This Week’s Thrive In Five Is About Managing Energy
It’s part two of our Thrive in Five series on menopause. Last week, we talked about creating a sleep window, and this one is about managing energy.
Energy Levels
Personally, my energy levels have been incredibly low during the last two years. In fact, it has only just got back to normal in the last two weeks since I’ve gone onto HRT (thankfully!). I had done some testing to see where my hormones were at, and they were extremely low. When we go through menopause, we lose progesterone, a sleep-promoting hormone. This means that we are more likely to experience fatigue and sleep problems. As a result, this causes our energy levels to fluctuate.
The Energy Jar
Here’s an esoteric concept that I hope will be helpful for you:
I want to introduce you to the energy jar. Whether you’re having tests or symptoms, or you’re just not sure, this concept can be applied to almost everyone. It will be particularly useful for managing your energy levels. The energy jar refers to a rather esoteric idea that your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy comes from one place. Of course, it doesn’t, so this activity requires some imagination!
So, if you wake up in the morning having not slept very well, some of the energy from your jar will already be missing. Any further emotional stress will continue to deplete the energy you have in that jar. Therefore, it would not be a good idea to smash yourself at the gym or take on additional tasks because you have already used energy to cope with the mental load. This concept also works in reverse: if you’re recovering from a lot of physical load, such as illness or a marathon, you aren’t going to have enough energy for mentally challenging activities.
Managing Energy
So, try and take a guess in the morning of what your energy jar looks like. Having an idea of how much you have will help you to replenish it. For example, if the jar is running low, you might want to take it a little easier that day. This has been particularly beneficial for me because I’ve had to adapt to my energy levels during perimenopause. It’s important acknowledge that you might have to change the way you do things. If you charge on in the way you used to, it might just empty out your jar.
If you want to find out more about perimenopause or menopause, watch on demand our webinar where I was in conversation with Dr. Tanya Patrick, GP and functional medicine doctor. Together we’ll be busting myths, giving you all the facts, and providing lots of helpful information.
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