Kate Dyson
CloseKate is a content specialist who is passionate about women's health. She's also mum to three kids, two dogs and unsurprisingly, a lover of wine.
Glossary
For words you might want to know more
Mindfulness in the context of managing holiday stress refers to the practice of being fully present and engaged in the moment, consciously acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of the Christmas season.
Bladder leaks, a common symptom experienced during menopause, refer to involuntary urine leakage that can occur due to hormonal changes affecting bladder control, often requiring management through mindful lifestyle and dietary choices.
5 Tips to Manage Christmas Overwhelm (especially if you are menopausal)
In the run-up to Christmas, you'll be only too familiar with the creeping sense of chaos and stress as the big day draws ever closer. If you are still in the midst of Christmas shopping, Christmas dinner plans while juggling Aunt Beryl's dietary requirements and waiting on travel plans to be confirmed with distant relatives - look, you AREN'T ALONE.
It might feel like the world and their wife have got Christmas wrapped and ready but the truth is that Christmas can be a little stress filled to say the least. Throw in menopause and we are REALLY in a spin. The good news? We have 5 brilliant tips to help ease the Christmas stress (and we're even looking out for your bladder too!)
Tip 1: Beat the Crowds
If you aren't particularly organised and have bought 90% of your list before October, then you are in good company. From the beginning of December the shops fill with the most maddening of shoppers - you know, the ones that pause and look at EVERY. LITTLE. DETAIL, or walk soooo slowly, or dare we say are maddeningly joyful. And just as you launch yourself into the first shop you can guarantee that will be the exact moment a hot flash rises from your toes and leaves you in a maddening hot rage. Familiar?
Nooo! It's not for us. The Most Obvious Tip is to shop online as MUCH as possible, preferably with a Bailey's in hand and cooling pack on your chest. If you must head out into the bustle, then go as early as you can to beat the crowds and save your sanity.
Tip 2: Prepare For Travel
Seeing friends and family over the festive period is part and parcel of the joy of Christmas. Navigating Christmas traffic on the M25, less so. If you are prone to leaks in menopause (or at any other time) you'll know only to well the sense of dread of being on a long journey, stuck in traffic and getting that familiar niggle at the most inconvenient of times.
Preparation is key! Our favourite tip for long journeys and being out of your own comfort zone is to pack a small travel bag of essentials. Not snacks or water (although GREAT IDEA too) - rather a little pack of leak essentials; spare pants, refreshing wipes, a few Bamboo Everyday pads in there and you'll feel much more confident and reassured. And don't forget your Jude Leak-proof Pants before you leave the house!
Tip 3: Share the load
Look, we love to cook. Sunday roasts are our speciality (and PSA, GREAT for your bladder!) but Christmas dinner is a BEAST. If you are the designated cook, your day is pretty much resigned to the kitchen and if there's a place hotter than a menopausal woman's armpit it's an oven roasting a turkey for 5 hours. If you must supervise, do - but our tip is to share the cooking load as much as you can. Ask visitors to bring a dish - most people will have some stuff in the fridge they are desperate to share; get the whole family on veg prep while you sip on your tea and reward yourself with a few pressies. Just don't forget to turn the roasties.
Tip 4: Take to your bed loo
Family gatherings can be, let's say, a little testing even for families that get along superbly. An entire day of listening to people chew, slurp and snore on the sofa after the King's speech is enough to send a menopausal woman screaming in to her pillow. So our tips to stop everyone getting on your tits is to take regular breaks. And where better, than the loo? After all, it works for the men in our families, doesn't it? Obviously only go when you need to, but take.your.time. Ease yourself into the correct position, get your elbows on your knees and even do a little rocking around the Christmas loo to get the last of those dribbles out. Not only will you be left feeling in great leaky health, you'll have a few moments to breathe.
Tip 5: Find positive moments in the chaos
When things feel a bit stressful and overwhelming (as they do generally during menopause anyway), it can feel a little tricky to find moments to be grateful for - especially if you are feeling a little taken for granted too. Keeping a note of positive moments in the day is a great idea - you can make a note in. your phone or even keep a gratitude journal. And just taking a moment to look at the twinkling lights and the tree while your kids argue in the next room can help you to focus on the precious moments that make it all worthwhile. Well, something like that, anyway...
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