Don’t Sweat it is the best kind of self-help book: accessible and easy to read, it discusses the joys and pitfalls of the ruahinetanga (menopause), offers lots of suggestions for weathering the changes, and has a message of hope from those on the other side – that life just gets better.
Women going through peri-menopause or menopause, and those supporting someone who is. Even women for whom the menopause is a fond memory may be able to consider and better understand their own experience in retrospect.
Menopause has had a significant profile boost
over the last few years, as celebrities and influencers share their experiences
to help demystify something that was never discussed in the past, except as a
whispered reference to ‘the change,’ an undefined thing to dread. The way
society has approached the topic in the past stigmatised a normal part of
ageing, making it harder for women to get help when they needed it. And
historically, the remedies were rather unpleasant, and too reliant on the
application of leeches.
Broken into 19 chapters, dealing with topics
from, mood swings, to sleeplessness, to ageing and hormone replacement therapy,
Nicky Pellegrino talks about her own experience of going through menopause, and
includes lots of interesting stories from other women too, detailing the
challenges they have faced. It was comforting to read about how these women
came through a pretty rough time, to feel stronger and more at ease with
themselves, now confident in who they are as a person.
This book uses practical approach to dealing
with the challenges that come with menopause, and the author emphasises that
there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Readers are encouraged to set
themselves up for success early, by making lifestyle changes, going to their
doctor, and asking for help when things become unmanageable.
The only criticism is that Don’t Sweat it was not available to women sooner – we all deserve to understand peri-menopause and menopause, and to feel confident when entering a new phase of life.
