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Pause & Effect: The Role of Stress Management in Lifestyle Medicine

8 dimensions of wellness lifestyle medicine menopause 101 menopause symptoms Oct 15, 2025

Welcome back to our World Menopause Month series! If you've been following along, you know we've covered nutrition and movement, and how both intersect with my Eight Dimensions of Wellness philosophy. This week, we're diving into something that affects literally every other aspect of your menopause experience: stress management.

And before you roll your eyes thinking this is another "just breathe deeply and everything will be fine" article, let me stop you right there. Because what's happening with stress during menopause isn't just in your head. There is absolutely a hormonal component to it, and you deserve to understand what's really going on.

Can Menopause Increase Cortisol Levels

Fun Fact: women are 49% more likely to have raised cortisol levels compared to men, and during the menopausal transition, your cortisol levels can increase significantly while estrogen plummets.

Before menopause, your body was pretty good at buffering stress because progesterone and estrogen worked together to keep cortisol in check. But as those hormone levels drop during perimenopause, your body's ability to manage cortisol weakens, resulting in increased stress responses. Studies have found that overnight cortisol levels increase as women transition from early to late-stage perimenopause, which helps explain why you might feel like you're running on stress-fueled fumes even when you're trying to rest.

As many as 85% of women experience physical and emotional changes during menopause, with stress playing a starring role in how intense those symptoms become. High cortisol can worsen hot flashes, disrupt sleep, tank your mood, mess with your metabolism, and turn brain fog into a full-blown mental haze.

Your body isn't broken. It's just operating under completely different rules now, and stress management isn't optional anymore, it's essential.

Stress & the Eight Dimensions of Wellness

This is where my coaching philosophy diverges from the traditional lifestyle medicine approach. Stress during menopause isn't just a physical problem requiring a physical solution. It ripples through every single dimension of your life.

Physically, elevated cortisol during menopause amplifies every symptom you're already dealing with. Hot flashes become more frequent and intense. Sleep becomes even more elusive. Weight redistributes to your midsection with alarming efficiency. Your immune system takes hits. But managing stress through movement, adequate sleep, and proper nutrition can counteract at least some of these effects.

Emotionally, the intersection of high cortisol and declining estrogen affects serotonin, the brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep, and even appetite. Research shows that rates of depression among women double during perimenopause and postmenopause. This isn't weakness. It's neurochemistry. And recognizing that stress is exacerbating your emotional responses is the first step toward managing it.

Socially, stress during menopause can make you want to isolate when you need connection most. Maybe you're canceling plans because you're too exhausted or avoiding social situations because you're worried about hot flashes or brain fog. Yet maintaining social connections is one of the most powerful stress reducers available. Even a simple coffee chat or phone call with a friend can significantly lower your stress levels.

Intellectually, chronic stress impairs cognitive function at exactly the moment when brain fog is already challenging your mental clarity. You might find yourself struggling with tasks that used to be automatic or feel like you can't process information as quickly. Learning stress management techniques and understanding the science behind what's happening can help you feel more in control.

Occupationally, workplace stress compounds menopause stress in ways that can feel unbearable. Performance anxiety increases when symptoms interfere with focus and productivity. Career concerns may intensify when you're struggling to show up as your "usual self." Setting boundaries at work and communicating with supervisors about necessary accommodation isn't weakness, it's strategic stress management.

Environmentally, your physical surroundings can either trigger or soothe stress responses. Is your workspace triggering hot flashes? Is your bedroom optimized for sleep? Are you surrounded by chaos or calm? Environmental modifications, from temperature control to decluttering to creating quiet spaces, can significantly impact your stress levels.

Financially, money worries are consistently ranked among the top stressors for adults, and menopause can add fuel to the fire as healthcare costs for managing symptoms add up. Career impacts from reduced productivity create concerns. The cost of hormone therapy, supplements, or wellness programs may strain budgets. Financial stress feeds the cortisol cycle, so addressing money concerns directly is part of comprehensive stress management.

Spiritually, stress intensifies when you feel disconnected from yourself. Menopause can shake your sense of identity, purpose, and meaning. Who are you becoming as your body changes? What does this life transition mean for your future? Practices that help you reconnect with meaning and purpose, whether through meditation, time in nature, creative pursuits, or spiritual community, reduce stress by reminding you that you're more than your symptoms.

Bottom line: You can't just "manage" stress in isolation. You have to address how it's showing up across all dimensions of your life.

What Actually Works

The research on stress management during menopause consistently points to several evidence-based interventions. I'm not going to tell you to just take deep breaths and call it a day (though breathing techniques do help). Here's what the science supports:

Start with the Basics

Regular physical activity, quality sleep, and a balanced diet form the foundation of stress management. Studies show these three factors work together to reduce cortisol levels and improve your body's stress response.

Practice Mind-Body Techniques

Meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness aren't just wellness trends, they're proven to reduce cortisol production and help regulate stress responses. The key is finding what resonates with you and practicing consistently, even if it's just five minutes a day.

Maintain Social Connections

Isolation increases stress, while connection reduces it. Whether it's coffee with friends, a walking group, online support communities, or regular family video calls, prioritize relationships even when you don't feel like it.

Set Boundaries and Simplify

Many women experience increased stress because they're trying to maintain their pre-menopause pace despite significant physical and emotional changes. Identifying priorities, letting go of unnecessary obligations, and learning to say "no" creates space for stress-reducing practices.

Seek Professional Support When Needed

If stress becomes overwhelming or you're experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression, working with a healthcare provider, therapist, or coach isn't admitting defeat, it's smart self-care.

Your Practical Stress Management Action Plan

This week, I want you to do three specific things:

Identify your top three stress triggers. Not generic "I'm stressed," but specific situations, times of day, or circumstances that reliably spike your stress response.
Choose ONE stress management technique from this article that you don't currently use and commit to trying it for just five minutes a day this week. Just one. Don't overwhelm yourself with a complete overhaul.
Assess how stress shows up across different dimensions of your wellness. Is it primarily physical? Emotional? Social? Financial? Understanding where stress hits hardest helps you target interventions more effectively.

Next week, we're diving into sleep but until then, approach stress management with curiosity rather than judgment.

Give yourself grace, implement one small change, and remember: just as with diet and exercise, managing stress during menopause isn't about perfection. It's about progress.