Menopause marks one of the biggest changes in your body, and while it’s a very natural time of transition in in women’s lives, it’s still natural for many women to feel like strangers in their own bodies, or to dislike what’s looking back at them in the mirror.
Even if low self-esteem and menopause tend to go hand-in-hand, you don’t need to suffer with it alone – here’s what you can do to help conquer low self-esteem and boost your confidence during menopause.
Do Some Self-Care
If menopause is contributing to low self-esteem, it might be time to remind yourself of what’s important: you. Between work, family, and other social obligations, your self-care can get lost in the mix. When is the last time you took a day (or even an hour) to yourself?
Although it might be tricky to schedule, carving time out on your calendar for self-care can be crucial for your overall self-esteem. Self-care doesn’t look the same for everyone. Some women may want an hour to soak in the tub with a glass of wine while others go hiking, shopping, or even just go out for a nice dinner.
The self-care activity that you do isn’t what matters – what matters is that you’re setting aside time to put your own wellbeing first for once.
Get Some Exercise
Although there’s a lot of evidence that proves how regular exercise can improve your mood, it may actually be able to help some of the other symptoms of menopause as well – such as weight gain and muscle loss.
Over the long run, the discipline and positive physical (and mental) changes of regular exercise should give you a confidence boost. Keep in mind that you don’t need to do some high-intensity exercise just to reap the benefits of a good workout.
Even if you’re just walking around the neighbourhood or doing ten minutes of yoga in the morning, these exercises will still only affect you positively. So, don’t worry too much about the type of exercise you do, and just try to focus on finding a workout routine that fits nicely into your schedule.
Take a Social Media Break
While social media can be a great way to stay in contact with friends and family, it can also wreak havoc on your self-esteem as well. When you’re constantly bombarded with beautiful people that have been airbrushed to perfection, it creates an unrealistic standard you can’t compete with – and going through menopause can only heighten this feeling.
While deleting your accounts might feel too drastic, taking a social media break can still give you some well-needed rest. Not to mention, you may be surprised how much more time you have when you’re not scrolling through social media every single day – and you can take that extra time to exercise or perform some self-care.
Write a List of Why You Love Yourself
For most people, listing your flaws is a lot easier than listing your strengths. Poor self-esteem can also make any flaws you have feel a lot more extreme or obvious than they actually are.
However, one way to counteract this negative thinking is by writing out a list of reasons why you love yourself. Maybe you like certain physical features, or there are aspects of your personality that you enjoy.
If you find that you’re struggling to come up with good qualities, you can always ask the people around you what traits they appreciate about you – you may be surprised just how much the people in your life admire you.
Reach Out if You Need Help
Suffering from low self-esteem during menopause can be a point of shame for some women, but it’s not unusual, nor is it something that you need to deal with alone. Don’t be afraid to reach out to help if you need to – whether that’s to a family member, a friend who’s also going through menopause.
Looking online is a good place as well. As connected as the internet is, there are plenty of online forums or communities where women discuss what it’s like to go through menopause, and it can be helpful to know you’re not the only one feeling this way.
If you feel like your self-esteem has hit an all-time low and it’s debilitating, a therapist can help you with this too if you find that engaging in self-care and chatting to friends is not helping. There are many options and we should not feel ashamed to need help when we are not feeling ourselves.
Sometimes a little help can go a long way!
The Feminapause Team xx
