Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It

Maren
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  • Mental Health

Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It is part of the Making Sense of It series — a menopause mental health podcast for adults navigating mood, sleep, identity, and cognitive shifts in perimenopause and menopause. We own menopause mental health, perimenopause mood swings, brain fog, sleep disruption, irritability, anxiety in midlife transition, and practical coping—without dismissing symptoms as "just hormones" or replacing medical care. Episodes stay menopause-mental-health-first. Search Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for weekly episodes on menopause mood, sleep, and midlife mental health. Audio for this show is produced with AI assistance. Episodes are researched, scripted, and reviewed for accuracy before release. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/menopause-and-mental-health-making-sense-of-it--7148797/support.

Episodes

  1. Aug 27

    Make Sense of Menopause Mental Fog: Bonus 2 Min Pause Practice

    In this episode of Menopause and Mental Health: Let's Make Sense Of This Sh*t, we explore how shifting estrogen levels quietly disrupt mood stability and mental focus, often showing up first as sudden irritability or words that vanish mid-sentence. Host Maren breaks down the direct link between these hormone changes and brain chemistry, then shares practical tools to track patterns and create quick resets without overhauling your day. Key takeaways: - Log sleep hours, meals, and foggy or low-mood moments daily to separate hormonal effects from everyday stress. - Use a simple two-minute afternoon breathing pause—inhale for four counts, exhale for six—to signal safety to the nervous system and ease tension in the shoulders and jaw. - Add a short ten-minute outdoor walk to improve blood flow, supporting memory and calm. These layered habits often bring small wins in focus and mood within days. Results vary, so adjust timing to fit your routine. If symptoms feel overwhelming, reach immediate support by calling or texting 988 in the US or Canada. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca... If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care.

    Make Sense of Menopause Mental Fog: Bonus 2 Min Pause Practice

  2. Aug 25

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Self-compassion when progress feels slow

    In this episode of Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It, we explore self-compassion when progress feels slow amid the mental health shifts of perimenopause and menopause. You may track habits like sleep and mood routines only to face lingering fog and stalled results that arrive on the body’s own timeline. Instead of layering on pressure, we learn to meet ourselves where we are, swapping harsh inner criticism for the steady kindness of a supportive friend. Drawing from listener stories, including one woman’s experience with missed walks and restless nights, we see how brief evening check-ins can highlight small efforts that self-judgment often hides. Key takeaways include: - Recognizing the intention-interruption-judgment loop before it blocks momentum - Acknowledging setbacks as part of the process rather than personal failure - Building simple, tool-free habits that foster patience and renewed attempts This conversation offers practical steps to ease frustration and keep moving forward without extra time or pressure. Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca... If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Self-compassion when progress feels slow

  3. Aug 18

    Navigate Menopause Stress: Workday Mental Health Tools

    In this episode of Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It, host Maren explores practical ways to manage stress at work and home when symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog, and mood swings collide with daily demands. Drawing from her own experiences of racing inboxes, last-minute project rewrites, and evening family chaos, Maren explains how shifting estrogen levels can heighten stress hormones, making small pressures feel overwhelming. She shares relatable stories of snapping during dinner or struggling to refocus after interruptions, then offers two sets of simple, testable tools: one for the workday and one for evenings at home. These short actions help interrupt autopilot reactions without adding extra time to your schedule. Key takeaways: - Spot the exact moment pressure builds to create space for a mindful response. - Keep one repeatable action ready per setting, such as stepping to a window at work or using a five-minute timer at home. - Focus on small, low-effort steps that work even when focus is low. Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca... If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    Navigate Menopause Stress: Workday Mental Health Tools

  4. Aug 11

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Communication skills reduce

    In this episode of Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It, we explore communication skills that reduce conflict when hot flashes and hormonal shifts turn ordinary talks into sudden flare-ups. Host Maren shares how a quick pause phrase like "give me a moment" helped cut arguments in half during peak heat, drawing from her own experiences with sharp words at the stove or during broken sleep, plus listener voice notes from homes and workplaces. The discussion highlights why standard advice falls short amid perimenopause mood changes and offers tools that align with the body's altered baseline. Key takeaways: - Name the physical state upfront so others understand your starting point instead of guessing at hidden meaning. - State one clear need without layering on past examples that derail the talk. - Insert a short pause to give your nervous system time to settle before responding. These steps turn clashes into brief recoveries that benefit both people. Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca... If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Communication skills reduce

  5. Aug 4

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Sleep, rest, and nervous-system recovery

    In this episode of Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It, host Maren explores sleep, rest, and nervous-system recovery during perimenopause and menopause. Many women notice sudden, unexplained shifts in rest, waking alert at the same hour despite mental exhaustion. The episode explains why these patterns stem from nervous-system changes in temperature regulation and alertness rather than stress alone, and why generic advice like “get more sleep” falls short. Instead, listeners learn two simple, repeatable recovery practices that deliver targeted signals to help the body downshift without extra equipment or time blocks—one for immediate evening use and another adding gentle movement to release tension. Key takeaways: - Recognize how hormonal shifts weaken nervous-system cues for rest. - Apply practical tools to shorten the gap between waking and returning to sleep. - Build consistent habits that ease racing thoughts and wired exhaustion over time. These steps offer gradual, realistic support tailored to busy lives. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. https://www.spreaker.com/podca... If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line). In an emergency, call 911. This podcast is not a substitute for professional care. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Sleep, rest, and nervous-system recovery

  6. Jul 15

    Build Healthier Boundaries Through Menopause Mental Health

    In this episode we explore how perimenopause can thin your boundaries and make people-pleasing habits suddenly costly. Hormone shifts often amplify emotions while lowering energy, turning small yeses into resentment and exhaustion. You’ll hear a real story of one woman whose evenings disappeared into constant caregiving until she set one clear rule about her own time. We then break down two practical tools you can test this week: a simple way to notice where your limits have slipped without conflict, and short phrases to use in the moment so you stop overexplaining or freezing. These steps focus on what you control instead of waiting for others to change. Key takeaways: - Spot the people-pleasing pattern before it drains you - Use quick internal checks to protect your schedule and energy - Practice short boundary phrases that reduce freeze or over-apology https://www.spreaker.com/podca... 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

  7. Jul 15

    Understanding Menopause Mental Health Triggers Clearly

    In this episode of Menopause and Mental Health: Let's Make Sense Of This Sht, we explore how sudden triggers—like a partner's comment or an unexpected text—can spark intense emotional or physical responses during perimenopause, often fueled by shifting estrogen levels. Rather than labeling these moments as personal failures, we focus on spotting the spark fast and releasing shame to break the cycle before it escalates. Key takeaways include: - Note the exact trigger on paper to separate the event from your reaction. - Use longer exhales for three breaths to calm the nervous system in the moment. - Voice the story out loud without an audience to reduce its emotional weight. - Distinguish the physical spike from the old narratives that amplify distress. These practical tools help you move from wired 3 a.m. awakenings to steadier days with honesty and speed. Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca... 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    Understanding Menopause Mental Health Triggers Clearly

  8. Jul 4

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Daily coping strategies

    In this episode we dive into four daily coping strategies you can test this week to manage mood shifts and mental fog during perimenopause or menopause. These practical tools focus on small actions that slot into your existing routine without extra time or equipment. From noting three things that went okay before noon to a simple breathing pattern of inhaling for four, holding for four, and exhaling for six, each step targets irritability or heavy starts after restless nights. Real examples show how pausing during coffee prep or adjusting counts to fit your pace can shift your afternoon tone and reduce that familiar cycle of worry. Key takeaways: - Use quick wins like gratitude notes to spot positive patterns early - Try breathwork anywhere to ease tension and urgent thoughts - Build a short list of go-to moves for unpredictable fog days - Focus on immediate testing over big life changes These approaches keep things realistic so you can adjust as needed and regain choice in tough mornings. 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. Support the show: https://www.spreaker.com/podca... 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

    Navigate Menopause and Mental Health: Daily coping strategies

  9. Jul 3

    Navigate Menopause: Brain Fog, Mood Swings, and What Your Doctor

    In this episode, we dive into the often-overlooked mental health side of menopause, where hormone shifts trigger brain fog, sudden anxiety, and mood swings that extend far beyond hot flashes. Many women feel blindsided as estrogen drops disrupt memory and emotions, yet most doctors skip these connections due to limited training. Instead of guessing, learn how a simple one-week symptom calendar can reveal patterns tied to your cycle, sleep, meals, and activity levels—turning vague frustration into actionable insights for better conversations with clinicians. Whether exploring lifestyle tweaks or medication routes, this data-driven approach cuts through self-doubt and highlights manageable changes like consistent bedtimes or protein-rich lunches. Key takeaways: - Hormone shifts directly influence focus, word recall, and anxiety spikes - Track sleep, lunch, and movement daily to spot clusters and triggers - Share calendar notes at appointments for personalized treatment options https://www.spreaker.com/podca... 📩 Have questions or want to share your experience? Reach out at menopause-mental-health@senseofthisshit.com. 💛 Join Our Supporters Club ($3 a month) 💛 Ad-free listening + early episodes — help keep independent media alive. Click Here: https://www.spreaker.com/podca...

  • 9 Episodes

About

Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It is part of the Making Sense of It series — a menopause mental health podcast for adults navigating mood, sleep, identity, and cognitive shifts in perimenopause and menopause. We own menopause mental health, perimenopause mood swings, brain fog, sleep disruption, irritability, anxiety in midlife transition, and practical coping—without dismissing symptoms as "just hormones" or replacing medical care. Episodes stay menopause-mental-health-first. Search Menopause and Mental Health: Making Sense of It on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for weekly episodes on menopause mood, sleep, and midlife mental health. Audio for this show is produced with AI assistance. Episodes are researched, scripted, and reviewed for accuracy before release. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/menopause-and-mental-health-making-sense-of-it--7148797/support.

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