How to Relieve Anxiety During Menopause

If you’re feeling anxious during menopause, you’re not alone. As many as 51% of women 40-55 years old report feeling symptoms of anxiety.

Knowledge is power. The first step in managing anxiety is understanding your symptoms, what to expect, and your options for taking action. Start here to find more mental ease.

Symptoms of Anxiety

Anxious feelings are a part of life. But when anxiety starts to get in the way of your daily life, it needs your attention.

Psychological symptoms of anxiety include:

• Feeling nervous, restless or tense
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than your worries
• Starting to avoid things that trigger anxiety

Physical symptoms of anxiety include:

• Increased heart rate and breathing rate
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling nauseous, getting diarrhea
• Chest pain
• Sleep problems

You don’t have to have all of these symptoms to have anxiety. However, many people experiencing physical symptoms aren’t aware that they can actually be another expression of your body’s “fight or flight” response to anxiety.

In the long term, anxiety can contribute to other mental health issues, digestive problems, chronic pain, low libido and more. In general, it makes it harder to enjoy life and participate the way that you want to.

Does Menopause Cause Anxiety?

Every woman’s menopause journey is unique—and for many unpredictable. Unpredictability can lead to anxiety for many people.

A review of several studies examined the relationship between menopause and anxiety. The results revealed the challenges of measuring menopausal status, anxiety symptoms, and how to identify physical and psychological symptoms accurately. Although limited, research supports that perimenopausal women have a higher risk of experiencing anxiety than premenopausal women.

A study of 2,956 women examined four anxiety symptoms during 10 years of follow-up to determine the association between menopausal stage and high anxiety. The researchers concluded that women with high anxiety premenopausally may be chronically anxious and not at increased risk of high anxiety at specific stages of the menopausal transition. In contrast, women with low anxiety premenopausally may be more susceptible to high anxiety during and after the menopausal transition than before.

It’s also impossible to tease apart the relationship between anxious feelings and menopause symptoms like hot flashes. Instead of one causing the other, it’s more likely a bidirectional relationship where both experiences compound each other.

For some people, addressing anxiety is the more powerful way to tackle their physical symptoms. For others, spending their effort on treating symptoms first may be the approach that gives them space to make progress in their mood. There’s no wrong way to approach it, as long as you stay open to multiple approaches and learn with experience what works best for you.

Holistic Treatments for Menopause-Related Anxiety

Talk Therapy

“Talk therapy” is one of the primary strategies for treating anxiety. A range of professionals are qualified to provide talk therapy. Here are the titles and credentials that you might see:

• Psychotherapists (MA, PhD, PsyD, EdD)
• Marriage & Family Therapists (MFT)
• Social Workers (MSW, LCSW)
• Psychiatrist (MD, DO)

Therapists use different frameworks and tools to help their clients. Common therapy frameworks include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-focused therapy, or dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). Changing your thought patterns can improve your coping skills and reduce the impact that menopause is having on your life.

The “right” kind of therapy depends on you and your needs. A lot of your success in therapy also depends on your relationship with your therapist. If you don’t click after a couple of sessions, don’t be afraid to keep looking to find someone who you feel you can trust and who understands your needs.

Paced Breathing

Paced breathing is an easy technique that you can do essentially anytime and anywhere. By controlling your breathing and focusing on its sensations, you can help your nervous system shift out of “fight or flight” mode and refocus on your thoughts.

How to Do It

Paced breathing is a period of slow, controlled, deep, rhythmic breathing. You can master this simple technique with only a little practice.

1. Lie down or sit in a comfortable upright position. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.

2. Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of 4. The hand on your belly should rise, while the one on your chest should stay still.

3. Now breathe out through pursed lips for a count of 6. The hand on your belly should move down to its original position.

Note: If you feel like 6 counts of exhalation is too long, you can adjust this timing. However, the goal is to make your exhalation longer than your inhalation.

While you can control your breathing anytime, research has shown that it’s most effective in twice daily 15-minute intervals.

Other Coping Strategies for Menopause Anxiety

• Get moving. Research consistently shows that exercise—especially at higher intensities—is just as effective as medication at improving and protecting your mood. It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you do it! Start small and lean into activities that you enjoy.
• Watch what you eat. Caffeine and alcohol can worsen anxiety. Try to keep yourself well-fueled with meals and snacks throughout your day to avoid blood sugar crashes. In general, a plant-based, Mediterranean diet is most beneficial for managing menopause symptoms.
• Get enough sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep is the best foundation for a better mood. Start with healthy sleep hygiene.
• Make time for yourself. Self-nurturing activities like massage, stretching, a warm bath, yoga, meditation, or quiet time by yourself can help release tension and anxiety. Simply doing things that relax you, such as listening to music or going for walks, can have a positive impact on anxiety. Build self-care and relaxation times into your day by including them on your calendar and to-do list.
• Digitally detox from news and social media. Too much bad news, especially first thing in the morning or right before you go to bed, can trigger anxious thoughts. Limit the amount of time you spend on news and social media to 30 minutes a day or less, and preferably not first thing in the morning or the evening. Consider starting or ending your day with a good book instead of your news feed. Move your phone to another room during sleep, and use an old-school alarm clock to avoid the temptation of checking your phone in the bedroom.
• Keep a journal. Writing down your nervous or anxious thoughts can help put your mind at rest. Journaling can build self-awareness, perspective and shift your thoughts from negative to positive.
• Get support. Staying connected to friends and loved ones is one of the biggest factors in health and happiness. If you don’t typically your experiences of anxiety, ask if a trusted friend has space to hear you share what’s been going on. Communities of other people going through menopause can also be an invaluable source of support.