Anxiety and peri menopause

[Sparkymoo]

I've been having very anxious reactions to stressful events in the last six months - can't eat, can't sleep, look awful while being affected. They were stressful events - pest problem, having to move house - but this level of reaction doesn't feel normal to me. It feels more like my grief reaction when a family member died.

Could this be peri menopause ( I'm mid 40s) or just general overwhelm so I'm reacting badly to things I might previously have expected to not enjoy but not be so upset by.

I'm not sure but have been feeling similar. I think my "stress bucket" is just totally full after a load of stressful life events. It's like the last steaw broke the camel's back syndrome. I have a huge stress reaction to any little issue now.

Yes, maybe it's just the straw that broke the camels back. My job is not stressful luckily but I seem to go straight to overwhelm. Plus most of my good friends who I would normally talk this over with are having really difficult times so don't feel can talk to them. This age currently sucks.

Yes I feel very lonely about it as I don't want to constantly dump on friends and my DH, while lovely, just says the wrong things and struggles to be sympathetic. If he can't instantly "fix" me he gets annoyed.

I feel exactly the same, but I am post menopause but on HRT (which has helped a lot with everything else, but not touched the anxiety). I have never felt so shite as I have this last year. I leap to catastrophising at the drop of a hat and everything feels gut wrenchingly disasterous at nighttime. I hate it, and feel so feeble minded. I used to be so resilient, but now I am mentally fragile.

I'm perimenopausal and have suffered terrible anxiety. I was having panic attacks and feeling awful. I'm not on HRT but take Menopace and I do believe it's helped a lot.

I saw a gynaecologist about something unrelated to the menopause and he brought up my age and asked if I had experienced any hot flushes and I said I hadn't. He then said if things changed and I stopped sleeping or developed anxiety to see him again urgently.

So it is a thing in peri.

Sounds like I need to go to the doctor, this anxiety is awful.

Will try menopause as well, thanks for suggestion.

I could have written everything you have all written above. I have felt so alone over recent years as I've gone through the Menopause. My DH is lovely but doesn't 'get it' and my anxiety is through the roof sometimes. I can not tell you all how much reading your posts has helped me.

Very common with Peri. It happened to me. A combo of HRT and a low dose SSRI helped enormously. Regular exercise and meditation (I use the Headspace app) also very helpful. Key thing is - you don't have to suffer with menopausal anxiety there are solutions. Good luck

Me to op I’m 51 and menopausal currently off work with stress and anxiety. I don’t seem to be able to tolerate stress at all now it’s horrible how it affects you.
I find exercise helps and headspace is really good. Try the breathing meditation it definitely helps to calm you down and also progressive muscle relaxation. I also try and tell myself it’s just my fight or flight hormones and I’m safe when I’m really anxious. Hope you feel better soon💐

I think peri/meno puts any 'normal' anxiety feelings into hyperdrive.

That and dealing with several smaller stressful situations all at the same time or in rapid succession - you just don't get the chance to bounce back, or as quickly.

The solution's still the same if you're feeling like you're not coping as well...

Get the girls round for pizza and wine, get absolutely trolleyed and have a right good moan about the injustice and unfairness of it all - get it all off your chest- put the world to rights

I just don't know how to bounce back, it feels unrelenting. Although that isn't really true, it just goes straight into overdrive. Hopefully am sorting the move out so that will help. And getting weird feelings of guilt at stuff I've not sorted - big life questions coming at me is not helping. All of it can be sorted, it just feels like a lot. Like I felt worthless in early/mid 40s for not having better job. Have sorted that and it's very secure so now my financial situation is much better but am now ashamed of myself for other things. Think might start keeping a diary again to try and get things out.

Also very helpful to read all your posts.

Might be a mix of peri and the life things that I haven't sorted all feeling overwhelming. Plus you get to this age and have experienced lots of bad or stressful things so don't have enough left in the battery.

Anxiety and overwhelm are how menopause started for me, I didnt get the physical symptoms really no hot flushes or anything but either felt meh about everything and flat or would be anxious about things that wouldnt normally stress me out, HRT was a gamechanger felt back to my normal self very quickly