“Are apples supposed to make you want to throw up?!”
I was forty years old when I tossed this question out to a slightly older acquaintance. Dismayed that my stomach was suddenly rebelling against my favorite fall-winter snack, I’d begun to wonder if it had anything to do with my age.
It did. I’d hit perimenopause, and the ride that I experienced for the next decade was annoying at best, terrifying at worst.
Then I hit the age of fifty-three. That year, I discovered that I’m autistic with mild ADHD. It was at once a relief and a punch to the gut. I spent the next several months binging on videos created by YouTubers who weren’t diagnosed as autistic until they were adults and on articles and blog posts.
I learned a lot, and began to understand myself and the way my brain works more than ever, but each video, every article, lacked something important.
None of them addressed how menopause affects the neurodivergent brain.
And body.
The YouTubers were either men, or women under the age of forty. Most of the articles were geared toward neurodivergent children.
No one was explaining why, when I hit the age of fifty, my sensitivities increased five fold. Why my emotions were harder to control than ever. Why my forgetfulness went well above and beyond that of your typical postmenopausal woman.
Let’s not forget the hell of my perimenopausal years, as well as the symptoms that persist after menopause (especially if you’re neurodivergent) The Internet is full of misinformation on the topic. Why? Because the purported “experts” – doctors under the age of fifty, most of whom are male – really have no clue as to what’s going on in women’s bodies when hormone levels tank.
So I decided to create this blog. I’ve always had a heart to help others find fulfillment and joy in their life, and I decided that, at this season of my life, there’s no better way for me to do that than to come alongside women* who are experiencing the same struggles that I have – and, in some cases, still am.
The purpose of this blog is threefold. First, to encourage with my personal stories as a neurodivergent woman. Second, to offer tips and hacks to any woman over the age of forty-five who is finding that her brain is more frazzled and foggier than ever, and who is feeling that her body is falling apart for no apparent reason. Third, to help postmenopausal women to alleviate at least a few of their annoying – and sometimes devastating – symptoms.**
If you’re riding the emotional roller coaster of the perimenopausal years, that’s you.
If you’ve passed into the postmenopausal years and can’t figure out why your major body functions seem to be failing, that’s you.
If you’ve been diagnosed with – or even just suspect you have – either autism or ADHD, that’s you.
If you’re Highly Sensitive, that’s you.
If, in your past (perhaps even in your present), you’ve been called “high maintenance,” “too sensitive,” or “dramatic,” that’s you.
If you’ve suffered on and off with anxiety and/or depression for most of your adult life, that’s you.
If other people or you yourself have called you “weird,” “out to lunch,” “oddball,” or “difficult,” that’s you, too.
Basically, if you’re a woman anywhere over the age of forty-five and you need help with planning, mental organization, through-the-roof stress levels, social anxiety, even just how to get out of bed in the morning and function at a minimum level, I’m building this blog for you.
Consider subscribing to this blog by email (see the top of the sidebar) in order to receive a continual stream of encouragement and tips on how to navigate the journey into “wiser years” neurodivergence.
I’ll see you on the blog, and I hope you’ll join the conversation in the comment section to share your stories and encourage the other ladies who join the community.
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*A woman is a human being who was born with a vagina, uterus, and ovaries. It makes me sick to my stomach that I feel the need to make this clarification. If you disagree with this definition, this is probably the wrong community for you.
**Note that I am not a licensed healthcare professional of any kind. I don’t intend to give you medical advice, only to share what has worked for me. Always check with your doctor or other medical professionals before making any changes that will impact your body.