Hot and Bothered: Hope for Peri-menopausal Women

September 17, 2007 by jacquie.

This article is for women of a certain age and the men who interact with them. When I became a guide for Women’s Issues for Self Growth, I realized I had a lot to say about things that concern women, particularly as a voice of hope. I’ve learned that menopause is something to look forward to, and that the symptoms of PMS and peri-menopause can be your best friend because they will guide you to find your best life! Pretty outrageous, isn’t it?

Before I justify that last statement, let me talk about being hot and bothered. Twenty years ago, I was in a conference with my bosses and the owners of the company where I was the Manager of Instructional Design. I was mad. I was furious! I was told to instruct the writers who worked for me that they must be in the office by 9AM. Period.

It wasn’t that simple. One writer had a daughter who needed to get to school at 9 and the other was a night owl who wasn’t functional until noon. I couldn’t make my boss understand that we would lose a great writer and decrease productivity by being so arbitrary. I was totally ineffectual in my argument and that made my fatal flaw kick in—I don’t deal well with authority figures.

There I sat all buttoned up in my business suit, looking quite professional and play acting like I knew what I was doing! Mostly what I felt was sweat accumulating in pools that burst through my starched blouse in great blotches. All I really could think of was wanting to get out of that office before I ripped my clothes off from the heat.

Hot flashes are triggered by many things; anger was the top cause for me, and for many women. When I looked at what was going on, I realized that I couldn’t stay in that managerial position and have any stability emotionally. I wasn’t cut out to be a manager, at least not under someone who has little common sense. I didn’t think about the ultimate result at the time, but when I quit that job, my hot flashes ended. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Notice what I wrote I was thinking at the end of the last paragraph. It’s amazing how often expressions about symptoms can indicate the exact remedy needed. In this case, I needed to get out of the office – permanently.

In the years since, I have come to believe that the symptoms of PMS and peri-menopause are really a wakeup call to look more closely at your life. I first became aware of this idea from Dr. Christiane Northrup, MD who writes and speaks eloquently on women’s health and particularly the role of hormones and their effects on all aspects of our health: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. When I decided to look more deeply at what I wanted in my life, and walked away from the pressure cooker I was in, I found the perfect career. I became a free-lance technical writer. I got to be creative, I only had to manage myself, I worked at home, and I generally slipped in and out of companies without much interaction with authority figures. My challenge with authority figures is the topic for other articles, but believe me, it kept appearing until I dealt with it. At least I hope I’ve dealt with it!

Eventually, I had a few more insights about hot flashes. I never really had an all-out, blast-from-hell again, but I did notice something very useful. Again, this is confirmed by Christiane Northrup. When I felt a heat surge, I’d pay attention to my intuition and invariably I would discover an amazing insight. Usually this would happen when I was doing acupressure or coaching someone. (Yes, yes. I’ve had a variety of careers!) Dr. Northrup contents that as your estrogen decreases, your intuition increases. Now there’s a hopeful result of menopause and the reason we are called Wise Women!

Even now, when I feel unexpectedly warm, I think, “Incoming!” and sure enough, an insightful message arrives. When I check it out with my client, it is almost always right on the mark and he or she is amazed. I am forever grateful for this gift and I am delighted to share it with you!

(c) 2007, Jacqueline Hale

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