Archive for October, 2007

The Magic of Menopause

Posted on October 16, 2007. Filed under: Menopause: The Big Change | Tags: 50+, aging, aging with grace, anti aging, baby boomer generation, baby boomer woman, baby boomer women, baby boomers, body, body image, book, boomer, boomers, career development, career transition, careers after 50, connect, counterculture, creative, Eileen Williams, emotion, empty nest, empty nesters, encourage, female forums, feminist, feminist movement, feminists, Fifties, fifty plus, first-wave boomers, forum for women, forums for women, friends, generation, health, hippie, hippie chick, hippies, hippy, inspiration, invitation, lifelong learning, M. Eileen Williams, Mary Eileen Williams, mature women, maturity, menopause, midlife, midlife crisis, midlife transition, old broad, older women, over fifty, peri menopause, psychedelic, retirement, retirement planning, seniors, Seventies, share, Sixties, speak, story, support, symptoms of menopause, the 50's, the 60's, tips for baby boomer women, turning fifty, voice, wisdom, women, women over 50, women over fifty, write, writer |

For centuries, menopause has gotten a bad rap. This major change of life was considered by many to be the demarcation point of no return. Post-menopausal women were thought to quickly morph into feeble, old hags—no longer attractive, no longer useful, and ready for the rocking chair.

What a bunch of deprecating drivel that was! In truth, far from representing an ending, the biggest surprise of menopause is that, in many regards, this major biomarker signifies the beginning of a woman’s life. As older women, we are entering our most rewarding and productive years. Margaret Mead was right when she coined the term, “menopausal zest” and recent studies back her up. Women report many of their happiest, most dynamic, and personally fulfilling years to be those after fifty.

In reality, once we ladies hit menopause, our outlook alters, our needs change, our responsibilities transform, and we revitalize numerous aspects of our lives. As our estrogen stores drop, so does their inhibiting effect upon our body’s testosterone levels. We continue to manufacture testosterone after menopause and its influence becomes significantly greater than when we were ovulating.

So, forget the penis envy! In truth, we midlife gals typically become more male-like. A number of our attitudes and behaviors shift and we generally exhibit greater needs for independence, self-expression, and achievement. In other words, we sprout our chin whiskers, become more outspoken and self-centered, and start to go after what we want with full force and vitality.

Trouble is, for many of us, we aren’t quite sure what that is. We’ve spent so many years focused on caring for others that we may have forgotten our own dreams and desires. If you fall into that category, the following are a few questions to get you thinking:

What are the ways you see yourself growing and changing?
How are you honoring your own voice?
In which ways are you expressing yourself creatively?
What is your personal definition of success for yourself at this time in your life?
What are your markers for achieving that success?

As Louisa May Alcott once wrote: “Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.”

There’s no better time than now to go after your own!

Playing Madonna

Posted on October 12, 2007. Filed under: Menopause: The Big Change | Tags: 50+, aging, aging with grace, anti aging, baby boomer generation, baby boomer woman, baby boomer women, baby boomers, body, body image, book, boomer, boomers, career development, career transition, careers after 50, connect, counterculture, creative, Eileen Williams, emotion, empty nest, empty nesters, encourage, female forums, feminist, feminist movement, feminists, Fifties, fifty plus, first-wave boomers, forum for women, forums for women, friends, generation, health, hippie, hippie chick, hippies, hippy, inspiration, invitation, lifelong learning, M. Eileen Williams, Mary Eileen Williams, mature women, maturity, menopause, midlife, midlife crisis, midlife transition, old broad, older women, over fifty, peri menopause, psychedelic, retirement, retirement planning, seniors, Seventies, share, Sixties, speak, story, support, symptoms of menopause, the 50's, the 60's, tips for baby boomer women, turning fifty, voice, wisdom, women, women over 50, women over fifty, write, writer |

Growth and change are typically good things, although often not easy. As women, we know hormonal changes only too well. Having spent nigh onto forty years living with our bodies’ monthly fluctuations, we get to top that off by going through the “granny of ‘em all”—peri-menopause. As some have said, it’s like having PMS for five straight years!

And, the dramatic hormonal shifts of early menopause not only affect our bodies, they affect our brains as well. This period can be likened to a second adolescence as women find their thoughts and emotions riding a virtual rollercoaster of ups and downs. Actually, the maturation process at midlife demands soul-searching transformation and lots of it. Whether we like it or not, we all get to play Madonna and “re-invent” ourselves.

This hormonally charged drive to revolutionize our lives affects many of our relationships as roles within families, friendships, and careers can all begin to change dramatically. In truth, many women experience a shift away from caretaking others to taking care of their own drives, aspirations, and dreams. We return to focusing on ourSELVES as mature and fully formed women, apart from nurturing and caring for those around us.

Nonetheless, multiple transitions can also bring forth feelings of upset and upheaval as such major changes will likely create new ways of thinking and acting that can surprise even us. And, sometimes we could use a little help.

For those of you who are experiencing some of these feelings and who live in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’d like to invite you to attend a workshop I’m giving at John F. Kennedy University on Saturday, October 27th. The description reads for women between the ages of 50 and 65. However, the event is open to any women going through this period of re-evaluation and wish to share with a group of supportive, like-minded individuals.

We boomers have always been a special generation of women and we’re putting a whole new face onto the aging process. Sometimes a sense of sisterhood, a little understanding, and a bit of laughter can lift the spirits and get us heading in the direction of our dreams.