Style and Confidence in Menopause

Taking That Step

Life can be likened to a game of musical chairs; lots of running around in your youth, but by midlife, the place you find yourself is often the place you’ll stay.

I’m one of the exceptions. I’ve never been someone to get too comfortable; in my twenties I left my job and went backpacking around the world. In my thirties, I took voluntary redundancy and moved to Barcelona to teach English. Not content with that, in my early forties, my husband and I decided to move to Ireland.

Moving house is known to be one of the most stressful things you can do. Moving countries is a whole new ballgame! Not only do you need to think about the logistics of an international move, but you also have a whole new set of bureaucratic red tape to navigate, as well as a new tax and healthcare system. Still, I’d done it twice before and wasn’t unduly daunted.

Building Connections

One thing I hadn’t considered for this move was the lack of support network. By midlife, most of us have established our friend groups. Making new friends can be difficult and the loneliness was intense at times. I went from being a woman whose diary was booked up six weeks in advance, to someone with nothing but a stark blank page to remind me of the crazy risk I’d taken.

I had the added challenge that I wasn’t a mum (so no fledgling friendships at the school gates) or a member of a church (so no community to lean on). I had to do it the old-fashioned way. I joined lots of groups, accepted every invitation, and slowly but surely, I built my tribe.

The Rewards of Change

Relocating in midlife was initially scary but ultimately incredibly rewarding and empowering. I’ve experienced so many things I could never have imagined when I booked my one-way flight to Dublin. I became an Irish citizen. I started a writing career. I’ve now made lots of fabulous new friends; in fact, when I celebrated my 50^th birthday, I had a Scottish and an Irish celebration!

According to Jane Galloway, an award-winning coach, keynote speaker and podcast host, “Midlife can be an incredibly powerful time to make positive changes. You are more likely to have a better understanding of who you are, what matters to you, and care less about what others think about your choices. Making positive changes and brave choices becomes easier when we can cut through the trivialities and bring a strong sense of self-awareness to choosing our priorities.”

It can initially feel overwhelming to make big moves in midlife, especially when you’re dealing with the physical and mental changes that menopause often brings. However, it can be the perfect time to take charge and grab the life you’ve always dreamed of. If you don’t like where you’re sitting, it’s never too late to find another chair…