Rest and Reset Matters (Especially When Menopause Messes with Your Sleep)
Let’s be real, during menopause rest and reset sound great in theory. But if you’re waking up drenched in sweat, battling 3 a.m. anxiety spirals, or just staring at the ceiling wondering who handed your body a new user manual written in invisible ink… rest feels impossible.
Maybe you’ve said it yourself: “I’ll get to that later.” But how often does “later” actually happen?
Between menopause symptoms, a calendar full of appointments, adult children calling for advice, and aging parents needing support, rest usually gets shoved to the bottom of the list. You promise yourself you’ll slow down, then something else “urgent” pops up, and once again, you get postponed.
But here’s the truth: Your body isn’t just asking for rest it’s begging for it. Especially now.
Your Body Whispers, Until It Yells for Rest
Women in midlife are masters of pushing through. You’ve lived decades balancing careers, caregiving, relationships, and responsibilities. But at this stage, when menopause shows up with brain fog, sleep disruption, and emotional volatility, your body needs a different approach.
Rest and reset aren’t indulgent. They’re necessary for recovery, repair, and mental clarity.
I learned this the hard way. Recently, we escaped for six days in our camper to Cape Breton. It wasn’t until day two that I even began to feel like myself again. The first 36 hours? My body stayed clenched. My mind spun in circles. I couldn’t land.
But then, something shifted.
I sat in a lawn chair under the trees, a fire flickering beside me, and a book in my lap. Yes, the book connected loosely to my work, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t reading to learn or produce, I was simply being. And that was everything.
It reminded me what my body had been quietly trying to say: slow down… or I’ll make you. (I have had this lesson before, no thank you!)
What Feeds Your Soul When Life Drains You?
If you’re like most women I work with, you’ve spent years prioritizing everyone else. You show up for others even when your tank is running on fumes. And by now, you’ve probably forgotten what actually brings you joy.
So let me ask you something, not to guilt you, but to gently remind you of yourself:
What soothes your soul?
For me, it’s nature, books, campfires, and being unapologetically still. For you, it might be music, walking, baking, painting, journaling, or collapsing into bed with zero expectations. It might be five quiet minutes where nobody needs anything from you.
If it’s been a while since you’ve had that kind of moment, you’re not alone. But that absence? It adds up. And it shows up as fatigue, forgetfulness, short tempers, and that deep ache for “something more.”
My Lightbulb Moment: Creativity Isn’t Optional
The day after our trip, I attended the final week of a Messaging and Positioning Intensive Program. We were discussing messaging on our website when I had a full-body realization:
I had stopped offering the very thing that helped my clients most.
For years, I included creative expression in my work. Not to produce art. Not to impress anyone. But to give women a safe space to get out of their heads and into their hearts and hands. A place where no one judged, nothing had to be perfect, and the hands could lead the healing.
At some point, I started doing what looked more polished and popular. But in chasing what seemed more marketable, I had, without realizing it, let go of what was actually meaningful.
Creative expression isn’t fluff. It’s a lifeline.
It invites presence. It softens the noise. It lets us bypass the internal chatter and land back in our bodies where we can finally hear what we really need.
When Menopause Feels Like Too Much, Creativity Makes Room to Breathe
Let’s not sugarcoat it, this season of life is a lot.
You’re probably navigating symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, night sweats, weight changes, or mood swings. You might be helping your aging parents manage medical appointments while also supporting your grown kids with their own life chaos. And in the tiny space left over? That’s where “self-care” is supposed to happen.
But how do you care for yourself when you’re exhausted and overwhelmed?
That’s where creativity steps in.
Whether it’s doodling, coloring, scribbling in a journal, or tearing up old magazines to make something beautiful, it brings you back. It activates new neural pathways (hello, neuroplasticity!). It clears brain fog. It resets your stress response. And it gives your nervous system the message it’s been waiting for: you are safe to rest.
What I Nearly Let Slip in My Own Practice
As a holistic nutritionist, I’ll always advocate for hydration, whole foods, and gentle movement. They are key pillars of health. But I’ve learned that without emotional connection and self-expression, even the most perfect nutrition plan can fall flat.
Women need more than advice; we need space to feel like ourselves again.
That’s why I’ve returned to what I know works. I guide clients through simple creative practices that require zero talent. Just curiosity, courage, and a willingness to be present. In that presence, something opens. Shoulders drop. Breathing deepens. And women remember who they were before life got so damn loud.
You Don’t Need a Weekend Off. You Need a Moment of You.
This isn’t a new task to add to your already full list. It’s an invitation.
Step away. Even briefly. Give yourself permission to stop producing. Sit by a window with a cup of tea. Write a sentence that means nothing to anyone but you. Play. Stretch. Daydream.
Whatever reconnects you with yourself, that belongs in your day. Not just on vacations. Not just when everything else is done.
The you that feels vibrant, grounded, creative, and calm?
She’s not gone. She’s waiting.
And the moment you slow down enough to notice her again, you’ll wonder why you waited so long.
And once she returns, everything else will begin to fall into place.
