Chasing Normal: My Perimenopause Journey Back to Myself

Clare - This Is Still Me♥️
Menopause Matters
Published in
7 min readFeb 27, 2024

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Hello lovelies,

Given that it’s something I’ve spoken about many times, I thought it was about time I shared my own perimenopause journey so far in one post, so here it goes.

I was minding my own business in my mid-thirties when perimenopause came and gatecrashed the party. No, it wasn’t early menopause, and I wasn’t too young, as the doctors insisted. But this isn’t just a tale of hormonal chaos; it’s a journey of self-discovery, resilience, and embracing the rollercoaster of changes that come with perimenopause. Are you ready?

Mood Merry Go Round

I went from being a social butterfly to wrestling with anxiety. I found myself panicking over the slightest thing, things that would never usually bother me. I was moody, I would burst into tears for no reason, I would take offence to the slightest thing, and I would be enraged over the tiniest inconvenience. I felt like a stranger in my own skin.

A Desperate Diagnosis

I was so desperate to feel “back to normal” that I accepted the diagnosis of depression and readily took the antidepressants prescribed to me. Once the initial side effects of nausea wore off, I didn’t feel depressed anymore, but I didn’t feel much of anything. I was living beneath the surface; my senses were dulled, and whilst I was thankful not to feel so sad or anxious anymore, I didn’t want to feel numb forever.

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Clare - This Is Still Me♥️
Menopause Matters

Join me as I conquer my 40s with humor and honesty. From Marriage to Step-Parenting, Perimenopause to freelancing – I'm spilling it all.