World Menopause Day: Wednesday 18 October
13/10/2023
“Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace; however, many of these women may be struggling to manage the psychological and physiological changes their bodies are going through” (CIPD)
Menopause affects everybody, not just those experiencing symptoms. This World Menopause Day, Wednesday 18 October, Manchester Mind along with Mind in Salford is supporting women with our free mindfulness course, which will not just benefit them, but those they work with, live with, and care for.
Menopause is not just hot flushes and weight gain. There is a whole host of physiological and psychological symptoms, and not every woman’s experience will be the same. The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of the menopause and the support options available for improving health and wellbeing.
We have been successfully delivering “Mindfulness and Relaxation for Menopause” courses in Manchester for two years and with the support of government funding to Mind in Greater Manchester (a partnership of five local Minds), have joined forces with Mind in Salford to extend the course to all those experiencing the menopause and perimenopause across Greater Manchester.
For many women, the physiological symptoms can be difficult to cope with, while others see a deterioration in mental health with increased levels of anxiety, or a drop in their mood. It does not help that this time of life can often be accompanied by juggling work and additional life stresses, such as caring for elderly parents, relationship issues, divorce or parenting.
The free 8-week course includes the signs and symptoms of menopause, and space for women to support and share. Its main focus is on teaching mindfulness meditation, and relaxation techniques, which can help support women at this time of life. As stress can make menopause symptoms worse, these techniques can be extremely helpful in reducing some symptoms, and helping women cope better. One-off 90-minute Mindfulness for Menopause tasters are ideal for those women who want to find out more, and try out some of these techniques.
We have found that the majority of women who come on the full course report that their stress has decreased, their wellbeing has increased, and most importantly that they feel better able to manage their menopause. For some, their symptoms have reduced, while others say they are not impacting them to the same extent.
