How it all started
It feels like it came out of nowhere….an anxiety attack while I was driving. Imagine driving on the highway and suddenly starting to feel very anxious and like the gray sky and road are starting to blend. I opened the windows, trying to let in some fresh air hoping it would go away. Eventually it does, but the feeling comes back, not everyday but enough. And now when it occurs it’s worse, and I felt like my vision was getting narrow and I was going to pass out behind the wheel. By that time, I knew it was an anxiety attack, but I didn’t know why it was occurring or how to stop them.
I met with a therapist to understand the cause. I researched on the internet and started to practice deep breathing and ways to calm myself as I felt the attack coming on. I even learned how to feel in my body when an attack was imminent, I feel a sensation in my right eye, letting me know it’s coming.
Very soon I avoided driving on the highway, because although I knew it was a sign of panic, I wasn’t sure if it would make me lose control, or worse yet lose consciousness behind the wheel. At first it only happened on the highway, but then it began to happen on city streets too. Especially at times when I was in a middle lane, or felt like I was boxed in between two cars, with nowhere to go.
It’s a scary experience and it’s altered and limited my life. Although it’s been months since I’ve felt an attack, I still avoid driving on the highway…not sure if it will occur again.
The culprit may be menopause
Going through menopause and learning about the symptoms, I’d always heard about the hot flashes (private summers), night sweats, brain fog, etc., but not until recently did I learn that anxiety can also be a result of menopause. That’s when the lights came on for me – my anxiety could be menopause related.
Even the therapist I spoke with about the panic attacks never suggested that it could be related to changing hormones during menopause, leading me to believe that menopause related anxiety isn’t as well known as it should be.
Through online research, I learned that the fluctuation of estrogen and another key hormone, progesterone, in your body can cause feelings of anxiety or depression. Added to that, menopause may make it harder to sleep – I know all about waking up hot or waking at 2 a.m., unable to fall back asleep. That lack of sleep can also contribute to feelings of anxiety. So, it’s a double whammy.
Tips to manage menopause anxiety
- Use breathing to lessen the feelings of a panic attack – I’ve found using apps like Simple Habit and Calm are helpful to help me practice mindfulness and breathing exercises.
- Exercise – A few weeks ago I told you about the line dance class that I signed up for. I’m loving it and feel it’s helping me with releasing some of my pent energies.
- Manage stress – Yea, this is sometimes easier said than done. My symptoms were so much worse during the height of the pandemic, because of the additional stress of the times.
- Get a good night’s sleep – I fall asleep early, but often wake in the middle of the night with racing thoughts that keep me up. That’s another time when I turn to the Simple Habit app and listen to a meditation or two, to calm me back into sleep.
- Eat a healthy diet – Minimize processed foods and food with a lot of added sugar.
- Consider dietary supplements – There’s some evidence black cohosh may ease depression and anxiety during menopause. I also used the herbal supplement ashwagandha and I noticed that it helps me relax at night.
- Get medical advice – Get your hormones checked. I recently learned that my estrogen level is down to 30, which is a bit lower than it should be at my age. Talk with your doctor and therapist to research medical treatments and therapies that may also help.
Although I still sometimes experience my bouts of menopause anxiety, somehow, I’m comforted by having an insight into what may be causing my symptoms. I think that’s half the battle and now I can work on making changes to manage the anxiety.
Have you gone through something similar? How do you manage your anxiety?