What if we could find our missing midlife energy by seeking joy?

Menopause and midlife bring challenge, physical, emotional, logistical, hormonal. 

I think that joy seeking can be the secret sauce in our menopause wellbeing strategy.

And our long term health and wellbeing resilience, and in coping with stress and overwhelm. 

I certainly found this when balancing the needs of my Mum as her Alzheimer’s declined, with my children in primary school, my business recovering from a pandemic and my hormones in freefall.

Some of the fixes for these were a long game.

But micro moments of joy really helped me through. 

Because when we find joy we find consistency, and presence, and nervous system regulations and so much more. 

Think of those moments when you see a beautiful sunset, or have one of the conversations with a friend where you laugh until you cry? Or perhaps when you see an incredible art work, or walk through the woods with the dawn chorus, or get immersed in a great book, climb a hill and see an incredible view, or dive into a pool on holiday. Or just watch a bee on a lavender bush. 

Your joy will be different to mine.

And we find it in moments when you’re completely immersed - not thinking about the to-do list, or dwelling on the not-done list, or planning a meal, writing an email in your head. Joy is in small things. 

This year I got excited about growing veg and flowers from seed - and the joy from watching tiny shoots emerge and flowers bloom was a great balance to the daily grind! 

Those moments can be like beacons in a busy life. 

Joyful moments can happen even when life feels tough. 

For example, my mother’s dementia is progressing to a stage whereby I am not sure if she really knows who I am, but every now and then she’ll have a moment of lucidity and tell me how much she loves and appreciates me. That joy helps balance out the sadness. 

I think it’s really important to acknowledge and move through the difficult emotions, but joy helps balance it out. 

Stress, hormones, and life challenges are a part of midlife that are hard to avoid, but creating resilience strategies and ways to balance out the stress are a key part of the work I do with clients. 

And, if you think about it, when you’re lost in brief moment of joy, you come out of stress and over-thinking mode.

And, if you notice that you can step out of it in that moment, it can be easier to create moments like that too.

Anhedonia, or loss of joy, is a not a menopause symptom we hear much about on social media, but it is surprisingly common, and can make life feel very flat. Which is why finding the tiny joys can be so helpful.

What would be a key moment of joy for you today? 

Struggling to find joy? Perhaps it’s time we had a chat about how coaching can help you restore your midlife resilience.