Day 32: Accept Your Adventure

In this step you’re going to gain two powerful tools in your toolkit, to help you navigate this time of change in your life.

You may have noticed that we have focused a LOT on what you tell yourself. Have you also noticed that at no point have you heard advice about making practical changes?

There’s a reason for that.

Change is an inevitable part of life, so you were born more adaptable and resilient than you realise. Half the battle to embracing this time of change, rather than letting it define you, is not about WHAT you do, so much as HOW you view.

Each step gently builds upon the previous one, gently rewiring your brain, so you can create firm foundations for your future. Trust your brain is taking in everything you need as you listen.

You’re now ready for Step 3 – Accept Your Adventure.

Let’s begin by taking a moment to cast your mind back.

Picture a time when you got caught up in an immovable line of traffic. One that appeared without warning, leaving you with no turnings to take and no choices to make.

What was your response to this situation? Was that your usual response or a different one?

Do you think your response varies depending upon the day or the situation?

Or is it always the same?

The likelihood is, your response differs on different days.

Some days you’ll put the radio on, notice the view and go along with what’s happening. Another day you’ll fret about time, tap your fingers impatiently on the dashboard and wind yourself up more every moment.

Either way, the situation’s pretty much the same. But we all know being stuck in traffic isn’t a fun scenario.

At times this situation can be scary, exhausting and extremely frustrating. But no matter how you responded, you got through it. So far, you have a 100% success rate in coming out the other side.

Your menopause journey is the same.

It will be up and down, back and forth, have highs and lows. There’ll be detours and turning points, stopping points and smooth runs.

It’s as unpredictable as a car journey and as discombobulating as a fairground ride.

So you have nothing to lose and perhaps plenty to gain, by choosing to accept this. So you can start viewing this time of your life as an adventure, rather than an irritating detour.

The question is how?

By choosing to adopt ‘heroine mode’.

This time in your life offers you an opportunity to become the author of your own story. You may feel like the victim of life’s circumstances, but you always have a choice how you respond.

Every day gives you a new opportunity to choose and no-one can take that away from you.

The sad truth is, many women are so overpowered by the pressures they feel, they forget this. They go through their days on autopilot letting their feelings and struggles overtake them because they feel powerless.

This isn’t the only option. And you don’t have to make this your default narrative.

Menopause marks a powerful time in your life, even if it doesn’t always feel this way. Many women find themselves entering a new level of maturity during this stage, which if you think about it, is quite exciting.

There you are, maybe thinking you’d finished growing and learning about life, and now you’ve been gifted a time of awakening and growth instead.

If you believe this time is a struggle, it will appear to present itself that way and you’ll spend your time overcoming challenge after challenge. If, however, you believe this time’s an unpredictable adventure to engage with, the more you’ll feel that’s the case.

The same challenges will occur, but the way you interpret them will be different.

You can wake up each day to face your journey, from the perspective you have what it takes to not only survive, but to thrive. As a modern woman, you already juggle far more than your female ancestors did. If they could see you now, they’d see you as a heroine already.

The question is, do you agree?

To help you shift into heroine mode, there are some important things you need to accept.

First, accept possibility.

Accept the possibility that your way to this point might not be working in your best interests and you might need to change things.

Accept the possibility that small steps slowly change your life, imperfect action is better than none, you’re ready for this time and you can emerge stronger and wiser.

Second, accept responsibility.

Accept you’re responsible for yourself and your experience. This is a great thing, because you were born to be response – able.

It’s in your DNA and you know how to respond in a healthy way to life. This is your journey; you’re answerable only to yourself.

Finally, accept inevitability

Accept challenges are inevitable, but they don’t mean you’re not a heroine in your own right.

As you move through this journey, issues will come up and bring with them emotions. It can be useful to identify your emotions as they arise; labelling them, then thanking them for showing you that you have what it takes to move and grow through them.

To assist you in becoming the heroine of your life and accepting your adventure, take a moment to think about or write down your responses to the following questions:

What role would you rather choose? Heroine or victim?

Which choice feels easier and more expansive to you? How does the alternative feel?

What do your immediate thoughts tell you about your default responses?

How can you start changing them to be kinder to yourself as you travel through this time of change?

No matter how you respond, remember you’re already a heroine in many people’s eyes.