Acknowledge Reality
Here's a response I shot from the hip on a friend's query about brain fog recently. There was a ton of great advice from many different women’s experiences. So encouraging to see that more women are talking about these things!
A few thoughts from my experience:
1) First and foremost acknowledge and reassure yourself and other women that you/they/we are not crazy. Estrogen (specifically estradiol) receptors run throughout the ENTIRE body, including the brain. So when estradiol begins to recede, the body is LITERALLY rewiring and reforming itself. This is backed by recent research - Dr. Lisa Mosconi, for example.
2) Like you're doing, it is imperative to GIVE OURSELVES A BREAK whenever possible. Say NO to whatever you can. Seriously. No guilt or explaining. Natural perimenopause can last 5-10 years -- we need to prepare for the long game. (I'm on year 5 or so, and just in the last 6 months have experienced more stability and a sense of coming out of the tunnel -- with a LOT of inner and outer work involved). Medical menopause is abrupt, a whole other wild ride.
3) Recognize that a solution that works for me may not work for you. Some folks work with herbs & nutrition, others do hormone therapy (plz remember that hormone therapy does NOT "replace" hormones, - the hormones ARE receding regardless, however it does help with debilitating symptoms of estrogen withdrawal for many women and may provide other benefits/risks) ... others work with mental/emotional therapies ... many of us do a combo. We can all be gentle and supportive of each other to take responsibility for our experience, educate ourselves and do what is best for us.
I've experimented with nutrition, herbs, movement, adjusting schedule, book, support group, mental/emotional work, etc. everything outside of hormone therapy (personal choice, I am not opposed to it) ... and have found a combination of practices that works for me. Happy to share anytime.
Thankfully there is a lot more info out now and women are talking about their experiences more openly. The perimenopause support group I'm part of has been life-changing, for example.