Moodiness

Symptoms of Menopause: Mood swings and emotions

One minute you’re fine, the next you’re in tears. Mood swings are common during menopause, when your body is experiencing a hormonal imbalance. But from hot flashes to night sweats, panic attacks to headaches, the symptoms of menopause can give anyone reason to be depressed.

This may be caused by any number of the many stressors that can hit women in midlife: divorce or death of parents or a spouse, grown children leaving home, the regret of never having had children — all can lead to feelings of vulnerability and moodiness. Yet there are no studies that show that menopause leads to depression or anxiety. You may recall that during adolescence — another time of life when your hormones were in flux — you were also moody and irritable at times. And now, just as then, your emotional state can be not so great one day, but excellent the next.

What you can do: Count to ten! This will give you time to breathe and get back to being in control of your emotions. But don't be afraid to cry, laugh, or do whatever you feel like to let off steam (when it's appropriate, e.g. not in the middle of a business meeting!).

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