How to deal with extra stress during the festive season



Menopause Advisor
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Ask Eileen


21 November 2016

Read the full video transcript below

Today's topic

Hello, and welcome to my weekly video blog. And today on A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to look at the extra stress that can come with the festive season, and how it can be overcome.

I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of November and we’re now on the run-up to the festive season. And I know, for most people, it’s a time of joy and happiness and family get togethers but it can also be very stressful and if you’re going through the menopause and you’re already feeling stressed, if you’re already anxious, if you’re already fatigued, then this added pressure can make a huge difference to your symptoms, to your well being and how you actually feel about yourselves. 

At this particular point, we’re extra busy. We’ve got lots of other things to do, we’re thinking if we’re having to cook the main meal…we’re having to think about the extra shopping, we’re having to think about presents and not forgetting that somebody somewhere that’d be very annoyed if they don’t get a card. We can also be run off our feet. Work as well, for a lot of people at work, this is an extra busy time as well. So there’s a lot of things that can actually build up and put extra pressure on ourselves at this particular point.

What to look out for

Feeling unsociable?

If you’re already feeling fatigued, it can be very difficult to get motivated to do all this extra work or all this extra running around. If you are feeling unsociable…and this is actually quite a common menopausal problem. A lot of women feel at some point that they don’t want to mix, they don’t want to socialise, and they just can’t be bothered with anybody. And if all the responsibility of making the day a great pleasure for everybody else is put upon you, that can actually make you feel down as well.

Relaxation and fatigue

So we also forget our daily routine. Where does that relaxation time come in? Oh, we just don’t have time for that. So without the relaxation we can get more fatigued, we can get extra tired, we can get extra irritable.

Anxiety

We’re also…if we have a lot of anxiety, then this particular period can make us more anxious, it can give us more worry. You can wake up early in the morning with that list in your head of things that you’ve already got to do or things that you actually forgot to do yesterday. Some people will worry about money, where are they going to get the money from for all the extra day to day pleasures in the festive season.

Family relationships

There’s also worry about family relationships. Not every family gets together at this particular point and has a happy time. And somebody, which is usually us, worries about who’s going to get on with who and who can’t sit beside somebody else. So our anxiety level can go up a number of notches over this point.

Diet and over-indulgence

We’ve also got diet, we’ve got over-indulgence. And we know that just a little bit of extra caffeine or extra sugar can trigger the hot flushes and the palpitations and the sweats. And if you’re working, and your office is anything like mine, then the minced pies and the cakes are already out and this is only the end of November. So the eating poor foods, bad foods, tends to extend over probably the whole of December. And that can make a huge impact on your symptoms as I mentioned.

Water

We forget to drink the water. We’re so busy. It’s also a lot colder and we just maybe forget to keep our hydration topped up. And remember that dehydration can cause lots of flushes and sweats. It can cause the palpitations, it could cause the headaches, it can cause the foggy thinking. And at this particular moment, we really need to be thinking clearly so that we can actually remember everything.

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What can you do to help yourself through the festive season?

Now, what can you do to help yourself through the festive season? Now, these tips will actually work for any major celebration. It doesn’t just have to be at this particular time of the year. It could be if there’s a big wedding going on, if there’s a big family celebration going on, if you’re moving house, you can use this for any situation where you know there’s going to be an end to it at some point.

Relaxation

So the most important thing…please, if there’s nothing else you do, just do this and that’s remember the relaxation. It’s going to be absolutely vital both physically, emotionally and mentally to help you through this point. And remember 30 minutes a day me time can make all the difference at helping you energy wise too because we all need the extra energy when we’re running around a lot.

Make lists

I’m a great one. I make lists for everything. The only thing is half the time I forget where I’ve put them and then I have to start all over again. But just prioritise what you have to do because we’re really bad at doing this as women. We worry about the things way down the list and then when we’re looking at what’s at the top of the list, we panic even more. So just prioritise what you have to do over the next few weeks and try not to get too worried about what’s happening in maybe three or four weeks’ time. There will come a point when you can actually focus on those issues as well.

Herbal remedies

If you’re looking for herbal remedies to help you through this particular time, then we have a lovely remedy called Stress Relief Daytime. It’s a combination of valerian and hops and valerian is a lovely remedy to help calm you down. It works really quickly so if you’re needing something now just to take the heat off, just to help chill you a little bit, then valerian is the herb for you. It’s also a muscle relaxant so it’s going to help to release all the tense muscles and it can help you sleep as well. So it’s a nice all-around remedy for this time of the year.

You could also look at relaxation essence. This is one of the flower essences and the flower essences are lovely to help with emotional issues. So if you find that you can’t sleep because everything is running around in your head, what you’ve got to do, what you’ve forgotten to do, if you wake up at three o’clock or four o’clock in the morning and you’re still thinking about that list in your head, the relaxation essence might be a nice one for you. I call it for those women who do too much and it’s one of my favorite remedies. I always have some handy in case I get particularly stressed.

* * *

Stress Relief Daytime is a herbal remedy containing extracts of freshly harvested, organically grown Valerian and Hops.

This tincture can help you cope with the pressures that can sometimes build up around you when you are busy, reducing symptoms of stress and mild anxiety.

Parties and alcohol

Now the other thing that I just want to talk about quickly is parties because there’s often a lot of parties at this time of the year. There might be parties after work, parties around your neighbours, big family parties as well. The most important thing here is don’t go to any kind of party on an empty stomach for two reasons. One is especially if you’ve gone after work, you’re going to be really hungry and all you’re going to do is nibble on all the naughty food. So if you have something before you go, it’s just going to take the edge off your appetite.

The other really important thing is alcohol over the festive season. Purely because if you go to parties on an empty stomach and you start to drink, the alcohol is going to hit you very quickly, your resolution then totally weakens after a couple of glasses of wine. So not only do you eat more but you probably end up drinking a little bit more as well and we know that both alcohol and high salt and sugar foods are really big culprits for triggering hot flushes and night sweats. So before you go, just have a little snack, something like a handful of nuts and seeds, maybe a little carton of yoghurt with some berries or something in it or an oatcake and cheese and just remember to drink lots of water at the parties too.

Have fun!

Now, what I want you to do over the festive season. Have fun. We’re not here to say don’t enjoy yourself. Have party food in moderation but just be aware that few days after you’ve been to a party, you might actually notice that your symptoms are just a little bit worse and now you know the reason. So, I look forward to seeing you next week on A.Vogel Talks Menopause.

Stress Relief Daytime – for stress and mild anxiety

15ml

£ 4.99

Buy now

For the relief of stress and anxiety. Fresh herb tincture. Also available in 50ml size.
More info

Did you know?

You won’t get the menopause the minute you turn 50! The average starting age is actually between 45 and 55 and it can often depend on a number of factors including hereditary, weight and health, however every single woman will have an individual menopause.

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