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" I am not mad! I am MAD, Mastering Adaptable Determination and Making A Difference." - Mathilde Barbier
Something has been happening.
It’s been happening gradually. And I don’t like it at all.
What’s wrong with me?
In the last few years, I have been asking myself this question far too often!
Who is this woman?
Filled with dread and self-doubt when tackling things she is usually very good at.
Experiencing high levels of anxiety and palpitations when asked to take a simple and inconsequential decision.
Not remembering the point she is making, half-way through a sentence.
Other times the message is clear in her head but the brain and the mouth are not connecting and the words are just not coming out.
Switching between two very unfamiliar ways of being (or of thinking) between: apathy with underlying lack of motivation and peaks of impatience with a heightened bullshit detector.
What’s wrong with me? Am I losing the plot?
I am witnessing a transformation into a very uncomfortable, chaotic and not so nice version of myself … Could I be turning into a MAD woman?
One day, I felt it. A sudden warmth spreading around my upper body. Settling for a minute, feeling quite nice actually, and then going as quickly as it arrived. It was not fever as it kept coming and going, in a random fashion (or so I thought at the time!).
Next thing, I skipped a period and then 2 and then the penny dropped …
Could it be menopause related?
WHAT … not the ‘M’ word?
Really?
Now?
Then, why not now after all?
But what am I meant to do? Just wait for the menstruation to stop … end of?
Actually, I haven’t reached menopause yet. Technically, menopause is one day. The day when you have reached a whole year without a period! After that it is post-menopause and before that … well THAT is the almighty peri-menopause!
I have reached that phase in life where:
my personal thermostat is more unpredictable than the British weather
my brain is as foggy as the South Downs on a winter morning
... and my mood swings are more vertiginous than the pendulum ride on the Brighton Pier
In fact, I am navigating the tumultuous waters of perimenopause, and now I know what is happening, I am going from strength to strength in the art of connecting to my inner compass, adapting and embracing this time of change.
I am not MAD! I am actually Mastering Adaptable Determination and Making A Difference … there is so much more to decode in the MADness, and indeed to embrace.
When I created dare to be the change 8 years ago, with its 3 pillars:
aware | self-care | dare
... little did I know it was going to be so perfectly aligned with this new stage in my life. Indeed, awareness and ‘being’ the change are key in perimenopause as well as daring to be curious, and giving ourselves plenty of self-care too.
In the spring, nature is not the only thing that is going to uncurl. You will see a new webpage unfold. Invitations to online and in person circles of discussion for women who want to mingle and befriend the MAD woman in them.
Gentlemen, don’t worry as there will also be a platform for those of you who want to explore, make sense of the journey and support the women in your personal or professional life to navigate these troubled waters.
So, watch this space everyone ...
This will be all about:
• Humour, authenticity, personal stories • Tips, practical exercises and resources • Listening, sharing and connecting with a community of empowered women and their precious allies. Together, we will turn the page of a new chapter filled with Resilience, Inspiration, Strength and Empowerment (RISE) and of course the unshakeable power that comes with embracing our midlife MADness! Stay tuned! |
In the meantime, I invite you to be open, curious, gentle with yourself, practice awareness, self-care and dare to be the change you want to see in your organisation, family, community and life!
LIVING GENTLY, NO MATTER WHAT ...
You've reached that phase in life where your thermostat is more unpredictable than the weather, your brain as foggy as the South Downs on a winter morning and your mood swings are more vertiginous than the pendulum ride on the Brighton Pier.
Mid-life doesn’t have to be
wild and mad!
Gentleness can hide in our biggest challenges, and I will help you find it!
Get in touch to arrange a free conversation to chat about: 1-1 Sessions, in person workshops, and more ...
Or, click below to visit the website and discover my online course...
Image credit: Photos by Moi!
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