Are You Overwhelmed about the Holidays?

The holidays can overwhelm anyone, and menopausal women are no exception. The extra demands of family dynamics, searching for gifts, mailing cards or sending holiday emails, socializing more than usual, and the abundance of alcohol and food consumption can put you in overload and overwhelm. As if that’s not stressful enough, throw in disruptive menopause symptoms and you are a ticking time bomb in the waiting. 

Do You Know Your Triggers?

It could be your family traditions, a particular family member, all the work involved with decorations, cooking and family expectations placed upon you, buying gifts for people you don’t normally shop for throughout the year, and all you need is one more thing to add to your never-ending to-do list. 

6-Tips to Reduce the Overwhelm

1.  Delegate the Load

If you are the holiday host and spinning your wheels to create the perfect day, consider delegating portions of the meal plan to family and friends attending the holiday feast. Either have them cook at their homes and bring the side-dishes if they live close by, or if your family is there during the holidays nestled under one roof, create family time in the kitchen with teams. Dr. Leslie said, “We had the adults paired with the teens and kids on teams in the kitchen during Christmas. Each group had one dish to prepare. The pots and pans, bowls and utensils were set-up in advance with recipes and a team leader”. Take the pressure off yourself by getting this ready ahead of time. Once you do the task of organizing the teams and recipes for the first holiday, the following years are easy because you just created a template, a plan, and an operational manual for years to come. In fact, put it all in a binder, get plastic covers for your recipes and instructions that can easily come out for the teams to look at, and sit back and enjoy a glass of wine while you oversee all the teams as CEO of the holidays.

2.  Get Organized

If you didn’t have time to prepare for this year’s “team-building” to delegate the load; begin to “seed” the idea at this year’s holiday feast. By seeding, you will need to sell the idea to some family members while others will support you because they know you have the burden of doing everything including shopping and cooking each year. Of course you enjoy making this day special for your family (maybe), but what if it could be even more fun when you get to watch everyone do their share of work while you sip on wine. Organizing the holiday and planning ahead will be a game-changer for you.

3.  Take Care with Alcohol

As CEO of the holidays, manage your alcohol, especially red wine. It may worsen your menopause hot flashes and affect your much needed sleep during the holidays when you are taking time off work to rest and restore. While enjoying a glass or two of your yummy wine, be sure to alternate with glasses of water throughout the holiday cheer. Another idea is to add salt to your water to maintain your electrolyte balance. Alcohol is dehydrating and “salt-water” is a simple and effective way to manage both dehydration and electrolyte imbalances that can manifest as headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness and midday sleepiness.

4.  Small Portions

Yeah right! Small portions? The holidays are the perfect storm for menopausal symptoms to rear their ugly head right smack dab in the middle of a family gathering. Manage the temptations throughout the holidays to indulge in salty and sweet foods that you ordinarily wouldn’t eat. In fact, mixing the variety of holiday goodies can stimulate a cascade of menopausal symptoms through the day and into the night. Pick your poison as they say. Choose your battles because holiday foods are guaranteed to throw your gut biome into a tailspin.  Your gut microbiome is made up of trillions of healthy bacteria and microbes. The gut plays a very important role in your health by helping control digestion, benefiting your immune system, regulating hormones and many other important aspects of health. A bloated gut is a sure sign that you have exceeded the gut’s ability to manage the variety of foods you ingested. By all means - enjoy the holiday foods and be discerning at the same time.

5.  Take Time for You

Find quiet moments for yourself even when the house is filled with holiday guests and family members. If you can’t escape to your bedroom for solitude or a 20-minute catnap, then go for a walk. Either go with one or two family members to catch up on each other’s lives or take a stroll alone to clear your head. Getting fresh air and taking deep breaths can do wonders during your busy holiday schedule. Remember that menopause symptoms can be exacerbated by stress hormones. Cortisol and adrenaline get stimulated when you feel an urgency to get everything done in your busy schedule. Pace yourself and include downtime during the holidays.

6.  Connect with Your Emotions

Emotions are flying at an all-time high during the holidays. Give yourself a “free-pass” and allow yourself to feel your emotions because the holidays can bring them to the surface. The full gamut has been brewing inside of you all year and the triggers are around you in full force. Dr. Leslie says, “During the holidays I say hello to my little friends: guilt, regret, shame, blame, anger, grief and deep sadness. I have learned to be with them, knowing they are hidden snuggly at a cellular level for safe keeping”. Layers of memories can pop-up as moments in time. It’s truly an opportunity to allow them to exist forever like family heirlooms or release them with love. When Dr. Leslie decides it’s time to heal an unhealed event as she faces her little friends and says this statement to herself, “I release the pattern within me that created this”. Being a woman in midlife has gems – including wisdom, intuition, experience and “practiced” emotions. Practice your emotions in a way that heals, mentors and role-models. Menopausal women are surrogates and matriarchs. In addition to that, you have many women that came before you who are backing you every step of the way. You are not alone. Enjoy the holidays with all the favor and grace as a wise woman.