Yes, it can be challenging to consider menopause a gift-giver. However, as with most of life’s difficulties, once you shift your perspective, gifts abound.

Menopause often speaks most strongly through hot flashes. It is through these ‘personal chinooks’, that I can hear her messages. Here are the gifts menopause has given me:

1. The hot flashes increase in the late evening – telling me when I’m tired and need to go to bed.
2. They let me know when I am tense or stressed and need to relax.
3. They tell me when I’ve not eaten in a while – usually when I’m busy and the day has gotten away on me.
4. They quickly let me know when I’ve overexerted – though exercise is most helpful during menopause, too much can drain my reserves.
5. And most importantly, through her hot flashes, menopause tells me when I need to cool off – unplug from heated arguments or intense encounters.

Though she may not seem like a generous companion, menopause bestows many gifts while she walks with you. You simply need to acknowledge her help and entertain a new model of self care.

Oh, and red raspberry leaf tea… it’s her favourite, and keeps her messages from getting too heated.