Managing Menopause, Endometriosis, Grief, Stress, Anxiety: Series Introduction

Last week, I reviewed S.K. Reid’s latest work, “Safe Haven: A Pocketbook of Peace & Well-being for Uncertain Times.”  (You can read my full review here.)  Writing this review inspired me to consider how I practice self-care and self-love…  How I manage not only stress and anxiety, but grief, endometriosis, and menopause, as well.  I have actually explored this before.  In 2019, I wrote “Coping with Endometriosis, Menopause, & Grief.”  (You can read that here.)  In 2021, I revisited this in “Managing Menopause, Endometriosis, & Anxiety,” expanding on my original thoughts.  (You can read that post here.)  Now, in 2022, I’d like to go one step further and write an entire series—Managing Menopause, Endometriosis, Grief, Stress, Anxiety.

Yup.  Over the next few months, I plan to share how I manage menopause, endometriosis, grief, stress, and anxiety.  Now, I realize this sounds like a lot.  Over the past several years, however, I have learned that these five things are intertwined…  At least for me.  Because of that, it is difficult for me to explore endometriosis, for example, without also discussing stress and anxiety.  Which in recent years, has been dramatically affected by three different grief journeys, in addition to my childless grief / healing journey.  But we’ll talk more about that in the coming weeks…

Today, I would like to give a brief overview of what I plan to write about during this series…

And, perhaps even more importantly, why I am choosing to write about these specific topics…

Managing Menopause, Endometriosis, Grief, Stress, Anxiety:  The Series…

The All-Important Disclaimer…

I’m just a gal who suffers from endo, has gone through menopause, and is struggling through the grief of losing my Nana, my Grammy, my best friend…  I don’t hold a medical or counseling degree nor am I a specialist.  I am simply speaking my truth, with the goal of educating and advocating.  In other words…

Not So Mommy…™ is designed to provide information and motivation to readers.  This information is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice.  The information contained in the blogs, emails, and social media posts is the sole expression and opinion of its author(s).  Therefore, if you wish to apply ideas contained in the blogs, emails, and/or social media posts, you are taking full responsibility for your choices, actions, and results.  (If you’d like to read the entire Not So Mommy…™ Disclosure Policy, click here.)

And now that we’ve got the legalize out of the way…

This series—Managing Menopause, Endometriosis, Grief, Stress, Anxiety—will be comprised of nine blogs.  These will include today’s introduction, seven blogs in which we’ll discuss specific strategies, products, and activities that I personally use to manage my menopause, endometriosis, grief, stress, and anxiety, plus a round-up at the end.

What strategies, products, and activities will we be exploring in depth?  Well, I plan to discuss the following…

WHAT will this series include?

Vitamins, Herbs, Supplements, and Creams / Lubricants

Vitamins, herbs, supplements, and creams / lubricants have played a vital role in helping me to manage post-menopausal and endometriosis symptoms and side effects.  In this blog, I will tell you about the specific vitamins, herbs, supplements, and creams / lubricants that I personally use, which are helping me to battle pain and mood swings, among other things.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are a critical component of managing my stress and anxiety.  In this blog, I will tell you about my favorite brand, as well as my favorite blends.  I’ll also share how I make my own homemade laundry sanitizer, using several essential oils and a couple of household ingredients.

Tea

At the risk of sounding trite, hot tea helps me manage my stress, anxiety, and grief, as well as post-menopausal and endometriosis symptoms.  My husband and I have a cabinet filled with over 50 varieties of tea.  In this blog, I will share my favorite hot teas, explaining which blends help with what symptoms.

Exercise

Since starting a “desk job” here at Not So Mommy…, I have realized that a consistent exercise routine is vital to maintaining my over-all health.  In this blog, I will share my personal exercise routine and how it helps me manage menopause, endometriosis, grief, stress, and anxiety.

Food

My husband had emergency surgery in his early 30s due to a perforated colon.  After this horrific experience, we got serious about what we were eating.  In this blog, I will explore how organic, low-carb foods help manage my endometriosis symptoms, among other issues.  I’ll also share some of my favorite healthy recipes.

Paraben-free Products

After beginning to eat organic—thinking about what I was putting on the inside–I started considering what I was putting on the outside.  This led me to switch to paraben-free products.  In this blog, I will share some of my favorite paraben-free household and beauty products.

General Self-Care, Self-Love Practices

Before writing the round-up, I plan to share some strategies and activities that I utilize to help manage my stress and anxiety.  Because keeping my anxiety in check truly helps control my menopausal and endometriosis symptoms.

WHY will this series discuss that?!

Now that I’ve told you the “what,” why am I choosing to write about these seven topics?  I mean, those who suffer from chronic illnesses such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, and PCOS get tired of hearing, “Have you tried yoga” or “Drink this tea.”  So, why am I, a fellow endo warrior, asking you to try yoga and drink hot tea?  Well, because what may at first appear simple—even trivial—has truly impacted my life in very positive ways.  And if something simple can alleviate the lower back pain caused by endometriosis or the achy joints brought on at menopause or the pounding heart caused by increased anxiety…  Then, I want to share that simple solution!

Even if you aren’t sold on the “vitamins, essential oils, hot tea, eat organic, and exercise” spiel, I hope you’ll follow along over the coming weeks.  Because I truly believe that valuable information is going to be shared and that you will discover at least one thing that can make a positive impact on your life.  And maybe more than one thing…

So, I’ll see you next week, fabulous ones.  And we’ll talk about the vitamins, herbs, supplements, and creams / lubricants that have played a vital role in helping me to manage post-menopausal and endometriosis symptoms and side effects.  I’ll also share why I started using these natural remedies, after first going to my doctor about my out-of-whack hormone levels…

If anything I wrote resonates, fabulous one, tell us about it in the comments…

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Featured Photo:  Created by me, using Canva