Confidence, Self-Belief and the Menopause

Discover why many women find their confidence is affected during menopause

Hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings. These are just some of the symptoms we expect to encounter during menopause.  

But it’s often the less reported symptoms that can be the hardest to navigate. Like anxiety, a loss of self-belief or a sudden drop in confidence.

When the emotional and psychological effects of menopause occur, it can be a big surprise. And of course, your mental wellbeing impacts every aspect of life from how you perform at work to your relationships and social life.

So, what’s going on? Why does menopause affect our mental health and in particular, our self-confidence?

The answer is two-fold. Firstly, it makes sense that confidence takes a hit when you’re trying to deal with other menopause symptoms. If you’re experiencing hot flushes, disrupted sleep, aches and pains and irritability; it’s hard to feel like your usual strong, confident self.

But there is another reason for a loss of confidence during menopause and as with most menopause symptoms, it’s related to your oestrogen levels.

How declining oestrogen can affect mental health

The female sex hormone oestrogen regulates many different functions throughout your body from brain and heart functions to skin health. It’s also an important hormone for regulating the nervous system.  

When oestrogen levels fall, it affects adrenal health (the adrenal glands help regulate the body’s response to stress) and the performance of the nervous system. In turn, this can cause feelings of panic and fear, leading to that recognisable ‘fight-or-flight’ sensation when your heart rate rises, and you feel you’re under attack.

Of course, if you’re in a normal, everyday situation when panic and anxiety arise, it can make you question your mental health. You might ask yourself why you’re feeling stressed when nothing out of the ordinary is happening. In turn this can cause fear and nervousness as things you used to find easy such as talking in a meeting, driving on the motorway or getting ready to meet friends suddenly feel impossible.

Experiencing a sudden drop in confidence levels can leave you doubting yourself. You may feel your personality has changed in a short space of time. You might wonder if you’ll ever feel like your ‘normal’ self again and this can be incredibly frustrating. But the important thing to remember is it’s not in your imagination – loss of confidence is a very real symptom of menopause. And you’re not alone in feeling his way.

What women told us about confidence during menopause

In our recent Real Women survey, we asked over 90 women to share their experiences of menopause. Many told us how their confidence has been affected during menopause. Here are some of their comments:

“Sometimes I feel less sharp than I was and less decisive. This has affected my confidence.”
Catherine, 56

“I think my confidence was most affected by my low mood. In some ways I feel much better now than my 20’s as I understand what was happening and taken control. HRT has really helped and seeing a skincare professional and using good products means my skin is looking better than ever.”
Karen, 44

“The menopause has changed my life and my perspective. I lost my confidence over time and I didn’t realise it was happening. I became irritable and intolerant of people around me but through the discovery of supplements like organic sage etc, I have recovered and am now consciously aware of the changes my body has gone through in the last number of years.”
Emepelle Community Member, 50

“I became quite forgetful at times and also very emotional. I felt my skin changes were sudden and not gradual which affected my confidence.”
Emepelle Community Member, 60

Of course, every woman’s journey is different and some report that they have gained confidence during menopause. But if that’s not your experience don’t worry. In our next article, we’ll be sharing practical tips to help increase confidence.

Boosting skin health. Boosting confidence.

For many women, appearance and confidence are intrinsically linked.

When we’re feeling good about how we look, it’s an instant confidence boost. But if you’re seeing unwelcome skin changes during menopause, it can leave you feeling less confident. As with so many menopause symptoms, changes to the skin are often caused by declining oestrogen levels.

When oestrogen levels drop during menopause and perimenopause, a range of different changes occur within the skin. Some of the changes you might notice include increased sagging, more wrinkles, changes to skin thickness, more uneven skin tone, and dry skin.

If you’re keen to reduce the signs of skin ageing caused by decreasing oestrogen levels, the first thing to look at is your skincare regime.

How Emepelle tackles the effects of falling oestrogen levels

Emepelle is the revolutionary skincare product clinically proven to target the root cause of ageing in skin affected by menopause. Emepelle is different to other anti-ageing products because it actively encourages the skin to act as if the oestrogen were still present.

It’s the only skincare range to feature unique MEP Technology®. This ground-breaking technology awakens the skin’s messaging system (the oestrogen receptors) encouraging skin cells to work more efficiently and behave like younger skin cells. After using Emepelle, women report skin that’s firmer, brighter and more hydrated.

What next?

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