About
This episode features Clarissa Kristjansson who is a mindfulness and menopause expert, author of the ‘Mindful Menopause’, host of ‘Thriving through Menopause’ Podcast and international speaker on menopause.
As a self-professed ‘anxiety sister’ Clarissa shares her insights into how the function of our brains change during perimenopause with the fluctuation of estrogen and progesterone which alters our stress response and how hormones alter parts of the brain that regulate emotion such as the hippocampus and amygdala.
Anxiety manifests as a physical experience of hormone changes and Clarissa’s personal story relating to her own experience of anxiety and panic attacks was the catalyst for an interest, and later career, in mindfulness practice.
We talk about cognitive load on women in midlife and how this contributes towards the experience of menopause.
Clarissa shares with us her perspective on what mindful living is - about live in flow: cultivating awareness and attention, being fully present and knowing that ‘presence’ is ever changing and being accepting that it is what it is and who you are, can help shift perspective of your menopause experience.
Finally, we take a look at what the science is saying about our brains post menopause and the recovery, creativity and focus that is unleashed and how we need to address the current narrative and language around menopause.
