When You Don't Quite Feel Like Yourself

Menopause and perimenopause can bring changes that affect far more than the body.

For some women, this can be a time of increased anxiety, low mood, irritability, emotional overwhelm, loss of confidence or changes in relationships. Others may find themselves questioning parts of their lives that once felt settled.

You may find yourself thinking:

“Why don't I feel like myself anymore?”

“Why am I finding things so much harder than I used to?”

“Why has my confidence changed?”

“Why am I suddenly questioning my relationship, my work or the direction of my life?”

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what is happening or where to begin.

Therapy can provide a space to step back, make sense of these changes and reconnect with yourself.

More Than a Physical Transition

Menopause is a natural stage of life, but that doesn't mean it is always an easy one.

Changes in our bodies can interact with emotions, relationships, identity, work, family responsibilities and the expectations we place on ourselves.

You may be navigating several changes at once: children becoming more independent, caring for ageing parents, changes in your relationship, shifts in your career or simply a growing sense that you want something different from life.

It can be difficult to separate what belongs to the transition itself from what may have been building for some time.

Therapy offers a space to explore these experiences without judgement or the expectation that you should simply “get on with it”.

What We Might Explore

Our work will be individual to you, but we may explore:

  • Changes in confidence and self-esteem
  • Anxiety, worry or emotional overwhelm
  • Low mood or loss of motivation
  • Irritability or feeling more emotionally reactive
  • Changes in relationships or intimacy
  • Feeling disconnected from yourself
  • Body image and changes in how you see yourself
  • Identity and changing roles
  • Work, purpose and questions about what comes next
  • Boundaries and learning to prioritise your own needs
  • Long-standing patterns that may become more noticeable during times of change
  • Self-compassion and developing a kinder relationship with yourself

A Space to Reconnect With Yourself

Sometimes menopause can bring a sense that the person you have been for years is changing.

This can be unsettling, but it can also create an opportunity to ask important questions about who you are now and what matters to you.

Therapy can provide space to explore:

Who am I now?

What do I need?

What have I been putting aside?

What do I want the next stage of my life to look like?

There doesn't have to be a crisis for these questions to matter.

Sometimes we simply need a space where we can stop, reflect and listen to ourselves.

An Individual and Compassionate Approach

My approach is integrative, drawing on approaches including CBT, emotional regulation, mindfulness, attachment-informed work, schema therapy and parts-based approaches where appropriate.

We can explore both what you are experiencing now and the patterns or experiences that may be influencing how you respond to this stage of life.

There is no single way to experience menopause, and there is no single way to work through it.

Therapy is shaped around you, your experiences and what you need.

When You’re Not Sure What You Need

You don't need to arrive knowing whether what you are experiencing is related to menopause, your relationship, your work, your past or simply a period of change in your life.

You may simply know that something feels different.

That can be enough to begin.

Therapy can provide a space to understand what is happening, reconnect with yourself and consider what you want for the next chapter of your life.

You don't have to have all the answers before you begin.

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