Menopause and mental health: resources you can use 365 days of the year

How to safeguard your mental health during the perimenopause and menopause

Mental health should be a year-round priority.

And we know that perimenopause and menopause can impact mental health, be it low mood associated with fluctuating hormones, or the knock on impact of other symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and physical aches and pains.

So here at balance we have put together some resources around mental health and wellbeing that are useful any day of the year.

Mental health and emotional wellbeing in the perimenopause and menopause

If you are experiencing perimenopause or menopause and have started to think, feel or do things that are different to before, this booklet is for you. Psychological and emotional changes are extremely common when your hormones start to change and decline, and this booklet will show you what to look out for, help you understand why these changes happen, and give you the options and information to decide how to get help.

The Dr Louise Newson Podcast: finding hope with hormones after 20 years of struggling with my mental health

In this episode, Dr Louise talks to special guest Vanessa about mental health and hormones. Content advisory: This episode contains discussion of suicide

What is reproductive depression?

Reproductive depression is a hormonally based depression that can come and go over the course of your reproductive life, including the perimenopause. Find out more in this factsheet.

Mindfulness and menopause: podcast with yoga teacher Claudia Brown

In this episode, balance founder Dr Louise Newson is joined by yoga teacher Claudia Brown, who runs workshops at Newson Health Menopause and Wellbeing Centre. Together they discuss mindfulness, what it is and what it isn’t, and why compassion and embodied cognition are so important during your menopause journey.

Mood, mental health and hormones with Dr Clair Crockett

In this episode of the Dr Louise Newson Podcast, Dr Louise talks to Dr Clair Crockett, a GP and menopause specialist with an interest in mood, mental health and hormones. Clair’s interest in the topic stems from her own experience of escalating anxiety, low mood and intrusive thoughts in the premenstrual phase of her cycle during her mid-to-late 30s.

The balance app

The balance app features a number of articles looking at mental health symptoms related to the perimenopause and menopause, plus information on coping strategies and treatments.

Resources

Mind

Mental Health Foundation

Samaritans