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Menopause

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Definition – Is the permanent end of menstruation and fertility, defined as occurring 12 months after your last menstrual period.  Typically between 45-50 years of age.   Synonyms = change of life.  I will add on my own behalf  “midlife crisis.”

My experience:  fatigue, insomnia, hyperactivity, anxiety, racing heart rate.   No I do not have hot flashes! :)

Remember:  We are all unique and have similar symptoms or we may not.

Is there an ending?  Yes, according to my friend.  She is 68 years old.  It usually runs it course for 10 years!  Ugh!!!

What has helped me: That this is not a curse and I am not going crazy!  This is real and my body is changing.  Reminds me of Bob Dylan song “Times are a Changing.”  I also will add that accepting this part of my life cycle has been instrumental.  Accepting the fact that  I no longer had my period was more difficult than I imagined it would be.  Who came up with that word period anyways!  I would describe it as a death, my fertility was no more.  What also has helped in this transition was the use of Estrogen/Progesterone and Testosterone cream.  I went to a Holistic Physician and had blood work to see what my levels were.  I am so glad I did,  I was not meant to suffer :).  I began to be more mindful of my diet due to the fact that I was not losing weight.  I incorporated more fruits, vegetables, protein and water daily and reduced sugar considerably :)  I also did some research on vitamins and minerals and one thing I kept coming up against is Vit B.  Vitamin B is beneficial for fatigue, insomnia, hormonal changes,  etc. etc.  I also added in Minerals, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium.

What I have noticed during this transition:  Anger motivated me to look at what is really important to me and where do I want to invest my time and energy.  A time to exercise my power and truth!  I also explored to open up to my feelings instead of stuffing them because I do not want to live the next 30 years in an unhealthy way.  I hope you find this information helpful.

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

Grief

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Grief is synonyms with regret?  This is what I found in my research – a sense of loss and longing for someone or something gone.  A feeling of disappointment or distress about something that one wishes to be different.

We all have regrets, should have, could have, maybe a do-over.  Being in the present moment is all we ever have but one can remain stuck in the pas or the future robbing us of what is happening NOW.  For example I can still be playing out a scenario that happened 30 years ago.  Maybe being pissed off to this day of what occurred and has nothing to do with what is happening in this moment but the “sting” remains.  The key is to acknowledge the regret and feel into the underlying energy.  It could be anger, rage, fear or sadness that has never been embraced for what it was at the time.  These are human emotions and as human beings we tend to cover them up and or suppress them but nevertheless they remain stuck in our bodies taking on a life of their own.  This is turn can create density.  We all have our stories and what we want to do is to embrace our feelings in any given moment without negating or suppressing them.  This is as important as washing are hands.  We have been taught to believe anger and sadness is bad when in reality it is a blessing.  This is what connects us and it is an opportunity for the divine to embrace us.  When we begin to feel all there is to feel and embrace our humanity life unfolds in a miraculous way.  We are found through are humanity.  This is where love and compassion can be found.

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

What Does It Take To Break The Shell

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For me it goes like this ~ I have had enough and I feel beat up and I cannot take it anymore!  I am sick and tired of wearing everyone else’s truth.  So, here I am listening to everyone else but not listening to myself.  I call this my greater self, my Soul.  When life shakes you on top of your head and I say to myself – Enough-. It is like a volcano erupting with lava and fire.  Yes,  I have made everyone else more important than myself.  Yes,  I have been meeting the demands of everyone but myself.  Yes,  I have given my power away to everyone else.   I was looking to everyone else for the answers when in fact they have been inside me all along.  Thank goodness!!  I  thought I was giving up but in fact I was giving in to my infinite potential which is unfolding this very moment.

Freedom will arrive and it is all inside.  My/your soul knows the truth of it’s existence!  Spiritual distress is put to the test.  Trust your God and go to your God for answers and guidance.  Believe in something bigger than who you believe yourself to be.  Your inner voice is all you need and know that it will all be okay.  BELIEVE!  Return again, return to the breathe of your Soul.  My dear sweet friends your Soul knows the truth.    The voices in my head creates conflict of everyone else’s truth but my own.

In this lifetime I always wanted to do what I came here to do.  We are all the same and there is no difference between any one of us.  I now declare guidance from my Soul to give me the wisdom to move forward.  I pause and remember what to say and not what the world wants me to say.

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

Nourishment for the Body, Mind and Soul

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Nourishment is not just about what we eat but it also includes how we go about nourishing our “wholeness.”   One aspect which comes to mind for me is “self talk”.  For me it is about nourishing the soul.  The aspects of ourselves that may feel scared, helpless or alone.  I believe these parts of ourselves are little “orphans” which had an impact on us in childhood.  I am recalling an experience when I was 10 years old.  I grew up in a world where I felt judged,  I had no direction, support, and a lack of kindness.  This was very scary for me.  I had to keep a stiff upper lip.  I can see how it is playing out in my life today.  I am learning  to dialogue with myself in a more compassionate and loving way.  Bringing kindness, understanding and love to the forefront.

When I dialogue with this 10 year-old I take her by the hand and let her know everything is going to be okay, that she is not alone.  I treat her like I would have treated my 10 year-old children letting them know that they are not alone and everything will be okay.  I use kind words, listen without judging and trust my wisdom and clarity in my ripe age of 50.  Of course we need nourishment through food but take a look at how you dialogue with those “scared’” parts of yourself.  Do you take the time to nourish your emotional body?

Expressing your needs and getting  your feelings out of your body.  Writing and expressing my thoughts have been helpful.  Do you take the time to nourish your physical body?  Take note of your eating patterns, exercise, self-care such as massage, energy work or getting out in nature.

Last but not least what do you feed your soul?  What brings you joy, are you using your creativity?  It is simple ~ take a look outside and you will see what I mean.  From my perspective healing begins by acknowledging how we reacted to trauma in the first place and the next step is to let yourself know it is safe to feel and express.  If it feels “unsafe” do it anyways.  As you do this you will begin to trust.

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

 

Digestive Health

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According to the Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health.  Digestion is one of the critical functions that your body has to perform in order to survive.  Food supplies the necessary nutrients that provide your cells with sustenance and energy, allowing your body to grow and develop, and to repair and maintain itself.

This is what I have come to know about healthy digestion:

1.  What are you thinking while you are eating?  For example if you are angry or sad your body is registering this and this will impact how your food is digested.

2.  Be mindful of your conversation and the stimulus that is around you.  ie.  What are your distractions?  Television, conversation that you are having with others or the conversation you are having with yourself.

3.  Notice the portion of food you put on your plate and are you introducing different food groups?  Do you sit down and eat or eat on the run?  Do you eat at regular times throughout the day?

4.  Intuition plays a key role for me.  I eat 3 meals a day and snack in the mid morning and snack in the mid afternoon and also before I go to bed because I know my body needs this in order to sustain myself.  I make it a habit to snack on fruits and veggies and cut back on sugar.  It’s important to get the nutrients to sustain my mental and physical health.

5.  I have tried many diets and concluded that it is important to trust what I know my body needs and this includes eating more meat on some days, drinking more water and introducing fruits and vegetables.  Some days I crave Mexican food and I just go with it.

6.  I believe evolution plays a key role.  I am now 50 and menopausal and my eating habits have changed or better yet I remind myself to take better care of myself with my eating habits.

7.  Best diet for me has been the Mediterranean diet.  This includes reduction of carbs and sugars.  Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and drinking plenty of water.

What I have noticed with this change of diet:

1.  Better digestion and more energy.

2.  Snacking before bed assists with digestion, increasing metabolism and maintaining blood sugar level.

3.  Supplementation with vitamins and minerals is important.  Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium is important to all of the organs.  These minerals are excreted on a daily basis.

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Anne Lamantia

Soul Integration

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Is It Empty Nest Syndrome or Abandonment?

I have been feeling abandoned since my last child left for College in the fall. It just shows me I have more work to do to integrate my Soul-to bring my “orphan” home. My outside circumstances only reflects of what is happening on the inside.  I’m trusting, allowing,  and giving my abandoned child a voice to shed light on the situation and to mother her. I’m allowing her to grieve the loss she feels.  To “heal” is to “feel”.

An empty space inside of me needs to be filled. I’m becoming familiar with this space and learning to love it. I have no choice.  It’s reeling me in to discover parts of myself I did not know existed. I no longer resist it but embrace it.  This is Soul Integration at it’s best! Maybe one should call it “Empty Space” instead of “Empty Nest.”

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Anne Lamantia

Forgiveness

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Letting go is forgiveness.  A willingness not to hold onto the so-called injustice. Breathing deeply and seeing it for what it is.  Tip-toeing out of my box and in to something bigger and brighter.  Neale Donald Walsh has shared a wonderful quote, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”  I believe this to be true.  Life does begin at the end of one’s comfort zone.   I’ve noticed my energy flows in harmony, I feel lighter and calmer.  I become more aware of when I am in resistance with life and when I am trying to fix other’s, and pointing out there faults.  My business is with myself and myself only.  This is the path to freedom.
Freeing myself from the chains that kept me living in my comfort zone.  I feel alive when I step outside my comfort zone.  There is more space inside of me to tap into my authentic self, to live fully, to do what I came here to do.  It’s not about fixing yourself or others but to allow yourself to be where you are.  This includes feeling your feelings and allowing your beliefs to be exactly where they are.    Giving them space to hold themselves accountable.

We live in Martyship when we feel we have to fix others or remind them of their injustices.  Are we not that too?  We are part of the whole.  We are that too.  So why not begin anew and being responsible for ourselves and being accountable.  This is where true power dwells.  I relax, let go, my cells are in harmony, breathing is rhythmic, energy flows through my body and restores oxygen and fresh blood to those areas that were constricted before.  I also relinquish parts of my self that was not heard before.  Now I trust and listen to that part I was blocking or avoiding.  This is transcendence in its finest.  I am willing to allow, let go and be heard by my inner knowing and more importantly Trust the process.  For me , this i what feeling alive is all about!  Allowing my feelings to surface and to trust the process.