If you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, you’ve probably noticed some changes—both physically and mentally—due to the onset of menopause. Understanding how to optimise mental health in menopause through natural means is key to managing these changes and feeling like yourself again.
For many women, menopause is a time of significant change—physically, emotionally, and mentally. These changes can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to mental health.
But here’s the good news: you don’t have to let these changes take control of your life. There are ways to support your mental health in menopause and regain your balance naturally, even if you can’t or don’t want to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy).
In this blog post, we’ll explore the relationship between hormones and mental health, how the hormonal shifts of menopause can impact your mood, and some effective strategies to improve your mental well-being during this transition.
Can Menopause Affect Your Mental Health?
Absolutely. One of the most common and challenging aspects of menopause is its impact on mental health. Hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause—particularly the decline in oestrogen and progesterone—can cause a cascade of symptoms like depression, anxiety, irritability, and mood swings.
These hormones play a crucial role in mental health during menopause, so as they fluctuate, your mental well-being may be affected.
Oestrogen, in particular, helps with the production and sensitivity of serotonin—often referred to as the “happy hormone.” When oestrogen declines, serotonin production slows, and its receptor sensitivity decreases. This can result in mood disturbances, increased irritability, and even depression.
Progesterone, on the other hand, has calming effects on the brain, working with GABA receptors to promote relaxation. As progesterone levels drop during menopause, you might experience feelings of restlessness, anxiety, and difficulty unwinding, which can contribute to menopause anxiety disorder.
10 Ways To Improve Your Mental Health In Menopause
1. Balance Your Hormones
Balancing your hormones naturally is one of the most effective ways to improve both your mental and physical well-being during menopause. As oestrogen and progesterone levels decline, you may experience mood swings, anxiety, weight gain, and low energy.
If you’re not taking HRT—or even if you are—here are some natural ways to support hormone balance.
Eat More Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are plant-based compounds that mimic oestrogen in the body. While not as strong as HRT, they can still help naturally support hormone balance.
Foods rich in phytoestrogens include:
- Flaxseeds
- Chia seeds
- Soy products (tofu, tempeh)
- Garlic
Increase Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are crucial for hormone production, especially during menopause. Focus on incorporating the following into your diet:
- Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel)
- Avocados
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Nuts and seeds (walnuts, macadamia nuts)
Tip: Add flaxseeds to porridge, use olive oil for cooking, or snack on unsalted nuts.
Make Lifestyle Changes
- Low-impact strength training (LIST): Helps build muscle, boost metabolism, and support hormone balance without overstressing your body.
- Gentle movement: Yoga, Pilates, and walking can help regulate cortisol and promote relaxation, supporting progesterone levels.
- Limit caffeine and alcohol: Both overstimulate your adrenal glands, increasing cortisol and disrupting hormone balance. Reduce caffeine (especially in the afternoons) and limit alcohol to special occasions.
- Get more sunlight: Sunlight boosts vitamin D, essential for hormone production. Aim for daily exposure to natural light.
- Avoid working late: Working beyond 6 p.m. can overstress your adrenals, leading to sleep disruptions, weight gain, and worsened hormone imbalances.
Listen to Your Body
If you’re feeling tired, gaining weight, or experiencing aches and pains, it’s a sign your lifestyle needs adjustment. Focus on rest, relaxation, and reducing stress to support hormone balance.
2. Exercise to Improve Mental Health in Menopause
Exercise isn’t just important for your physical health—it’s essential for your mental health too. Regular physical activity, particularly strength training and low-impact exercises, has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, improve mood, and even combat brain fog.
A 2023 study found that physical activity was 1.5 times more effective than medication for treating mild to moderate depression and stress.
Key points to remember:
Consistency Is Key
Exercising regularly, not just sporadically, is essential for seeing lasting improvements in mood and energy.
Focus On Strength Training
Strength training has been shown to boost cognitive function and reduce brain fog, which many women experience during menopause.
At Trinity, our programme primarily focuses on kettlebell workouts, to target the entire body, burn more calories, and help you build lean muscle, which is essential for fat loss.
Aim For 150 Minutes of Exercise Per Week
The government recommendation is 150 minutes of exercise per week.
This could look like:
- 2 to 3 strength training sessions (30-45 minutes each)
- The rest can be gentle movement like walking or yoga, to avoid overstressing the body.
Avoid High Intensity Activities
These can spike cortisol levels and add unnecessary stress to the body during menopause.
Here’s an example (Low Impact Strength Training) workout you can try:
- Squats – 3 sets of 12
- Push-ups (modified or full) – 3 sets of 10
- Dumbbell Rows – 3 sets of 12 (each arm)
- Glute Bridges – 3 sets of 15
- Plank Hold – 3 sets, 30 seconds each
3. Balance Your Blood Sugar Levels
Balancing your blood sugar is crucial for improving mental health during menopause. Fluctuating blood sugar levels can lead to mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and fatigue. The brain relies on steady glucose for optimal function, and keeping these levels stable is key to feeling your best.
During menopause, as oestrogen levels drop, it becomes harder for your body to regulate blood sugar. Oestrogen helps improve insulin sensitivity, so when it declines, you’re more prone to spikes and crashes.
How Menopause Affects Blood Sugar
Before menopause, your body managed blood sugar more effectively. But with declining oestrogen, those fluctuations become more extreme, leading to:
- Anxiety
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Fatigue
The good news? You can stabilise blood sugar by making simple dietary changes.
How to Balance Blood Sugar
Processed foods and refined sugars cause spikes in blood sugar. Keep these as occasional treats and opt for smarter carb choices, such as:
- Sweet potatoes with the skin (slow energy release)
- Whole grains (e.g., brown rice, quinoa)
Prioritise Protein and Fibre at Every Meal
Protein is essential for stabilising mood and reducing anxiety, especially during menopause. It helps keep you balanced throughout the day and is more important than ever during this phase. Protein and fibre also help slow digestion, preventing spikes and crashes.
At each meal, aim for:
- A fist-sized portion of vegetables or fibre-rich foods
- A palm-sized portion of protein
Example: Bulk up a stir-fry with extra vegetables and lean protein, reducing the amount of rice.
Magnesium for Relaxation and Sleep
Magnesium supports relaxation and reduces anxiety. It can also improve sleep, which enhances mental well-being. Sources of magnesium include:
- Dark leafy greens
- Nuts and seeds
- Dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa)
Or consider a magnesium supplement such as magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate for better absorption.
3. Improve Your Sleep Quality
Many people overlook the importance of sleep when it comes to mental health, but it’s absolutely critical—especially during menopause. Although getting quality sleep can be challenging during this phase, it’s not impossible.
- Sleep is an active process where your brain repairs and recovers, crucial for emotional regulation and cognitive function. If you’re not getting enough sleep, it becomes harder for your brain to function properly.
- One of the most significant effects of sleep is its impact on emotional stability. REM sleep (the final phase of sleep) helps the brain process emotions, filing away stressful events from the day. Without enough REM sleep, you’re more prone to anxiety, depression, and emotional reactivity.
Example: We’ve had clients who wake up 7 times an hour, and after improving their sleep habits, they’re only waking up once per night. Even that level of improvement can massively enhance mental health.
How to Improve Sleep
- Exercise regularly: Physical activity helps tire out the body, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
- Create a bedtime routine: Wind down before bed, avoiding caffeine, alcohol, and screens. A consistent routine can signal to your body that it’s time to sleep.
- Set your circadian rhythm: Your sleep quality is largely determined by what you do in the morning. Get outside and expose yourself to natural light early in the day. This helps regulate your body’s melatonin production, making it easier to fall asleep at night.
Tip: Herbal teas like chamomile can also help improve sleep, but be mindful of how much you drink, as it may cause you to wake up needing the toilet. Meditation and breathing exercises are also excellent tools for relaxation before bed.
4. Gut Health and Mental Health in Menopause
Gut health is often referred to as the key to mental well-being, and this is especially true during menopause. Your gut and brain are connected through the gut-brain axis, a communication system between the two that’s directly linked by the vagus nerve.
This connection means that what happens in your gut affects your mental health.
Why Your Gut Health Matters
- Your gut is home to billions of bacteria that produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. If your gut isn’t healthy, it won’t produce the right balance of these neurotransmitters, leading to issues like depression and anxiety.
- A diet high in processed foods and low in fibre can negatively affect gut health, which in turn, affects your mental well-being.
How to Improve Gut Health
- Eat a variety of probiotic and prebiotic foods: Probiotics (like yogurt, kefir) and prebiotics (like garlic, onions, and leafy greens) fuel healthy gut bacteria. These foods support a healthy gut microbiome, which positively impacts your mood and overall mental health.
- Limit processed foods and sugar: These feed the unhealthy bacteria in your gut, causing imbalances that can worsen mental health.
Tip: Think of your gut like the London Underground system—if it gets clogged or disrupted, the entire city (your body and mind) grinds to a halt. Keep things running smoothly by avoiding too much sugar and staying hydrated.
5. Reduce Your Stress Levels
One of the most effective ways to improve mental health during menopause is through stress reduction. We’ve seen significant improvements in clients who incorporate these practices into their routines.
Effective stress reduction techniques help lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which can lead to more balanced emotions, better sleep, and even weight loss. When stress is managed properly, everything from your mood to your energy levels can improve.
Here are some stress-reducing practices our clients have found helpful:
- Exercise: Low-impact strength training (like what we do in the Fit Over 40 programme) helps release endorphins, the “feel-good” hormones that naturally combat stress. Plus, building muscle boosts metabolism and helps with weight management, something many women struggle with during menopause.
- Time Outdoors: Even a short walk in the fresh air can do wonders for reducing stress. The combination of physical movement and being in nature helps clear your mind and shift your focus away from worries.
- Hobbies: Carving out time each week to do something you love, like painting, gardening, or even cooking, is a great way to unwind. Having a hobby gives you an outlet for stress and allows you to focus on something enjoyable.
6. Practicing Mindfulness
Benefits of Mindfulness
Mindfulness can help reduce anxiety, improve emotional stability, and promote a sense of calm. There are many ways to practice mindfulness, such as:
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Gratitude practices
These may seem trendy, but they work. We’ve had clients like Rachel, a busy lawyer and mother, who not only lost four stone (56 pounds) but also improved her mental clarity and emotional well-being through regular meditation and journaling.
She made time for mindfulness despite her demanding schedule, and it’s transformed her life.
How to Get Started with Mindfulness
If you’re unsure where to start, there are plenty of apps to help guide you:
- Meditation apps: These make it easy to get started with mindfulness. Simply hit play and follow along. One app our coaches have found helpful is, The Way by Henry Shukman—it’s a straightforward, effective way to begin meditating.
- Virtual workouts: Like our Fit Over 40 program, where you simply press play and follow along, meditation apps work the same way. You just follow the guided meditation, and by the end, you’ll feel calmer and more centred.
Why It’s Important To Have An Outlet
Beyond mindfulness, it’s crucial to have outlets for stress. Many people only have stress inlets—work, family, and daily responsibilities—but no way to release that tension.
Ask yourself: Where in your week do you have something just for you?
Hobbies: Whether it’s reading, painting, or gardening, hobbies are an excellent way to relax and release stress. Without these outlets, stress will build up, like water in a bathtub with the plug in, and eventually overflow, causing both mental and physical damage.
7. Increase Your Social Connections
It might seem obvious, but boosting social connections is one of the most powerful ways to improve mental health—and it’s something many of us struggle with, especially as we get older.
Why Social Connections Matter
As we age, our social circles often shrink. We spend more time with work colleagues and family, and less with friends compared to our younger years. But strong social connections are crucial for mental health, offering:
- Reduced stress
- A sense of belonging
- Emotional support
Whereas, social isolation has been shown to increase the risk of depression, anxiety, and cognitive decline.
How to Strengthen Social Connections
While spending more time with friends and family is the obvious solution, many women going through menopause feel isolated with their problems. Family members may not fully understand what they’re experiencing, and they may not feel comfortable sharing everything with their usual social circles.
This is where supportive groups come in.
At our recent Kickstarter event, 30 women came together and found they were able to open up about their struggles more freely than they could with friends or family. They felt more comfortable sharing deeply because they were among other women in the same situation, and there was no fear of gossip or judgment.
These deeper connections often lead to friendships for life, and many of our clients return to these events or connect through our online community to continue sharing and supporting each other.
Why Finding the Right Group is Key
Sharing personal struggles in the right environment can offer massive mental relief. Clients have shared everything from difficulties with their children growing up, to feeling disconnected from their romantic partners, to more serious issues like coping with an alcoholic spouse.
Take Rachel, for example. At one of our events a few years ago, she opened up for the first time about her struggles with her husband’s alcoholism. After finding the support she needed, she has since made life-changing decisions, including separating from her husband, losing weight, and feeling better than she has in years.
Being part of a group that understands your challenges can be incredibly empowering. It provides a safe space to share feelings you might not be comfortable discussing with close friends or family, and it fosters a sense of connection that can significantly improve your mental health.
8. Supplements Can Help
Once you’ve established healthy habits, supplements can offer additional support in managing mood swings, anxiety, and poor sleep.
Magnesium for Relaxation and Sleep
Magnesium supports relaxation, reduces anxiety, and improves sleep quality by calming the nervous system and reducing cortisol.
- What to look for: Magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate for better absorption.
- Client success: Many women report improved sleep and reduced anxiety after adding magnesium to their routine.
Omega-3 for Brain Health
Omega-3s are essential for brain health, helping to balance mood and reduce anxiety.
- Sources: Salmon, mackerel, sardines, free-range eggs.
- Why it matters: An imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 can negatively affect brain health, contributing to anxiety and depression.
Adaptogens for Stress Resilience
Adaptogens like ashwagandha and rhodiola help your body adapt to stress, regulate cortisol, and support hormone balance.
Client feedback: Many women report feeling more balanced and better able to manage stress after adding adaptogens to their routine.
Benefits: Reduce anxiety, improve mood, and promote stress resilience.
9. Minimize Inflammation
Menopause can increase inflammation due to the drop in oestrogen, a natural anti-inflammatory hormone. Inflammation affects not only your physical health but also your mental health, contributing to conditions like depression, anxiety, and brain fog.
Here are natural ways to reduce inflammation and improve your overall well-being.
The Best Foods for Reducing Inflammation
Eating a wide variety of colourful fruits and vegetables is the easiest way to minimise inflammation. These foods are rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that help your body fight inflammation.
- Fruits: Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, pears, and apples. The brighter the fruit, the more nutrients it contains. Add something new to your shopping list each week to keep your diet diverse.
- Vegetables: Red cabbage, carrots, broccoli, peppers, and squash. These vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals that reduce inflammation. If you’re short on time, use pre-chopped stir-fry mixes to quickly add variety to your meals.
Pro tip: Eating a wide range of fruits and vegetables not only reduces inflammation but also improves gut health, which is directly linked to mental health.
The Best Herbs and Spices for Inflammation
Incorporating anti-inflammatory herbs and spices into your meals is a simple way to reduce inflammation.
- Turmeric: Contains curcumin, which has been shown to reduce inflammation and support brain health. Add it to curries, soups, or sprinkle it on roasted vegetables.
- Ginger: A powerful anti-inflammatory spice, perfect for teas, smoothies, or stir-fries. It helps reduce inflammation and improve mental health.
The Best Teas for Inflammation
Certain teas are packed with anti-inflammatory properties and are a great addition to your routine during menopause.
- Green Tea: Rich in antioxidants, it helps fight inflammation. Since it contains caffeine, drink it in the morning to avoid disrupting your sleep.
- Ginger Tea: Known for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits, this tea is a soothing option to reduce inflammation.
- Turmeric Tea: Contains curcumin, which helps reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain. A great option for managing menopause symptoms naturally.
10. Work On Your Mindset
One of the most important, yet often overlooked, factors in improving mental health during menopause is developing a growth mindset. While this concept might feel a bit niche, it’s absolutely key to thriving during this challenging phase of life.
A growth mindset is the belief that, even though menopause is tough and life can throw unexpected obstacles your way, there are always actions you can take to influence how you feel and improve your situation.
In contrast, a fixed mindset sees things as static and unchangeable—accepting that life is hard, menopause is unbearable, and nothing can be done to change that.
Why is a growth mindset important?
It’s easy to feel stuck during menopause, especially if you’re struggling with symptoms like anxiety, mood swings, or depression. A fixed mindset might say things like, “I’ve always struggled with my mental health, and nothing will change,” or “Menopause is awful, and there’s nothing I can do.”
This way of thinking traps you in a cycle of negativity, making mental health challenges feel even more overwhelming.
A growth mindset, however, opens the door to possibility. It acknowledges that menopause is difficult—without pretending it isn’t—but also says, “I may be struggling, but I can take steps to feel better.”
It’s not about toxic positivity or pretending everything is fine. It’s about being realistic while staying hopeful and proactive.
“Before Trinity, I was depressed, diabetic, and miserable beyond words. But through this programme, I’ve lost 16 kilos (2.5 stone), dropped from a size 22 to a size 14, and come off my medication for both diabetes and depression. I’ve had some of the hardest years of my life—redundancy, divorce, losing my home, and my dog passing away—but this programme gave me the tools and support I needed to regain control of my life. I feel like a completely different person.”
– Rebecca, Trinity Client
Our Fit Over 40 Programme helps women develop a growth mindset by supporting them through the toughest stages of life.
We show them that small, consistent changes can lead to big improvements in their mental health, confidence, and overall well-being.
Rebecca is just one example of how applying this mindset can change everything. She’d faced many challenges and felt as though she was at rock bottom, but she knew she was the only one who could make the changes she needed to get her life back on track.
Our coaches worked with her to provide the support she needed by setting new goals, taking small steps, and making incredible progress.
Take Control of Your Mental Health in Menopause
Menopause can be a challenging time, but by making the right lifestyle changes, you can take control of your mental health and feel like yourself again.
At Trinity, we understand how challenging it can be navigating these changes and we’re here to help.
Our Fit Over 40 programme offers personalized coaching that focuses on both physical and mental health, giving you the tools and support to reduce stress, build strength, and improve your overall well-being.
Whether through low-impact strength training, mindful practices, or expert advice on nutrition, we’ve got you covered every step of the way.
Ready to feel more in control and reclaim your confidence? Join us today and start transforming your life!
- Download our free guide: Menopause Weight Loss Guide
- Sign up for free training: Free Menopause Training
- Join our Fit Over 40 Program: Learn More Here
