In my last post, I wrote about the importance of having a healthy mindset around the entire menopause transition. It’s really easy to get caught up in the muck of negative thinking and find yourself with a severe case of health anxiety. That’s why I believe that managing your mindset is THE first step in creating your Hormone Harmony Action Plan.
Step 2 in your plan is to tackle habit changes. If you know you’re in perimenopause (or if you scored greater than three on my quiz), it’s time to get busy. The choices you make can greatly impact your experience of perimenopause. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that habit change is hard! I work a lot on goal-setting and accountability with my clients. I think it’s one of the most important services I offer because left to their own devices without support, most of my clients will revert back to old habits despite good intentions. In the years that I’ve done this work, I’ve found the following things to be so important when it comes to implementing healthy changes.
Focus on one goal at a time
Most of us think we’re great at multi-tasking, but studies have shown over and over that this is not true. The same is true for habit change. It is very difficult to take on multiple goals or areas of focus at once. Savvy sisters know that “eating the elephant” one bite a time is the recipe for success.
Let’s say you have five goals you want to achieve. Pick one to focus on first. I often recommend starting with the easiest one to set up momentum for success. Break your first goal into mini-steps that feel easily doable. Then take it one baby step at a time. Keep doing this until the goal is accomplished. Then, when your first goal is completed, move to the next one.
Eliminate the non-essential
First, identify the essential things in your life that are most important to you (no more than five). These are your absolute yesses. Then eliminate everything else from your priority list. This simplifies your life and leaves you with the space to focus on what is really important to you. This process works with anything; with your life in general or with work projects and tasks. Clearing the clutter of “busyness” leaves space for you to care for yourself and do the things that will help balance your hormones.
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Create a daily routine
Most of us live our days in reactive mode. That means we are not consciously choosing how we spend our energy from the time our eyes open in the morning. Instead, we react to whatever is making the most noise in our lives. But our bodies LIKE routine. Creating a daily routine for yourself can make a big difference in your life and help you to feel more grounded all day. The best routines bookmark the beginning and end of the day both for your workday and for your day in general. Here’s what this might look like.
- Wake up and exercise, meditate, or read something inspirational, then eat breakfast.
- Go to your office, take a few deep breaths, then choose your two main priorities for the day. Notice I did not say five!
- At the end of your work day, straighten your desk, shut down your computer, and walk away.
- In your evening time, you may want to meditate again or light candles and read a book before bed.
It doesn’t really matter what you choose as long as whatever you choose helps you feel grounded. These lines of demarcation in your day help your brain transition from personal to work time and back again. And this is especially important if you work from home.
Detox your life beyond your body and busyness
Now’s the time to evaluate relationships (family and friends), work responsibilities, your environment, etc., and determine if any of these areas are causing you undue stress. You are not required to hang onto to people and/or things that no longer serve you or bring you joy. This is an absolutely critical component of stress management because things and/or people that bring you down will derail you faster than you can say “boo!”
Get accountability
Whether it’s hiring a coach or finding a friend or group who’ll be your cheerleader and keep your feet to the fire, accountability is very powerful. When you tell another person the action steps you plan to implement, the likelihood is much higher that you will do what you say you’ll do. Need some help with this? Join my Hormone Harmony Club on Facebook and let US be your accountability buddies!
Dr. Anna Garrett is a menopause expert and Doctor of Pharmacy. She helps women who are struggling with symptoms of perimenopause and menopause find natural hormone balancing solutions so they can rock their mojo through midlife and beyond. Her clients would tell you that her real gift is helping them reclaim parts of themselves they thought were gone forever.
Find out more about working with her at https://www.drannagarrett.com/work-with-me/ or click on the button below to schedule a call with Dr. Anna today!
