Why Menopause Symptoms Can Feel Worse When School Starts Again
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
September is just around the corner, and holiday season is nearing the end but that doesn't mean we are all ready to get going again. If you are navigating menopause symptoms the new school year may mean earlier mornings, more rushing, more to organise, think about and an increased mental load. Even if you are pleased that there will be a return to routine, the change in itself can place increased demands on an already stretched nervous system. This blog is about helping you to manage, gently rebuild routines that will help you to feel calmer, clearer and more like yourself.
During menopause things shift and change and for many the common threads are the difficulties with sleep, energy, mood, memory and concentration. Poor sleep and tiredness often exacerbate brain fog and make emotional symptoms more difficult to manage. When mornings now become rushed and the psychological load increases you may find that you become more irritable, forgetful, anxious or overwhelmed than usual.
This doesn't mean that you are not coping – it's just that your brain and body are responding to a mixture of hormonal changes, poor rest and increased daily demands which can make routines more difficult to navigate than previously.
Our September reset isn't about becoming perfectly organised or beginning strict regimes that require military precision, it's more about noticing where you're feeling the greatest pressure and making one or two gentle adjustments that will help you feel steadier. Small repeatable adjustments are far more supportive than trying to change lots of things at once.
Easy Changes You Can Make:
Creating a gentler start to the morning
School mornings can be frenzied, that rush of alarms, people clambering for the bathroom, sorting breakfasts, school lunches done, maybe dealing with last minute reminders. If you haven't slept well, the beginning of a day in a state of urgency can make you feel frazzled before you have even left the house.
A menopause friendly morning may be easier if some things can be made ready the night before. Things such as preparing clothes, bags the night before, keep breakfast choices simple and encourage those who are old enough to take responsibility for age-appropriate tasks so you don't have to carry the whole routine yourself.
Try to protect a few minutes for your own needs too. Maybe take a few minutes to sit quietly, take a few deep breaths while having a cup of tea or water without anyone else around. This brief moment of calm can help you feel more grounded and settled.
The aim isn't to create a flawless morning but to remove avoidable sources of pressure so your day begins with a little more space.
Re-establish your Sleep Rhythm
Summer holidays often mean that our sleep routines change, often going to bed and waking up later. As school begins – try to create a regular waking and wind-down routine even if your sleep is not perfect.
A simple evening routine can help the mind and body get the message that it's time to slow down, helping you approach sleep with less pressure and allowing the body to release the right hormones to help you sleep. Try listening to a bedtime story or a calm meditation to help slow down your thoughts and create calm for you to be able to sleep better.
Share the workload
School life can bring with it an endless stream of information, dates, forms, activities, after school clubs, parent teacher meetings, play dates to name just a few. Moving information out of your head and into shared calendars, to do lists, shared family planners can help take the melee out of your head. Delegate responsibility where you can to reduce the mental load and resist the pressure to anticipate everyone's needs.
Plan for The Afternoon Energy Dip
Exhaustion can set in between finishing work and picking up the kids especially if you've been on the go and missed meals. Tiredness and irritability can quickly turn in to overwhelm. Try not to wait until you are completely depleted before attending to your own needs. A drink of water and a simple snack containing protein and fibre may help you feel more sustained than reaching for something sugary when your energy crashes.
If it's possible try to build in a brief pause between work ending and collection of the kids even if it is just sitting quietly in the car for a couple of minutes, taking a short walk or just listening to a calming track. Allowing yourself this small space of breathing time can help the transition from day to evening feeling more present and steady.
Simplify Midweek Meals
Easy to cook and pre prepping meals can really help ease the pressure on mealtimes. Choose simple breakfasts, lunches and evening meals that everyone is happy to repeat. Maybe do a batch cook at weekends and where possible cook extra food to pop in the freezer for those times you really are stretched or don't want to cook. Pre marinating meats and then just popping them in the oven or grill with some frozen veggies can be an easy to cook meal. Have some basic ready-made staples to hand such as pre-cooked grains, pulses, rice, frozen veggies, tinned beans can be used to make nutritious meals without everything needing to be made from scratch.
The important things to remember are to include where possible a source of protein, fibre, fruit and vegetables to support sustained energy. Food does not always have to be elaborate to be nourishing, it's important to aim for meals that are realistic for your household
Make exercise Fun and manageable
When September rolls around a lot of women plan to do more at the gym or exercise but the reality is quite different. Trying to fit this around kids, family life plus work is not always achievable and women put themselves under added pressure of going to the gym late at night or early in the morning. Late at night is not a great idea if you are already not sleeping well as it releases endorphins which interfere with your body's natural sleep cycle. When considering movement, it's more important to understand that best routine is the one that you can easily fit in with your family and work life.
If a brisk walk to school in the morning is possible or on the way to work – that can be just as effective as half an hour in the gym. Strength exercises at home, Kitchen discos or stretching while waiting for dinner to come out of the oven are all great and work to support mood, sleep, energy and long-term bone and heart health during menopause.
Choose something you enjoy and just do what feels manageable – it really doesn't have to be gym based. Consistency is far more helpful than pushing yourself too hard and then stopping because the pressure becomes too much or the routine becomes too difficult to follow.
Choose one change: not seven
You do not need to put every suggestion into practice at once. Trying to transform your sleep, diet, exercise and family routines simultaneously is likely to feel overwhelming.
Choose the change that would make the greatest difference to your week and focus on that first. Once it begins to feel familiar, you can decide whether anything else needs adjusting.
A successful reset is not about doing more. It is about making daily life work better for you
A little extra support when you need it
If you would like some support as you rebuild your routines, my award-winning Menopause Meditations App offers guided audio tracks for sleep, stress, anxiety, brain fog and hot flushes. You might begin the morning with Steady Start, use Stress Reset when the day feels demanding, or listen to Deep Sleep Reset as part of your evening routine. Think of it as a pocket menopause companion,
available whenever you need a little help feeling more settled.
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