I’ve chosen challenges like having kids, getting married, getting divorced, marrying a second time… all challenges I chose that helped/are helping me grow. I have also gone through challenges I did NOT choose like having my husband separate from me for 4 months but I used that challenge to change and grow like a boss!

My current challenge that I’m having trouble using for change… hot flashes. I’m 47. When I was 38 I started early pre-menopause and now I’ve been in menopause since I was 44. So, for almost a decade I’ve had daily hot flashes. Between 10-20 per day. Also several during the night, so I don’t even remember what it’s like to sleep through the night or even more than a couple hours at a time. I’ve approached this challenge by trying to “fix” it… find the cause… because I have a belief that this is not normal, that it’s not OK, that there must be something off in my body, out of balance, hormones whatever… I’ve seen Dr’s, tried diet and lifestyle changes etc. No tests have indicated I’m out of balance, I seem/appear very healthy. But to my brain, these hot flashes for 10 years at my age, this does not compute. And I hate them. They disrupt my life. My sleep. My relationships due to lack of sleep and frustration and not being able to be close and touch because of the flashes…

The hot flashes clearly aren’t going anywhere, at least for the time being so I have to figure out how to deal with them. I don’t want to be pissed about them all the time. I don’t want to feel frustrated about them all the time and show up grumpy. This is a big challenge for me. I could have these for another 10 years or more. I could have these for the rest of my life. (this thought makes me want to cry/give up if I’m being honest). So, now what? Acceptance feels like a stretch… How can I use these hot flashes to help me change/grow? I need some perspective here… THANKS 🙂