How we grow through transitions – Reinventing in menopause
I always had a pretty good idea about who I was supposed to be; until I didn’t.
As I was growing up, the expectations were made very clear: What being a professional meant, what being a good wife and mother meant, what being an upright citizen meant, and so it was, and so I was.
I fulfilled everyone’s expectations but forgot my own in the chaotic busyness of life. I guess that is why I always felt that something was missing. There was a corner in my life that felt empty. I reached a high level in my career, but it was not fulfilling the more creative side of me. I was good at my job and enjoyed doing it, but I derived more joy from the creative arts and from social connections.
Responsibilities
I had many responsibilities to fill, most of all being a mother to my children. One thing about children, though, they grow up and go on their own path. At that point, I started going through menopause with all that meant from mood swings to insomnia and crazy hormonal changes. It was a time of adjusting to a new way of being, on so many levels.
Some of the changes that you go through during perimenopause are quite unpleasant, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The good news is that everything eventually settles down. Women often emerge from menopause wiser and with eyes much more open, caring less about what others think and taking a deep dive into their own wishes and preferences.
This is the beauty of the menopausal transition in life.
Rediscovering the real us – reinventing in menopause
This is a time when the old cobwebs shake loose. When we can rediscover the real us underneath the layers of responsibility that we take on through life. This is a time when we can look forward to the easing of duties and giving ourselves permission to focus on ourselves for a change.
It is no less than a re-invention of self, or it can be if we allow it to.
I did. I shook off the “should”s and “must”s and looked for what would give me a deep sense of purpose and satisfaction. I always wanted to start something that would allow me to live a kinder sort of life where I did not have to “swim with the sharks” or to “lean in” to a male way of doing things. I wanted to write my own script this time around; to create value for myself and other women while collaborating with people I really enjoyed working with.
Creating Womaneze
Together with my co-founder and close friend, we created Womaneze. We re-imagined what our sixties are going to be, and we invented a more joyful life that is kinder to ourselves and to others. We are not doing this alone. A wonderful team of women supports us as we embark on this journey. We work, we laugh and we help each other along the way. We are doing this with TLC, building Tools to help with menopause through Loving personalized coaching and a Community of women going through the same transition.
Come join us!
S
