Finding Calm in the Chaos: Emotional Health for Women Over 50
Show Notes:
Summary:
In this episode, Valerie Hatcher discusses the importance of mental wellness after 50 and provides strategies for handling emotional overwhelm. Valerie talks about the array of emotions one may feel during midlife, such as anxiety, grief, and a sense of lost purpose, emphasizing that experiencing these emotions is normal. Throughout the episode, listeners are encouraged to embrace their emotions, find ways to cope, and lean on community and self-care.
Timestamps:
00:01 Intro to Mental Wellness After 50 & Emotions in this Life Stage
01:51 Contemplating Mortality and Time
03:04 Adjusting to Changing Family Dynamics & Roles
04:50 Tangible Ways to Manage Emotional Overwhelm
05:54 Journaling for Emotional Clarity and Catharsis
06:52 Finding and Connecting with Community
07:33 Setting Boundaries for Emotional Health
08:50 Recognizing Inner Strength and Resilience
09:49 Sharing Mental Health Resources
Key Takeaways:
- Embrace the normalcy of emotional fluctuations post-50 and give yourself permission to feel a wide range of emotions without judgment.
- Utilize journaling as a tool for emotional release and clarity; let out frustrations on paper rather than in confrontations.
- Seek out community connections, like support groups or social clubs, to share experiences and find solace in the collective strength of like-minded individuals.
- Prioritize self-care and boundary setting as vital strategies for maintaining mental well-being and resilience during times of change.
- Remember that you are resilient and capable; reach for resources like NAMI, SAMHSA, or Crisis Text Line when you need extra support along your journey.
Connect with me:
- Leave me a voice message at pod.agingwithgraceandstyle.com
- Facebook, Instagram, and Threads @iamvaleriehatcher.
- Email at hello@agingwithgraceandstyle.com
Join Us Next Time:
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Stay tuned for more inspiring chats, tips, and stories about the midlife journey.
Let's continue to age with grace, style, and a touch of sass.
Transcript
Sometimes it feels like our emotions are running the show. Am I right?
Speaker:Between changing hormones, shifting family dynamics,
Speaker:maybe even facing some big life questions, things
Speaker:can feel, let's say, intense.
Speaker:Today, let's talk about mental wellness after 50.
Speaker:No shame, no judgment, just strategies
Speaker:for finding calm and resilience within the
Speaker:chaos.
Speaker:Hey, friend. Ever feel like those old
Speaker:fashioned ideas about aging just don't fit you? If you're
Speaker:ready to own this incredible chapter with grace, style, and a touch of
Speaker:sass, this is your space. Welcome to the aging with
Speaker:grace and style podcast. I'm Valerie Hatcher, and I'm here
Speaker:with empowering tips, inspiring stories, and a whole lot of
Speaker:fun just for us, women over 50. So grab
Speaker:your favorite beverage, turn up the volume, and let's get
Speaker:started.
Speaker:Alright. Let's dive in. Today, we're going
Speaker:to explore the emotional impact of this stage of life.
Speaker:It's no secret that as we navigate our
Speaker:fifties and beyond, we encounter a
Speaker:multitude of emotions from anxiety about the
Speaker:future to grappling with changing family
Speaker:dynamics and even facing our own mortality.
Speaker:Let's be honest. Mortality seems to raise its
Speaker:ugly head as we age. For me, it makes
Speaker:me think of time. I wasted what I
Speaker:do differently while at the same time,
Speaker:vowing to embrace and enjoy each moment
Speaker:that's ahead. As you can probably tell,
Speaker:based on my mortality rant,
Speaker:personally, I've had my fair share
Speaker:of moments where emotions felt overwhelming
Speaker:for various reasons. For instance, even
Speaker:though it's been 10 years now, I remember when
Speaker:John left home for college and suddenly my
Speaker:role as a mother, it shifted dramatically.
Speaker:It was a time filled with both pride and
Speaker:uncertainty. And I found myself grappling with
Speaker:feelings of loss and purposelessness.
Speaker:Is that a word? Well, it's gonna be today.
Speaker:Then there was last year when he got married. I
Speaker:also found myself trying to figure out emotions of
Speaker:not knowing how life would be, would change
Speaker:since he was now a whole
Speaker:husband and had a wife. Hey, this was new.
Speaker:You know, sometimes we get ourselves all
Speaker:worked up over how we think the story is going to
Speaker:go and it turns out totally different.
Speaker:And then sometimes I feel this
Speaker:low grade anxiety for no reason
Speaker:at all. It's almost like my brain is searching for something to
Speaker:worry about. I know that might sound silly
Speaker:or it might be something that you've also dealt with,
Speaker:but here's the thing. It's okay to
Speaker:feel these emotions. In fact, it's more than
Speaker:okay. It's completely normal and
Speaker:you are not alone. If you're feeling a mix of
Speaker:things, we're living in a time of
Speaker:immense change and transition, And it's
Speaker:only natural for our emotions to
Speaker:ebb and flow with the tide. Some days we're
Speaker:on top of the world. Others, it may be hard just
Speaker:to get out of bed. Anxiety,
Speaker:feeling overwhelmed by change, even a
Speaker:sense of grief as we see the years go by,
Speaker:these are normal parts of the midlife experience
Speaker:even if we don't always talk about them.
Speaker:Okay. Let's get practical. When those
Speaker:waves of emotional overwhelm hit,
Speaker:we need ways to cope in the moment.
Speaker:So let's talk about managing
Speaker:emotional overwhelm in our daily lives.
Speaker:It's easy to feel inundated by our
Speaker:emotions, especially when we're juggling
Speaker:multiple roles and responsibilities.
Speaker:Deep breathing exercises, taking a short
Speaker:walk, or even just splashing cold water on your
Speaker:face can help you reset.
Speaker:Mental well-being isn't just about meditating,
Speaker:although meditating can help. One
Speaker:powerful tool is journaling. I've talked about
Speaker:journaling before and that's because it's been
Speaker:incredibly helpful for me in navigating emotions,
Speaker:taking the time to put pen and paper and pour
Speaker:out my thoughts and feelings has been cathartic.
Speaker:It allows me to, to process emotion
Speaker:and, and to gain clarity in moments of confusion.
Speaker:Don't worry about perfect writing. Just, just let it
Speaker:flow. I'm telling you. I've yelled
Speaker:and screamed in my writing. I've cussed people out
Speaker:and called them, I gotta admit, some really bad
Speaker:names. Yes. I have. But isn't it
Speaker:better to do it in the privacy of my journal than to their
Speaker:face? Of course,
Speaker:journaling is just one tool in our mental
Speaker:wellness toolkit. Another essential
Speaker:aspect of navigating this stage of life
Speaker:is finding and connecting with community.
Speaker:Now finding community is huge,
Speaker:whether it's through a book club, a walking
Speaker:group support groups, online
Speaker:forums, church,
Speaker:or simply spending time with like minded women
Speaker:who, who just get it. That's
Speaker:incredibly reassuring. Knowing that you're
Speaker:not the only one facing a challenge makes
Speaker:a world of difference. I'll never
Speaker:forget the first time I attended this women's support
Speaker:group, the sense of comradery and
Speaker:under understanding in the room. It was great.
Speaker:And it reminded me that I wasn't alone.
Speaker:We laughed, we cried, we lifted
Speaker:each other up and that sense of connection.
Speaker:It was truly invaluable girl.
Speaker:Here's the thing. It's okay
Speaker:to feel the full spectrum of emotions.
Speaker:We don't have to be positive and cheerful all the time. I
Speaker:certainly am not, but it's also
Speaker:important to have tools to navigate those tough
Speaker:moments so that we they don't control
Speaker:us. One strategy that has been
Speaker:particularly effective for me is setting
Speaker:boundaries, Learning to say no
Speaker:when I need to and prioritizing self care has
Speaker:been transformative. Whether it's
Speaker:carving out time for a walk, sitting on the
Speaker:patio, going window shopping, or
Speaker:just spending some quiet time with just me and my laptop.
Speaker:Self care is essential for maintaining
Speaker:mental well-being. And finally,
Speaker:let's take a moment to acknowledge just
Speaker:how strong and resilient you truly are.
Speaker:Despite the challenges and uncertainties that may come
Speaker:your way, you have the inner strength and
Speaker:courage to persevere. So the
Speaker:next time that that inner critic
Speaker:rears its head, remember this, you are capable,
Speaker:you're worthy and you are definitely enough.
Speaker:Take one small step for your mental well-being
Speaker:today. Try that 5 minute
Speaker:meditation app that you've heard about or reach out to
Speaker:an old friend or start a simple journal
Speaker:practice. Remember, if you're struggling,
Speaker:please know that help is available. Here's some
Speaker:resources. One is the National Alliance
Speaker:of Mental Illness, NAMI,
Speaker:n a m I, and the website is nami.org.
Speaker:They offer support groups, educational materials, and a
Speaker:helpline. Another is the
Speaker:Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Speaker:The website is samhssa.gov
Speaker:backslash mental slash health. It's
Speaker:a government website with information on various mental health
Speaker:conditions and how to find treatment. And then lastly,
Speaker:it's the crisis text line. You can text
Speaker:home to 741-741
Speaker:for immediate 247 confidential support.
Speaker:I know I went through those fast, so I am going to include the links
Speaker:in the show notes in case you need them or you know someone
Speaker:else who does. Remember you are not alone on this
Speaker:journey. There's support, there's understanding.
Speaker:And within yourself, there's a strength that you might
Speaker:not even realize that you have
Speaker:be kind to yourself and keep showing up for your
Speaker:own well-being. Well, that's
Speaker:all I have time for today. I hope that you
Speaker:found today's episode insightful and empowering.
Speaker:Remember, you're not alone on this journey and there are
Speaker:tools and resources available to support you every
Speaker:step of the way until next time. Take care
Speaker:of yourselves. Remember you are vibrant,
Speaker:powerful, and unstoppable. Keep
Speaker:shining, keep growing, and keep believing in
Speaker:yourself.
Speaker:Thanks for hanging out with me today. I hope you're feeling
Speaker:inspired and ready to own your awesomeness. I love
Speaker:sharing this space with you. And if you love today's episode,
Speaker:do me a favor. Share it with a friend who could use some
Speaker:extra inspiration. A quick rating and review
Speaker:really helps too. Don't forget to subscribe so
Speaker:you never miss an episode. Let's keep this conversation
Speaker:going. Head over to pod dot aging with
Speaker:grace and style.com to sign up for my newsletter.
Speaker:Until next time, keep shining with grace,
Speaker:style, and a whole lot of sass.
