Here's how to chill the f#ck out this summer
Hot-flash help, cool book recos, and sinfully easy beauty products
BeWell | The Midst beauty, style & wellness newsletter
Exclusive for subscribers to The Midst Substack
July = Holy hot-flash hell
Hot flashes are most common in July, according to a study of 955 menopausal women who tracked their symptoms for a good 10 years. (Night sweats peaked in June, FYI.) While researchers aren’t clear why this happens, the rise in mercury is all the explanation we GALS need.
When the sweat from under your boobs rolls onto your tummy, have hope knowing that hot flashes typically last between 30 seconds to 10 minutes. You can also take note of these tried-and-true tips, which are easier to plan for than remember in the moment of holy hell.
7 ways to keep your cool
1. Light, natural layers, and zero underwire
Dress in layers, wear natural fabrics, and consider bralettes for capturing boob sweats.
2. Stay dry down under
Wear nearly-there pantiliners to refresh throughout the day and keep your crotch and undies dry.
3. Water, more water, and cold foods
Carry ice water everywhere and opt for cooling foods like melons, salads, and smoothies to take things down a notch.
4. Skip the spice, booze, and brews
Avoid spicy foods, alcohol, and caffeine (terrible, I know) — all said to worsen hot-flash symptoms.
5. Work it out on your terms
Exercise in early morning or night when temps are down, and take breaks in your workout classes for water, towel wipes, and moments to whisper “Ugh, another hot flash!” (who else does this?) to the GAL next to you.
6. Mist, wipe, refresh!
Cool your skin with facial mists (my all-time fave here!) and use baby wipes to touch up icky body sweats.
7. Pop a pill and more
Consider talking to your healthcare provider about meds like hormone replacement therapy (HRT), antidepressants, and Gabapentin (an anticonvulsant), all of which can help to relieve symptoms.
A summer Midst reading list for Gen X babes
By Anne Holub
Sometimes you just want a few hours alone with a book, you know? And when it’s summertime, all those dusty to-be-read piles on your nightstand can look pretty tall and intimidating. To help you cut through the clutter, here are some absolutely perfect options for Gen X MidstHers looking for a great summer read.
Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho
Do you have a best friend from childhood? Are you still just as close in your 40s as you were in elementary school? Or not? Either way, this might be the book for you. It’s a tale of female friendship that stands the test of age — or does it? Set as alternating stories from the viewpoints of the two title characters, these Taiwanese-American women navigate the complexities of life over two decades, including work, family, and LGBTQ themes.
All of You by Elisa Lorello
Elisa’s books frequently, if not always, include a Gen X woman as the main protagonist, making all her books a great pick for MidstHers who like seeing themselves in the storyline. This one has humor and some heartfelt plots around bandmates and finding your way back from what you were in your 20s into what you want to be beyond 40.
The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde
Following the main character (named Thursday) from her 30s into her 50s, this series of eight books so far has all the right touchstones for Gen Xers who love a little fantasy in their fiction. It’s a little bit Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a little bit Harry Potter — yum, right? Great for when you want to really see a main character grow — and not just go through puberty — which is hard to find in fantasy books sometimes.
Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths
A mystery series with a Gen X female main character? Sign me up and leave me alone on the beach while I read all of them! Great for GALs who want to jump into a long reading obsession all at once, there are 15 books to dive into. Bonus: Ruth is a career GAL like so many MidstHers. She’s a forensic archaeologist (dare we say, the real-brains antidote to Indiana Jones?). All the mysteries she gets into are either homegrown in Britain (like in the first book) or involve exotic locales she visits for work. Oh, and she’s unmarried and has two cats — icon!
All Fours by Miranda July
Brand-new from author-filmmaker Miranda July is a book about turning your life upside down in midlife. FEELS TEMPTING! Irreverent and all about that awakening, it’s a joy to read and imagine how your life could change — for the better. It starts with a curious note from a well-intentioned neighbor about a potential peeping Tom with a telephoto lens, and really doesn’t ever let up the pace till the end. Let me know when you finish it and we can gab.
Sandwich: A Novel by Catherine Newman
Sandwich is not about the thing with bread. It’s about being on vacation with family when you’re a member of Gen X’s “sandwich generation.” Taking care of kids and aging parents can be a real chore — and also hilarious. If you’re up for a moving but funny story of summer plans gone awry, then this is the one for you.
Did you read any of these books this summer? Or have others to recommend for a MidstHer? Let us know in the comments!
5 lazy GAL glow-up essentials you need now
I’ll admit, I am a hit-snooze-every-morning kind of GAL. But I certainly don’t want to look like one! Thanks to TikTok, Amazon Prime, and some beauty queen friends of mine, here are my favorite tips and tricks to maintain a put-together look without much time or effort.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Midst to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.