Mindful Life Changes: Weekly Affirmations For Midlife

60. Healing Affirmation: Accepting and Embracing Midlife Body Changes with Compassion

• Valerie Mekki • Episode 60

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Feeling down or frustrated by the changes happening in your body, especially the bloating? The more pronounced this area becomes, the more it seems to negatively impact our emotional well-being. In this episode of Mindful Life Changes, host Valerie Mekki explores the link between perimenopause, menopause, and the emotional and physical experience of bloating. Learn how hormonal shifts affect your body and mood, and discover a healing affirmation practice to cultivate self-compassion and acceptance during this transformative stage of life.

Formerly known as the "Mindful Career Change Podcast," I decided to broaden our conversation to cover all life transitions, not just our careers.

Follow the show @mindfullifechanges and DM a question or comment about the life transitions you're going through too. I might answer your question in one of the episodes to help you and other midlifers navigate this everchanging and beautiful season of life.

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Speaker 1:

Today's affirmation, I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. As we enter into our mid-40s and later, do you find that one area of your body seems to have taken a life of its own? Its shape fluctuates and shows symptoms unique to that area. Yet the effects can permeate throughout your entire being to that area. Yet the effects can permeate throughout your entire being, even altering how we perceive ourselves and our body image. What am I referring to? Our bloated abdomens, our bellies? It seems like as we age, our tummies become more prone to bloating and discomfort, affecting both our physical and emotional well-being. I find that I'm often blaming myself for the bloating. I constantly rack my brain trying to figure out what I did or didn't do or could do better to avoid the bloating. It feels like a raging battle between my midsection and my mind. I know I'm not alone in these feelings and thoughts. It seems like every conversation I have with women in the same phase are dealing with the same struggles. Well, in today's episode, we are drawing a line in the sand, we are ending the blame game and the shame and instead we are learning the facts about our bodies during midlife and accepting the natural changes with grace and understanding. I invite us to transform the narrative around how our body changes after 40 and embrace these changes with compassion and love. This shift will not only empower us, but will inspire us to care for ourselves more deeply and build a stronger, more positive relationship with our bodies.

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the Mindful Life Changes podcast, where we delve deep into the challenges and transformations shaping our lives, from the shifts in our roles at home and work to the transitions we navigate physically and mentally as we gracefully age. I'm your host, valerie Mechie, a career change guide and mindfulness enthusiast. In today's episode, we are going to take a closer look at our current relationship with our bodies, particularly focusing on the abdominal bloating that often accompanies perimenopause and menopause. We will cover the basic functionalities of these two essential hormones and the roles they play during this phase of our lives. This topic is a bit of a detour from our normal focus on mindfulness, but trust me, once you have some context about these hormonal changes, you'll be better equipped to accept the natural changes in your body. This understanding will help you transform your relationship with your body, embracing it with more compassion and love. So let's start with an anecdotal observation that maybe you can relate to.

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In my 20s and 30s, bloating symptoms only appeared at the beginning of my menstrual cycle, lasting for a short period and disappearing like clockwork until the following month. However, now it feels like the bloating never goes away. I'm not only dealing with its appearance and uncomfortable symptoms, but also the negative effect it has on my well-being and mindset. Why is this? As women approach menopause, our bodies start to produce less estrogen and progesterone. Okay, pause, what is estrogen and progesterone?

Speaker 1:

Estrogen is a hormone primarily produced in the ovaries. It helps regulate the menstrual cycle, supports reproductive health and influences various body functions such as like bone density, the health of your skin and your mood, particularly in relation to serotonin. The happiness hormone, particularly in relation to serotonin. The happiness hormone. Progesterone is another hormone produced in the ovaries, mainly after ovulation. It prepares the uterus for pregnancy, regulates the menstrual cycle and helps maintain pregnancy. It also relaxes the muscles that aid digestion and works with your brain's neurotransmitters to help calm your mind and reduce anxiety. Together, these two essential hormones support reproductive health.

Speaker 1:

However, as women age out of their childbearing phase and into premenopause and eventually menopause, these hormones significantly fluctuate and decrease in production. Estrogen influences the retention of water and salt in the body, so when it begins to fluctuate with high estrogen levels, this can lead to water retention, causing bloating. Similarly, lower levels of progesterone will contribute to bloating. Progesterone helps relax the muscles for digestion. When progesterone levels drop, the gastrointestinal tract can become less efficient, leading to symptoms like bloating and gas. The big takeaway the cause of bloating during this phase is due to inevitable hormonal and biological changes, just like going through puberty nothing you directly cause and unavoidable. While there are strategies like nutrition and lifestyle changes that can help manage the symptoms, like nutrition and lifestyle changes that can help manage the symptoms, I'll leave you to the experts for guidance, like Dr Amy Shaw, a nutritionist specializing in gut health for midlifers. She has provided me with practical steps for managing bloating during this stage. She has a great episode with Mel Robbins about this topic, which I'll add to the show notes for those who want to learn more.

Speaker 1:

Additionally, the decrease in these two hormones can significantly impact our moods and emotional well-being. Lower estrogen levels can cause mood swings, irritability and feelings of sadness. A decrease of progesterone can heighten stress levels and reduce our ability to handle stress. This might explain why we often are hard on ourselves and frustrated with our bodies, it's no wonder why everything can feel a bit more exaggerated and poignant. The changing hormone levels are essentially amplifying our emotional responses. So let's call a truce with our bodies and stop spending any more time on negative energy, feeling shame or bad about these changes when you're standing in front of the mirror or when you feel your tummy a bit more pronounced.

Speaker 1:

Remember it's a part of the natural process of aging. Extend yourself some grace and compassion. Your body loves you and it's doing its best to adapt and support you through this new phase of life. So let's take advantage of this present moment with a healing affirmation session to help reconnect and embrace your body's natural changes. We'll begin our affirmation practice by priming your mind and body, so you'll be open to this affirmation. With a quick body scan, briefly acknowledge any areas that may feel discomfort and gently release any tension or unhelpful energy. Take a deep, cleansing breath in and out, lensing breath in and out, and, if it feels comfortable to you, slowly close your eyes and place one hand on your tummy and the other on your heart. To help connect your mind and body, I'll begin by reciting the affirmation twice. While you listen to the affirmations, imagine you're writing the affirmation down on a whiteboard, or you're watching someone write it on the board for you. This will help with memorization. So let's begin.

Speaker 1:

I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. I'll repeat the affirmation again, but this time I want you to repeat it out loud to yourself so you can make a connection. I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. I'll repeat the affirmation again and once again, say it out loud to yourself I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. Now imagine standing in front of a mirror, looking at yourself and your body without judgment, instead with warmth and love. I'll repeat the affirmation again and imagine yourself in action in full color. I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. I'll repeat it one last time and give you a moment to let it sink in. I release all negative thoughts about my body and embrace the natural changes with compassion. When you're ready, slowly open your eyes if you had them closed, and gently place your two hands together and bow your head forward to show love and respect to yourself and body and to help seal this affirmation with compassion and care.

Speaker 1:

This affirmation is yours to recite and practice for 21 days, at least once a day. It's most effective before you go to bed at night or when you wake up in the morning before you start your day. You can take this affirmation practice a step further by making your affirmation sticky, which is an acronym to help your affirmation practice more effective. Write this affirmation down on a sticky note and place it on your bathroom mirror as a reminder that there is no room in your body for negative thoughts or feelings, only healing and loving vibes during this transition. Or turn this affirmation into a short mantra I release any negative thoughts about my body while you are going for a walk, doing yoga or just simply meditating. This is a reminder of your magnificent body and the commitment you have to caring for it so you can thrive and grow stronger.

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If you want to learn more about how to make your affirmation sticky, go back to episode one, where I walk you through the practical steps on how to make affirmation practice more sustainable and effective.

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Also, if you're inspired to further heal your relationship with your body. Check out episode 42, where I guide you through an affirmation for self-love and care for your body. Make sure to subscribe and bookmark this episode so you'll have it handy whenever you need a quick guide of this affirmation. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a family member or a friend who may need a little bit of help loving their body through this transition, or show your appreciation by giving us a rating on this podcast, wherever you are listening. Your support will help other mindfulness midlifers discover this podcast so it can grow and blossom. Thank you for sharing this time and space with me. Every moment you dedicate to being mindful is a step toward a more fulfilled and vibrant life. Keep embracing your journey with an open heart and remember you are not alone in this. I look forward to our next mindful gathering. I'll talk to you soon.