Living Inside My Menopausal Body

Having gained weight over the past three years and not being able to fit comfortably into a number of my trousers and tops has caused me a fair amount of emotional and physical discomfort.Nowadays, I can meet this with a growing depth of kindness and curiosity that I was unable to countenance in my earlier years. I wish I had been able to tell my younger self what I know now; it would have helped me to learn to love and accept myself as I am and, when I’m not, to talk to someone I trust about how I’m feeling.

“Living inside my menopausal body varies from day to day; after all, I am a living being, but what I know to be true is that the more I listen and tune into it, the more alive I feel.”

Rachel Podger

Living inside my menopausal body varies from day to day; after all, I am a living being, but what I know to be true is that the more I listen and tune into it, the more alive I feel. This, in turn, helps me to embody all of the things that I write about and, in particular, my mindfulness practice which is the anchor. When I lose connection with this, I am vulnerable to the world of my teenager, who felt uncomfortable and lonely inside a body that I felt out of control and at times angry towards.There is a comfort for my older self in knowing this anger is energy that I can use kindly and creatively when I meet it. It helps me to find acceptance of the fact that I can’t stop the ageing process, but I can access how I feel about it. This is particularly relevant when I put on trousers that I know won’t fit, but I really love, and decide that it really is time to say goodbye to them and treat myself to another pair that might be even more beautiful and comfortable!