I used to be full of energy and enthusiasm… until menopause

Q:  I used to be full of energy and enthusiasm, but since going through menopause I feel exhausted most of the time. Often, I just want to sit still and do nothing, which is very unlike me. Can you please help me to understand why this is happening?

A: While the symptoms you describe are not uncommon for women going through menopause, the myriad reasons for it can be very different from person to person. It is important to address not only the physical changes associated with menopause, but also the mental and emotional impacts thereof.

When a woman goes through menopause, many biological and chemical changes happen in the physical body which can impact health and energy levels. In particular, various systems in your body start functioning at different rates, thereby depleting various nutrients in your body. Your current diet and exercise regimen might need to be altered so that your body is functioning with more balance and harmony. So, first and foremost, I highly recommend that you see a health professional (such as a naturopath, kinesiologist, nutritionist, or physician) to test and monitor the various hormone, chemical, and nutrient balances in your body, and then make changes in key lifestyle areas (diet, supplements, sleep, and exercise) to help bring your body into balance. Doing this, alone, should begin to improve your energy levels.

There are also changes (both conscious and unconscious) that happen in the psyche of women who go through menopause. When the reproductive system and cycle in a woman’s body finds completion, it marks a huge turning point in life. If we look at a bell curve of a human life, human beings (on average) live to the late 80s, and so the “mid-point” for most human beings—what is often referred to as the “mid-life crisis”—is somewhere in the mid- to upper-40s. It is no coincidence that around that time is when not only the reproductive cycle, but also other organs and systems begin to atrophy and shut down. Why that happens has less to do with the organs themselves than with the individual’s consciousness and the overriding human belief system in mortality.

Statistically, most humans (at this point in the evolution of the species) will leave their bodies in the mid- to late-80s. Therefore, from birth up to that supposed “mid-point” you are increasing in life—living, growing, and expanding. When you reach the “mid-point”—the peak of the bell curve—everything from that day forward is the “dying process,” according to that belief system. And it is because of the globally-accepted belief in the average human lifespan, that the human organs and systems begin shutting down after the peak of this bell curve (i.e. marking the start of the dying process).

Where your consciousness goes your consciousness grows.

It is critical, therefore, to eliminate this belief system in mortality. The truth is:  Your soul is immortal. Every human being is immortal, and we are housed in our corporeal forms for a certain period of time. We do not have to be leaving our bodies at 85. With the technologies we currently have, and the possibilities for higher nutrition, detoxification, exercise, and refinement of consciousness, people could easily live for 100 years and more... and there are some cultures who do.

Letting go of this false belief system that you’re going to die in your 80s will, in and of itself, bring more energy, aliveness, and vivaciousness back into your life, because you are now reinforcing within yourself that you are not in the “dying cycle,” you are just continuing to live, grow, and expand. Does that mean that all-of-a-sudden your age will reverse and wrinkles will disappear? Not necessarily. But there will be both subtle and ostensible changes as that belief system transmutes and becomes more aligned with the ultimate Truth. You will retard the aging process in many ways as you go through this transformation of consciousness.

Another thing that is important as this life cycle ends and a new cycle begins, is to take the time to evaluate your life and see if there is something new you want to introduce at this stage—perhaps something you have not done before. It might be something you study, a new hobby you take up, a practice of some sort, or a special pastime to add a sense of newness and excitement in your life.

Finally, there also needs to be an acknowledgement and honoring within yourself over the completion of your reproductive cycle. It has served its time for you. And it is important to honor it for being perfect, beautiful, and whole. It had its beginning, its middle, and its completion, and it is now time for a new beginning.

Most importantly, enjoy this new chapter in your life. Remember:  You only live forever!