Top Tips to Keep Your Career Going Throughout Menopause

Menopause can be a difficult time for women, no matter what age you start showing menopause symptoms, and the symptoms and side effects of the menopause can be extremely debilitating and can prevent you from being successful at work or enjoying many of the elements of your life that you used to be passionate about. As such, if you are worried about the effect that the menopause may have on your life and work, read on for some top tips on how you can keep your career going throughout the course of the menopause regardless of the changes that are occurring in your body.

Take an Online Degree

When you are experiencing menopause symptoms, you may often want to hide away at home and may be reluctant to go out to work or dedicate yourself to a course or qualification that may require a lot of time, energy and health to complete. However, just because you are mid-way through the menopause, this does not mean that you have to put your career on hold for ten years or more.

Instead, you should simply look at advancing your career in a different way. For instance, instead of taking a traditional qualification, you should consider opting for an online degree that can ensure that you are incredibly successful after graduation and can get the job or the promotion that you desperately want before you retire. This will then allow you to study while managing your symptoms and is a great option for older women who might already have other commitments.

Once you have graduated, you might even consider looking at Spring Arbor University graduation gifts for nurses, if you have taken a healthcare degree, that can inspire those around you when it comes to their celebration of your success.

Speak to Other Over 40s

Sometimes, it can be incredibly lonely to try and advance your career when you are going through the menopause, especially since you may think that career advancement is associated with younger women and that it is too late for you to progress. As such, instead of feeling as if you are the only woman over 40 who wants to keep their career going rather than put it on the back burner, you should make an effort to connect with other people over the age of 40 who are going through the menopause and who are also passionate about continuing their careers.

You might be able to meet these people at menopause support groups and networks for career women over 40, as well as through general professional networking events. By making these connections, you will then be able to give and receive mutual support and will feel encouraged to keep moving toward your career goals.

· Look After Your Health

However, the top step that you can take to keep your career going throughout your menopause is to look after your health. Without your health in tow, you may find that you have to take long periods off work and that you are unable to produce work of a high standard.

As such, you should make sure that your health is always at the forefront of your priority list and that you are always in touch with your body. Throughout the menopause, you should make sure that you are eating healthily and exercising regularly, that you are taking the right vitamin supplements, and that you are sleeping well.

You should also ensure that you are drinking enough water, especially if you often suffer from menopause symptoms such as hot flushes, which can make you lose water. This will then ensure that you always feel ready to go when it comes to your career and that your health does not get in the way of your career success.

Speak to Your Manager

It is also important that you speak to your manager as soon as possible if you are struggling with your menopause symptoms, even if you do not give them the details of the symptoms that you are experiencing. By talking to your manager, you will be able to ensure that you are on the same page as them and that they are understanding if you suddenly need to take a day off or if you need to take a break to control your menopause symptoms.

By speaking to your manager, you may not feel as embarrassed or as if you need to hide your symptoms and act as if you are in perfect health. This will then ensure that you can continue to work well at work with any accommodations that need to be made for you.

What you need to remember is that the menopause is a chronic health condition like any other, and its symptoms should be taken seriously by both you and your manager. Many workplaces now even have menopause policies that can help to keep you in good health within and outside of your workplace.

Visit the Doctor

If you are struggling with the menopause and this is affecting your career and your ability to progress in this, you should consider visiting a doctor. A doctor may be able to look at new treatment options for you that can allow you to better manage and control your symptoms.

For instance, many women decide that they want to go on HRT, which replaces the estrogen that is lost throughout the menopause. This can then reduce your symptoms for a time and stop them from affecting your life so much. You might also decide to try natural remedies to see whether they work for you.

If the menopause is affecting your mental health and wellbeing, you may also speak to your doctor about the possibility of counselling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and anti-depressants to help you to live a healthier and happier life even throughout the course of your menopause and if you are perimenopausal. As such, you should not think that your symptoms are normal and must be experienced, and you should never be shy to book an appointment with your doctor if your symptoms are impacting your life and career.