Referring to the Menopause as ‘the change of life’ is misleading and counterproductive.
The Menopause isn’t the only change that will occur during your life and it is unlikely to be the most significant. Life is s series of gradual changes - we don’t suddenly reach a turning point and start growing old when we meet midlife.
Aging is a continuous process that begins the moment we are born. Maintaining a healthy attitude towards menopause is to see it as a time to rediscover yourself, to assess your life and it’s purpose and to establish new aims and goals.
It is important to resist negative stereotypes often associated with the Menopause. These are often culturally created, and do not reflect the reality of our individual experiences. In countries where age is venerated and older women are respected for their experience and wisdom, fewer physical and psychological symptoms of the menopause are reported. Many Asian, Arabic and African women welcome the end of fertility and childbearing, and perhaps as a result, they seem to encounter fewer difficulties than Western women. In countries that lack a tradition of myths and misconceptions about the menopause, aging seems to be regarded as a more natural process. Women aren’t adversely affected by negative images and may feel less confused about what is happening.
If you believe that in order to be beautiful and successful you must be young, then you may not enjoy your middle age to the full. If you are convinced that the quality of life deteriorates from 50 onwards, this can become a self fulfilling prophecy; because you believe it is going to happen you may inadvertently make it happen by not looking after yourself and adopting resigned and negative attitudes.
As we get older it’s important t to learn how to enjoy leisure time and to find new and varied diversions.
Find out what excites and motivates you. Stop spending time on things that don’t interest you. You have as much potential as when you were young and now you are better equipped to harness it. Make a list of things you must do in the rest of your life, things you have never attempted before and go do them!
For more information on conditions, symptoms, cause and treatments visit http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk
Tags: Stereotypes, Menopause
