Aug 16, 2026 · 27 min · 16 segments
Why does everything suddenly feel so much harder in perimenopause? You might find yourself overwhelmed by things you once took in your stride, snapping at the people you love, feeling emotionally…
Narelle DickinsonGuest
Zoe MeunierHost
Now, for so many women, one of the hardest parts of perimenopause, it's not just the hot flushes.
I think it's a big shock for a lot of women that it isn't really about hot flushes.
It's sort of what we're all told, but it's not the least of our worries, but it's certainly not the only worry.
And I do think it's a big misconception that there tends to be such a big focus on physical symptoms, but really for a lot of women, it's the emotional and cognitive changes that cause the most distress.
And we know that the emotional symptoms can actually start years before we start to notice the first physical symptom like a hot flush.
For a lot of women, they just don't even really understand what's going on.
It's that all of a sudden the systems in the brain that help us to regulate our emotions and manage stress and think clearly just get a little bit less efficient during this period of time.
And at the same time, around this age, most women are carrying massive loads.
We might have partners that we're trying to be available to and try not to kill them on the bad days.
And so self-care tends to be the last thing on the list for a lot of women.
It's hormones interacting with this really full life that most of us are leading.
Now, for so many women, one of the hardest parts of perimenopause, it's not just the hot flushes.
I think it's a big shock for a lot of women that it isn't really about hot flushes.
It's sort of what we're all told, but it's not the least of our worries, but it's certainly not the only worry.
And I do think it's a big misconception that there tends to be such a big focus on physical symptoms, but really for a lot of women, it's the emotional and cognitive changes that cause the most distress.
And we know that the emotional symptoms can actually start years before we start to notice the first physical symptom like a hot flush.
For a lot of women, they just don't even really understand what's going on.
It's that all of a sudden the systems in the brain that help us to regulate our emotions and manage stress and think clearly just get a little bit less efficient during this period of time.
And at the same time, around this age, most women are carrying massive loads.
We might have partners that we're trying to be available to and try not to kill them on the bad days.
And so self-care tends to be the last thing on the list for a lot of women.
It's hormones interacting with this really full life that most of us are leading.
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