Infinite Ideas - Menopause: Relief and Remedies for the Symptoms of Menopause

Menopause

Relief and remedies for the symptoms of menopause

Infinite Ideas with Monica Troughton

Previously published in paperback as Magical menopause

7. Its not all black and white

Can colour make a difference to my menopause?

The answer is simply YES! Colour is everywhere, in everything you do, see, touch or eat. You can not escape your involvement with colour even when you sleep.

When you are balanced, you can more effectively fight illnesses and rid your system of toxins, as well as negative energy. This balance, so important for your menopausal years, can be achieved through colour.

How? Well, colour can affect your energy in a way which stabilises your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual conditions. Youve seen the ads on TV by paint companies; youre told colours relate to your moods. Yet, quite apart from the beauty of those colours you like, using colours can relieve the stresses and anxieties caused by the menopause. Colours let you express yourself, can reveal how you feel about yourself and how others see you. You are affected by different coloured light and even by the colours you wear. Colour is used to calm and to balance it is even used in therapies. Here is a simple guide to some colours and their meanings.

Red gives us courage, strength and relates to stability and security. Red is the symbol of love and anger and life itself, and it generates enthusiasm, arouses passion and has a cheering effect.

Blue is a cooling, soothing colour used to increase vitality and energy, so it can help relieve menopausal difficulties and nervous irritability. Blue has a calming effect, so it is very helpful with sleep disorders and headaches. Blue represents the spirit of purpose and truth.

Yellow is a clear purifying colour, which stimulates our clarity of meaning. Yellow is the colour of joy, it helps to soothe the emotions and relieve depression. Use yellow for mental fatigue and for stimulating activity, so poor concentration may be improved by yellows. Yellow can act as a stimulator and balancer of the nervous system.

Violet is one of the cool colours. It has a very calming effect on us and is helpful when experiencing stress or sleep difficulties. Violet relates to self-knowledge and spiritual awareness. It increases the benefits of meditation, and is very helpful in the menopause. It is the colour for neutralizing emotional wounds and for spiritual growth.

Green is the colour of energy and youth. Green can stimulate the nervous system and soothe the emotions. It is used to treat irritability, menopausal sleeplessness and nervous disorders. Green is a cooling colour, which helps calm the body. Its the colour of the relaxed heart.

Orange is the colour of creativity. Your creativity is enhanced during the menopause, so give yourself the space to have creative time just for you. Orange symbolises joy and happiness and helps raise the spirit. It promotes a healthy appetite and increases the sex drive. Its a bright and warm source of encouragement for all aspects of life.

Turquoise is the colour for mental relaxation and tackling embedded psychological barriers. It tones and can help regulate imbalances. It is a colour that facilitates spiritual growth.

You can decorate your home to take advantage of the properties of colour. For example, a plain white quilt cover, a glittering crystal light fitting, or a new set of crushed silk rose-pink curtains can have a very positive and powerful impact and make a great deal of difference to your mood. Choose colours after a few trials, and dont rush into using any colour until you have tested it and seen how it makes you feel. Some can seem like a great idea until youve got a headache and realise too late that the colour you used in your bedroom isnt helping you feel better, and could even be making you feel worse.

Here are a few other simple suggestions of how you can use colour in your home:

• Use coloured lamps or buy coloured bulbs.
• Use soft lights instead of fluorescent or neon.
• Use gentle and harmonious shades.
• Carefully choose the colours you use whether this is for your clothes, home furnishings, or bedroom.
• Use natural colours. These are the most beneficial, nourishing and strengthening. Think about those colours that appear naturally: in the sky, the sea, in the natural landscape including trees, flowers or fields.

How did it go?

QWhat about clothes? My taste seems to be changing Can I still wear what colours I want?

AYes! Just remember you will find yourself wearing clothes that reflect your moods and the colour of the clothes you wear can alter the way you feel. The colours you wear can directly relate to the way you feel in your menopausal cycle. For example, wear bright clothes to counter depression or a lack of self-confidence, or wear calming colours to suppress irritability or stress, often symptoms of the menopause.

QI dont want to sound silly, but what about the colour of food? Does it matter what colour food is whilst Im menopausal?

AYes, it does. Food affects your moods and the colour of food is very important. You can even eat appropriately coloured food to match your mood. Vary your diet according to how you feel or how you want to feel. For example, think about yellow foods such as bananas or sweetcorn, green salad leaves, red tomatoes, strawberries Theres lots of potential.

Heres an idea for you

Try visualising colour when you are having an off menopausal moment and everything is getting you down. Take a few deep breaths, close your eyes and flood your mind with a colour you know makes you feel restored and peaceful again. Its a lovely pick-me-up.

Defining idea

We are energy, we are colour. When we are out of balance, there can be too much or too little of a colour in us, and this in time will manifest itself as a disease. By introducing a specific colour as vibrational energy, we can harmonise disorders within the body and improve physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

RENEE GANGER, Colour therapist

8. Moving mountains

Who wants to exercise when its cold, rainy and theres a good film on the telly? But exercise is extremely important now you are in your menopause.

Did you know that ironing burns twenty calories in twenty minutes? That housework burns sixty? Has there been a better reason to do a little light spring cleaning?

Regular exercise not only benefits your heart and bones and helps regulate your weight, but it also contributes to your sense of overall wellbeing and improvement in mood. The good news is that a regular programme of physical activity can help manage many of the uncomfortable symptoms of your menopause as well as the related health concerns, such as heart disease and osteoporosis. During exercise, hormones called endorphins are released into your brain. These make doing that bit of exercise all the more worthwhile. You get a real high and the feel good factor is your bodys positive response to stress.

In other words a good bout of moving at a good pace somehow can work wonders for the way we menopausal women feel. Right? I hate to admit it, but its true. Im always pleased Ive done it after the event. But I still always dread it just before, and still look for excuses not to walk but take the car.

Aerobic exercise also helps you shift that roll of tummy fat the place you have probably noticed youve been piling it on a bit since your menopause started. That news can only make you feel better as well, cant it? In addition, some research studies have shown that the increased oestrogen levels that follow a womans exercise session coincide with an overall decrease in the severity of hot flushes and that has to be a good thing, too.