MENOPAUSE IS A DRAG, BUT THEN SO IS CANCER!

I think that I've been in menopause for 10 years now.  No kidding!  My grown son even asked me not long ago, "How long does this thing last?  You've been in it a long time!"  Yeah, and it's really getting old (or is that me getting old??)  I will admit that I've been very fortunate in that the main things I've had to contend with have been the night sweats, hot flashes and changing mid-section.  However, for one who has always been in control of how her body looked, by watching my diet and exercising all of my adult life, this last point has been the most difficult to contend with.  Menopause is controlling my body now, not me, and that's not cool.
   Interestingly, I've been reading this wonderful book, called BEAUTY PEARLS FOR CHEMO GIRLS, by Marybeth Maida and Debbie Kiederer (to check out their website, www.beautypearlsforchemogirls.com, click here) and they write about the exact same thing happening when women have to undergo chemotherapy.  They write, "  Through our style in hair and clothing and makeup, we project an essential element of our personal power- the way we want to be seen.  Imagine how hard it is when the cancer strikes, the treatment begins and the carefully cultivated look we've spent our lives developing, suddenly disintegrates."
   Obviously, undergoing chemo is so much worse than enduring menopause, but both entail loss, because both entail change.  Major changes.  I was thrilled when I saw put into words, what I had just been talking about to friends at the gym the other day!  What we project to the world is not vanity, but PERSONAL POWER, and when we lose some of that, it's unsettling.  But as women, we love to share, laugh and cry together and together, we will get through whatever life sends our way.
 

PEARLS OF WISDOM

"Remember the past, cherish the present, imagine the future."
Paul Tacori

CHANGING THE LANGUAGE OF GRIEF

I attended a local grief seminar a couple of months ago and Darcie Sims, a well known presenter in our field, offered us different ways of looking and speaking about grief, that I thought were quite interesting. It might take some effort to change how we normally talk about grief, but it will definitely be more effective and worth the effort.
1.  Instead of using the word, "denial," why not use the word, "postponement?"  Denial imposes judgment, whereas postponement means you're just not ready to deal with it yet.
2. "Acceptance" is a difficult term for any griever.  "Acknowledge" might be easier and more honest.
3. Instead of saying, "We lost him/her," just come right out and say, "He/she died."  It's more to the point and has less a feeling of hopelessness about it.
4. A griever doesn't really "recover."  He/she "heals."
5. Have you ever heard people ask grievers, "When do you think you'll be over it?"  We NEVER get over it!  We "get through" it and move on.
6. As I stated in an earlier column, you close on a house, not on a death.  Instead of the word, "closure," try thinking "reconnection."  Reconnect with life.

NEVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU "THERE'S NO HOPE!"

You or a loved one might get a horrible diagnosis or be told, after months of treatment, "There's no hope."  If this is the case, change doctors!  Some docs might be skilled with their hands, or be highly intelligent, but if they lack compassion and sensitivity, especially at such a difficult time in your life, then it's important, both physically and psychologically, that you find one that knows how to offer you hope in some small way.
   Deirdre Felton wrote an excellent article in one of my professional magazines on this very topic:  "The most important element [in talking to people at a difficult time in their lives] is to give someone the gift of hope.  There are all kinds: hope for a cure, hope for remission and if that's not in the cards, there is hope that we can take care of your pain. There is hope that relationships can be healed.  There is hope that when the time comes, you will have people around you who will care for you with dignity and compassion."  Surround yourself with people who believe in the power of hope.  Don't let anyone take that power away from you!