05/08/2026
Can we talk about what nobody tells you about life after menopause?
Because I thought I was sailing through. A personal summer here and there, nothing dramatic. What was actually happening was chronic fatigue, unexplained crying on the way home from work, depression that had no obvious cause, and quietly stopping going to the gym after years of clockwork consistency.
All menopause. Just not the kind anyone warned me about.
And now in post-menopause? The surprises keep arriving.
There is the urinary urgency that I can only describe this way: it is not the kind where you do the mental calculation and decide you can wait. It is the kind where you wake up, have to go, and immediately start running because it is not waiting for anyone. I am normalizing this conversation because someone has to.
There is the camera angle situation. Always from above. Never from below. Chin forward if it's level. These are calculations I never made before β back when I too was a tight skin. I am working on making peace with the jawline and the belly. It is a process.
And dating. Oh, dating. In my head I am solidly in my forties. My actual dating pool disagrees. Men my age may want children β I'm sorry, what? Men in their late sixties feel too far ahead of where my head currently lives. I am figuring it out with humor because that is the only sane approach.
Here is what I know helps:
Sleep. Seven to eight hours and I protect it fiercely now because when I don't I pay for it.
Lifting. Heavy. This is non-negotiable for aging well and I have returned to it with full commitment.
Alcohol. I have accepted that my body no longer handles it graciously and I have stopped arguing with that fact.
Mediterranean diet. Fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil. This is my eating life now.
Meditation. Not for stress anymore β for self-acceptance. Showing up for myself as I am today.
I have accepted where I am. I am still accepting it, because it is a daily practice not a finish line. And I am leaving the door open for a little assistance if I decide I want it (wink, wink).
If any of this sounds familiar β the fog, the feelings, the finding your footing β drop a comment. You are not alone in this and we might as well laugh together.