If you’re in perimenopause, you might be experiencing a strange kind of disorientation where your body’s here, and you’re going about life, but…you just feel off.
It’s persistent and unsettling enough to make daily life feel harder than it used to. This feeling often comes with challenges like:
- Unpredictable sleep.
- Energy that comes and goes without warning.
- Emotions that spring up, seemingly out of nowhere.
As chaotic and overwhelming as all of this is, the solution isn’t always to do a drastic overhaul.
Sometimes, it’s more helpful to make slow, compassionate, micro changes that work with where your body is right now.
So here are ten gentle suggestions to consider.
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1. Give your sleep environment some actual attention
Poor sleep messes with your mood, your weight, your skin, your focus, your patience, and even how you feel about yourself.
So take a look at various aspects of your your sleep setup, such as:
- Room temperature.
- Amount of “junk” light in the space.
- Sounds that infiltrate the space.
- The weight of your blankets.
It all matters more now than it did a decade ago.
I know for me, I now have to sleep in a much cooler room and set the air conditioning to 73 degrees Fahrenheit (for some, that’s not cool enough but I’m from the tropics!).
I also can’t handle external light streaming in from other rooms (which means if my partner stays up late, he has to dim down the living room light. It’s a small apartment!).
You might also find that cooling layers, lighter bedding (such as breathable bamboo sheets), a fan nearby or keeping a window open makes a difference on restless nights.
2. Rethink what “enough movement” looks like
You may have noticed a frustrating shift in how your body responds to exercise: workouts that used to make you feel strong and energized now leave you depleted.
If that sounds familiar, then it’s time to explore movements that are more restorative.
This might mean swapping a high-intensity workout for a long walk. Or doing more exercises that rely on your body weight (like yoga).
In addition, while strength training is very beneficial in midlife, it often means adjusting how much you’re using and your reps (and this requires that you do some experimentation to see what works best for your body).
While there is no single perfect workout for every woman, one thing you should always ask yourself at the end of the session is: How do I feel?
Whether you feel re-invigorated or you feel drained, use that information to guide your choices for the next time.
3. Pay attention to how caffeine and alcohol affect you
Something else that can happen during perimenopause is that your tolerance for caffeine and alcohol changes.
A glass of wine that once helped you wind down might disrupt your sleep. A second cup of coffee might trigger anxiety or heart palpitations that you never experienced before.
Since the body is going through a significant shift – physically and spiritually – it’s normal that what worked in the past stops working.
It’s a delicate time and what’s most important here is that you pay attention (without judgment, if possible) because the information your body is sending you is actually gold.
The body’s saying “I can’t thrive with this anymore. Please give me something else.”
As uncomfortable and frustrating as change can be, consider using this as an opportunity to explore other drinks, foods, or activities that support the new you that’s emerging.
4. Be intentional about hydration
This one sounds almost too simple, but it’s worth saying: many women in midlife are surprised by how much better they feel when they consistently prioritize water throughout the day.
Skin, energy, digestion, and mood are all connected to how well-hydrated you are (and hormonal shifts can make dehydration feel more pronounced than it used to).
Personally, I like to start my days with ⅛ teaspoon of sea salt in 12 – 16 ounces of water, or a glass of warm lemon water.
Both are gentle and give me just enough alertness to proceed with my morning routine.
Also, remember that simply drinking plain water isn’t enough; you need to actually have minerals for the body to be hydrated. That’s why I do the the salt/lemon water (and you could do this with other infused water too).
5. Give to yourself before stepping out into the world
By midlife we often have a lot of responsibilities, such as career, children, aging parents, and more.
As a result, it’s easy to feel like your days belong to everyone else and you’re the last item on the list of priorities.
A short morning ritual can change that because you’re taking care of you first.
What this ritual looks like will vary based on your home setup and responsibilities.
But it doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be:
- A walk as the sun rises.
- Sitting in your backyard with your bare feet in the grass or concrete (a practice called grounding).
- Meditation.
- A cup of tea before anyone else is awake.
- A few minutes of journaling.
- Reading a book (I saw a Youtube video from a young lady who wakes up at 5 am to read because she just loves books. So refreshing from all the content about waking up at 5am for the sake of productivity!).
Experiment and see what works for you.
6. Make “no” your mantra
Protecting your peace and sanity is a must in midlife. And that means saying not to things that drain you.
It’s the ultimate form of self care, and it’s one of the hardest to implement because it means setting boundaries.
If you’re not used to saying no, this can be stressful.
So it’s a good idea to lean into a friend for moral support. Read books or watch videos that coach you on the power of saying no.
Do whatever you need to do. Because your well-being depends on it.
7. Find one way to let your body know that it’s okay to relax
Brain fog, low-grade anxiety, or a shorter emotional fuse often point to a body that is overworked.
Combine that with the perimenopausal hormonal shifts and it’s no wonder this phase of life can feel overwhelming.
Explore practices that help your body to shift out of that overworked, survival state, such as:
- Breathing practices.
- Gentle movement (I’m partial to yoga and qi gong)
- Time in nature.
- An afternoon without a device or social media.
- Yoga nidra.
You don’t have to commit to a 60-minute mindfulness session every morning (but go for it if that floats your boat!).
It’s more about cultivating moment to moment awareness so that you can pause and give your body a moment to chill whenever it needs it.
8. Nourish yourself with more whole food and fewer rules
If you’ve spent years following various food rules or yo-yo dieting, perimenopause can actually be a good time to step back from all of that and think about nutrition more simply.
For example, some women find that eating enough protein throughout the day helps with energy and how they feel in their body.
Others use this time as an opportunity to explore herbal teas and foods that they normally shied away from. And speaking of herbal tea, I share my 3 favorites in this video:
However you go about it, one thing that is helpful for most is reducing reliance on highly processed foods and creating your own food rules (not just following fads).
9. Give yourself permission to grieve
You are not just an estrogen-producing machine, and therefore, estrogen isn’t just about hormonal fluctuations.
Perimenopause is a life transition, and transitions involve loss as well as possibility.
You might grieve a version of yourself that felt more familiar and easier to embody.
You might feel sad about changes in your body, your relationships, or your sense of identity.
That grief is valid. You don’t have to rush through it or reframe it into positivity before you’re ready. Acknowledging the change and all its facets is its own form of self-care (and it’ll get you far).
10. Find your people
One of the most powerful things you can do in this season is stop trying to figure it all out alone.
Whether it’s a close friend who is going through something similar, an online community, a therapist, spiritual community, or a health coach, it’s important to have a network of people that you can lean on and share openly.
Honest conversations and shared experiences are what make life worth living. And no checklist or supplement can give you the nourishment that comes from those things.
A closing thought
There is no perfect way to move through perimenopause and there’s no checklist that will give you an A+ score if you just follow it perfectly.
What there is, though, is the possibility of moving through this season with more grace and curiosity, and less self-criticism.
Because truth is you’re not broken; you’re in transition.
I hope you found this helpful and if you’d like more midlife wellness ideas, I invite you to explore more of this blog.
