TIME TO PAUSE
Pausing (my name for short meditations) helps stabilise your nervous system. Mindfulness/meditation can feel very powerful during perimenopause: a time when your hormones can be destabilising, and life can be busy and stressful.
It’s very simple. Grab some headphones and find a quiet place to sit: on a chair or a cushion on the floor, with your back supported. You can even do it on the bus or tube.
Choose your PAUSE below:
Why pause - the long version (but worth reading)
Meditation is particularly useful during perimenopause because it supports the exact systems that are under the most strain at this stage of life — hormonal regulation, stress response, sleep, mood, and cognitive resilience
1. Perimenopause = nervous system overload
During perimenopause:
Oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate unpredictably
The stress hormone system (HPA axis) becomes more reactive
Your nervous system spends more time in fight-or-flight
This is why many women experience:
Anxiety or panic “out of the blue”
Feeling wired but exhausted
Poor sleep
Emotional reactivity
Brain fog
Meditation directly calms the nervous system, helping shift you out of chronic stress mode.
2. Meditation helps regulate stress hormones
High stress → higher cortisol
High cortisol → worse perimenopause symptoms
Meditation has been shown to:
Lower baseline cortisol
Improve stress resilience
Reduce the “spikes” that trigger hot flushes, anxiety, and overwhelm
In perimenopause, this matters more because:
Hormones are already unstable
Your buffer against stress is smaller than it used to be
Meditation helps rebuild that buffer.
3. It improves sleep when hormones disrupt it
Sleep problems are one of the most common perimenopause symptoms:
Meditation:
Activates the parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) system
Reduces mental chatter
Improves sleep onset and sleep quality
Makes night waking easier to settle again
Even 5 minutes a day can help.
4. It supports emotional regulation during hormonal swings
Fluctuating oestrogen affects neurotransmitters like:
Serotonin (mood)
Dopamine (motivation)
GABA (calm)
This can lead to:
Tearfulness
Irritability
Low mood
Feeling “not like yourself”
Meditation doesn’t stop emotions — it:
Creates space between stimulus and reaction
Helps you respond rather than react
Builds self-compassion
This is powerful when emotions feel unfamiliar or intense.
5. It helps with brain fog and focus
Many women report:
Poor concentration
Forgetfulness
Mental fatigue
Meditation:
Improves attention and working memory
Increases grey matter density in areas linked to focus
Reduces mental overload
This helps you feel clearer and more capable, even when hormones are unpredictable.
6. It reconnects you with your body (not fights it)
Perimenopause can come with:
A sense of betrayal by your body
Frustration or self-criticism
Pushing harder instead of listening
Meditation encourages:
Interoception (awareness of internal signals)
Acceptance rather than resistance
Gentler self-talk
This shift alone can reduce suffering — even if symptoms remain.
7. It’s low-effort, high-return
During perimenopause:
Energy is precious
Willpower is finite
Meditation:
Requires no equipment
Can be done sitting or lying down
Works in very short doses
Has cumulative benefits
It’s one of the highest return-on-effort tools available.