menopause: malfunction or metamorphosis?
WELLBEING
WRITTEN BY CAROLINE BURNS
MARCH 23, 2025
So often menopause can be misunderstood.
It’s certainly not talked about enough, and women often feel they’re left to figure things out alone.
When hormones first show up in adolescence, we usually have our parents to guide us through (even though as teenagers we don’t want any advice), but in menopause, we’re the adult, so it’s often down to us to find a way through.
In this article:
01 The Physical & Emotional Toll
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The Physical and Emotional Toll
Our first experience of menopause might be a sudden physical change in our bodies…symptoms like hot flushes, itchy skin, vaginal dryness, muscle aches, weight gain, hair loss, bloating, insomnia, fatigue, palpitations…
…and the list goes on!
It can feel like there’s something wrong with us. Like our bodies don’t work the way they should anymore. Like they’re somehow malfunctioning.
Not knowing what’s happening is a frightening place to be…frightening because we’re not used to asking for help…because we’re used to powering through…used to taking care of everyone else over ourselves.
So it’s not hard to find yourself descending into a state of emotional imbalance as you try to logically think your way out of it.
And in this space you might start to experience further symptoms of increased worry, a sense of grief over losing the life we had before, and feelings of sadness or low mood. Now you’re questioning who you are…your old identity lost.
It’s no surprise you think there’s something wrong with you.
And unless you have a support network around you, I can tell you it’s one of the loneliest places I’ve ever experienced.
Shifting Perspectives
Whilst I qualified as a menopause support coach to help other women, the truth is, I didn’t have a menopause coach to support me through it.
I did have a coach though…various coaches in fact.
But the coaches I chose came from a knowing inside of me as to where I needed guidance next.
I intuitively stepped one foot in front of the other and followed the thread that is woven into my own menopause journey.
I can tell you that finding other ways to support me through this phase has changed my life completely.
I’m talking changing my perspective on menopause…my view of what menopause actually is.
It’s definitely not a malfunction (even though it 100% feels like it at times), it’s a change (which is why they call menopause ‘The Change’).
In fact it’s deeper than a change…it’s a metamorphosis…a word which comes from Ancient Greek:
Meta- meaning “change” or “beyond”
Morphē meaning “form” or “shape”
-osis indicating a process or condition
In Greek mythology and literature, metamorphosis was often used to describe transformations, such as in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, which tells stories of gods and mortals changing forms. The word later entered Latin and then English, keeping its meaning of profound transformation.
And that is exactly what menopause is…profound transformation.
Yes, menopause signals the end of one chapter - but what if it’s also the start of something even more powerful? A deeper connection to yourself, a rediscovery of what truly lights you up?
Embracing Your Metamorphosis
When you lean into this, you start to get curious about what you’re drawn to, because I can assure you that what you’re pulled towards, what lights you up is exactly what you need to follow up on. Even when the logical part of your brain is telling you you’re daydreaming, you’re wasting time, you should be doing anything but this.
And this is when you discover an abundance of modalities that can support you through menopause.
I’m talking meditation, reiki, crystals, essential oils, breathwork, oracle and tarot cards which can all influence hormonal balance positively.
They help you to slow down, to tune into your body and reconnect with your inner wisdom, to listen to your symptoms instead of fighting them.
Since embracing these practices, my brain fog has lifted, my energy has returned, and my life feels more peaceful.
So how can you slow down in a world which doesn’t celebrate or reward rest?
Create small pockets of space in your day, your week, your month…whatever works best for you. This can be 5 minutes, an hour, or a whole day. The amount of time doesn’t matter, but the creation of space in which to slow down is, so just do what works for you…we are all different so there is no ‘right’ way.
Do something for YOU in these pockets of space…try a guided visualisation (there are lots of free ones online), grab a notebook and journal your feelings in that moment (it doesn’t have to make sense, but there’s a kind of release that can happen when you put pen to paper and write about your feelings), go for a walk in nature (your best friend for being in the present), have a long soak in the bath…or whatever brings you peace and joy.
Create some beautiful boundaries around your time. Maybe in the past you’ve said yes to things you didn’t want to do, but didn’t want to offend anyone…sound familiar? So many women (me included) have become experts at this. Start to say no…it can feel hard at first, but now is the time to look after yourself first.
The more I help women, the more I see that menopause isn’t a malfunction - it’s a metamorphosis and I’m here for it…are you?
about the author
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Caroline is an accountant whose journey through menopause cracked open her world and ignited a passion to help other women see their menopause as more than just the sum of their symptoms. As a qualified coach she now guides women through menopause symptoms and beyond, from a place of overwhelm, struggle and feeling alone to one of clarity, flow and a deep sense of support, through energy work, guided reflection, and intuitive coaching. Through menopause Caroline has found her way to a new and more beautiful way of life than she ever thought possible, with a wealth of experience in ways to help women thrive at this time, and see this time of life as a beginning, not an ending.
caroline
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