, it resonates like the end of procreation, of youth, of social value, of sexy-ness, of our creative power, and of our power overall. I realized that I have been avoiding thinking about menopause, and even when it was right here in front of me, it took me some time to accept it. 

This is so not normal, and we, women of the 21th century need to change this.

If all goes well, most of us and our daughter will live 40 to 50 years after menopause. This means that at least half of our life will be happening during peri-menopause and past menopause! Then menopause becomes this moment when we enter into the second part of life. If we think about it this way, it is a beginning and not an end. 

So let’s change the narrative. Starting with eradicating the disease semantic used by the medical professionals: no, menopause is not a disease, it is a natural transition. Yes, it can be painful and hard or just uncomfortable, but no, hormonal therapy + antidepressant are not the answer. Ayurveda, yoga, meditation, and all things natural can provide great relief, as I share in my blog and my instagram. If we numb the discomfort with chemicals, we avoid looking into our lifestyle and make the changes that will create a healthy, happy, radiant second half of life. Menopause is an opportunity to adjust how we eat according to our unique constitution (think Dosha), learn how to take care of our body everyday (think rituals and sleep), and to let go of what does not serve us anymore (think yoga, meditation and past-processing work). 

Menopause is the beginning of a radiant era of personal development. It is an exciting time of transition toward more wisdom, more grace, more ease, more freedom, more intuition, and more creativity. Our intuition grows, we become able to perceive subtler information from the physical, energetic, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions. If we cultivate these capacities, the can build a strong aura that will benefit our families, friends and the whole community. Menopause women have a new role to play to increase the vibration of the planet! Ladies, we have a mission, and this high-vibe is our super power! 

Contributed by Val Joan