Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Menopause During A Pandemic: Guest Post By Angela Verges

Today on the blog, I'm welcoming back Angela Verges,(you can read her first guest post HERE) author of Menopause Ain't No Joke. She is sharing her experiences with menopause (along with some tips on handling it) and a funny story about a little incident that occurred during a recent road trip. I love reading Angela's stories because being a menopausal mama myself, I can relate to many of her experiences, and I'm sure you will, too. Enjoy!


Menopause during a pandemic

Once upon a time, a woman turned 51 years old. Then along came menopause and she lived happily ever after…not exactly. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy chanted about lions, tigers, and bears along the yellow brick road. In the midst of our current pandemic and menopause, there are hot flashes, weight gain, and emotions, oh my.
Menopause during a pandemic can have you feeling like the Wizard of Oz Scarecrow (no brain). I’ve been in a gazillion virtual meetings. I’m that person who waves to someone’s kids in the background, watch the antics of their pets, or wonder about the content of the books on their bookshelves. Once, or twice I have fallen asleep during a Zoom meeting.
I blame menopause for all my virtual mishaps. It’s the brain fog that clouds my path to staying focused. One thing that helps me through this mixture of menopause and a pandemic is exercise. I read somewhere that exercise can sharpen your thinking. So, there you go, exercise may be a benefit if you’re experiencing brain fog. Don’t be surprised if your body doesn’t go along with your plan; Sometimes the best-laid plans go awry.
Leave it to my menopausal body to turn against me and do its’ own thing. Determined to stick to a fitness regimen during a quarantine, I worked out five times a week at home. I didn’t lose any weight, but I maintained it. Once the quarantine ended and I returned to work…I gained four pounds. I stepped on and off the scale three times, thinking that maybe I needed to take the average of the three weights. I was confused. My body was confused.
As though brain fog wasn’t enough, a road trip to take my son back to college had me perplexed along the way. We took so many bathroom breaks, you would have thought I had the bladder of a hamster. One place we stopped to use the restroom had a sign on the locked door that yelled at me.
PLEASE SEE CASHIER FOR KEYS TO RESTROOM!!!


I walked back to the counter to ask for a key, The cashier handed me the key, zip-tied to an 18-inch nightstick, or maybe it was a plunger handle. All I could think was, did she give me this for protection? Should I anticipate an altercation on my short walk from the counter to the bathroom?
At that moment I would rather have been on the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her friends chanting – lions and tigers and bears, oh my.
If I had to identify three ways to cope with menopause during a pandemic, this is what I would say:
  1. Laugh at yourself
  2. Shave every few days (your mustache, sideburns, and chin hairs)
  3. Don’t sweat the small stuff (well, you may sweat, but it will pass)

You can have a happily ever after…menopause. You just must roll with the punches.


Bio
Angela is an award-winning humorist (in training, waiting to be discovered). She has shared humor through blogging and stand up comedy at women’s retreats, luncheons, and her book, Menopause Ain’t No Joke. Her adult sons believe they should be paid because they are the foundation of her humor. Angela encourages the use of humor to relieve stress, one laugh at a time. You can buy her book HERE.
You can follow Angela on social media
Website www.angelaverges.com
Twitter @angelaverges
Facebook angela.verges
YouTube Angela Verges




10 comments:

  1. I always thought that long piece of wood was to force me to hold the key while using the bathroom- since putting it down on the sink would force it to roll onto the floor- which I had no intention of touching.

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  2. Very funny, and I can relate. Definitely doing a bit of sweating over here. Two nights ago I thought it was "cool enough" outside to avoid running the AC. Nope. I was wrong about that. I finally turned it on at 3am, but too late at that point. I agree with laughing. It always helps, which is why I love this blog:)

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    Replies
    1. I need it to be cool in the house in order to sleep well. Like 74 degrees.

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  3. I can sooooo relate to this. Plus, add the night sweats. The bathroom breaks on a road trip are all too familiar LOL. Great post, Angela! Thanks for sharing her, Marcia.

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  4. I am someone who needs a cool room to sleep at night just a fan except in summer when I need the air con

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    Replies
    1. I need the A/C on to sleep 9 months out of the year.

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  5. This is a nice story about the drama in the life of a meno mom. Sometimes all we can do is to laugh because everyday is full of surprises!

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  6. Your candid account of menopause is both enlightening and inspiring. It’s discussions like these that can help others feel less alone. Thank you for sharing your journey.

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