Have a Merry Peri-Christmas!

Sometimes there’s not much rest for the Merry Gentlewomen!

If we’re not careful we’re just swapping one lot of work and stress for another — especially as the run up to Christmas has been so intense we reach the school holidays without the time to do much in the way of Christmas preparations.

And in fact some of us might have ended up with work to take home, which we have to fit round all the other expectations of us.

And then there’s perimenopause! We know that stress is harder to handle during the menopausal transition and we know that stress makes menopausal symptoms worse.

So, all in all, comfort and joy can feel pretty thin on the ground.

Here are just a few tips.

1. Look at how much work you need to do, figure out how much time it will take and plan where you’re going to do it. You might prefer to squeeze it into several days — or you may prefer to do an hour each morning. But know when you’re going to do it. That way you avoid a situation where you work every single day and don’t get a break at all. And you avoid spending all the break with the stress of thinking of everything that needs doing and worrying about how you’ll fit it in.