Dealing with Anxiety, Overwhelm & Brain Fog

Season 1 • Episode 3
Becks Armstrong, Founder of the Clarity App

Forget hot flushes! Anxiety and loss of confidence are some of the most underestimated and upsetting symptoms of the menopause. Many women are taken by surprise in their mid to late forties to suddenly discover that they’re doubting themselves and their abilities; feeling overwhelmed by tasks or projects they previously handled with ease; or simply experiencing a residual sense of anxiety which is hard to shake off.

If this sounds familiar, then Becks Armstrong is your woman. Becks is a women’s health specialist, acupuncturist, traditional Chinese herbalist and doula. She’s also very interested in technology and how it can support our health. One of the ways she’s applied that is by founding the Clarity mindfulness app which is specifically designed to help midlife women who are struggling with menopause symptoms. There is an increasing body of research about the benefits of mindfulness in dealing with stress and supporting mental health.

In this episode of The Happy Menopause, Becks and I discuss the issue of anxiety and overwhelm which is so common to midlife women and yet relatively unrecognised as a mainstream menopause symptom. Becks explains a range of simple and practical techniques to show how mindfulness, gratitude and paced breathing can quickly help to reduce stress and anxiety. She’s incredibly clever at suggesting ways of introducing mindfulness into your daily life, which is especially helpful for people who are new to the concept or perhaps a bit hesitant about whether it’s right for them. We try out a simple mindfulness exercise that you can try out at home, while you’re listening and Becks is passionate about the importance of ‘me time’, the ultimate luxury for every menopausal woman!

This is a fascinating conversation and could open the door to a whole new relaxed and confident you. I hope you enjoy it.

Show Notes

To find out more about Becks and the Clarity app, visit the Clarity website.

Follow Becks on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Useful Resources and Products

Here are some of the websites, services and research that we discussed or that are relevant to the theme of the podcast.

• This is some of the research Becks mentioned, relating to the impact of mindfulness on mental healthhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/226153529_Meditation_Mindfulness_Cognition_and_Emotion_Implications_for_Community-Based_Older_Adult_Programshttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01037/fullhttps://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1471-0528.15153https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123409/https://journals.lww.com/practicalpsychiatry/Abstract/2012/07000/Mindfulness_Based_Stress_Reduction,.2.aspx

• Read my blog on Brain Food – Boosting Memory, Mood and Motivation 
• Take a look at the Wellbeing Wheel in my book Va Va Voom: the 10-Day Energy Diet. It’s a handy tool to support mindfulness, relaxation and wellbeing.  
• Collect your free sample from our sponsors Sylk, and relieve vaginal dryness and irritation.