Managing Midlife Anxiety

Notes on midlife anxiety from Sally Duffin, author of Natural Nutrition for Perimenopause: What to eat to feel good and stay sane.

By Sally Duffin

Managing Midlife Anxiety

Most women are familiar with feelings of anxiety. Whether it’s a few pre-menstrual jitters, anxiety about work, or worrying about your child on their first day at school or college, we know what it’s like to experience that sense of panicky dread and uncertainty. But during midlife, a new kind of anxiety emerges. One with no particular rhyme or reason but enough power to make you think you’re losing your mind.

Katherine Tyack-Grant, from Yorkshire, UK, was in her early forties when she began to experience overwhelming anxiety.

“We had recently moved house and the cat went missing for a few days, which made me feel a little anxious,” she explained. “But then it began to increase. I was incredibly anxious about everything and felt like I couldn't breathe properly, and my heart was racing." 

Her doctor dismissed the idea of this anxiety being linked to hormone changes, saying she was “probably too young for that.” It wasn’t until more physical signs of menopause began to appear, like night sweats and brain fog, that Katherine got the help she needed to manage her anxiety.

Katherine is not alone in her experience. When I recently asked about anxiety in a chat group for menopausal women, the response was huge. It seems like anxiety is one of the biggest midlife challenges women are dealing with, and often in silence. So, what is happening when we reach midlife that makes us feel so anxious?