How to think about Midlife

Menopause is about more than your hormones.

Hi folks,

Welcome to the very first edition of “A Closer Look” — a new series for paid subscribers of the newsletter.

A Closer Look is a project that I conceived of this year as an offering to my amazing paid subscribers. I had been itching to write on topics that don’t fit perfectly under the Real Self-Care umbrella. It’s basically a container for me to augment my own learning and I’d love to bring that learning to you, too. This is a research heavy, longer post, that is meant to be digested over time. At the end, you will find reflection questions that can be used a “study guide” of sorts. I hope that this series spurs new conversations in your text thread, email chains, and group chats.

I began my clinical work as a perinatal psychiatrist with a focus on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders – or, in layman’s terms, maternal mental health. When I opened my practice in 2016, my bread and butter clinical work was taking care of patients who were struggling with conditions like postpartum depression, perinatal trauma, anxiety about pregnancy and so on. In the past 10 years or so, we’ve made so much progress on awareness and education about maternal mental health conditions. It’s no longer taboo to talk about antidepressant use during pregnancy or to see a therapist for postpartum rage. And, of course, while there is still so much work to be done in the space, I am seeing the tide shifting in my clinical practice.

Now, menopause seems to have come to the forefront. My patients are telling me about it, and no matter where I look on social media I see it. As a 41 year old woman, I’m on the cusp of perimenopause myself. So, for this first edition of “A Closer Look” I am sharing a deeper dive on midlife and menopause.

If you are already one of the 250+ paying subscribers to this newsletter, thank you for making it possible to for me to carve time and space in my schedule for a bespoke topic like this one. If you are not yet a paying subscriber, I urge you to consider upgrading to a paid subscription. This week I am running a sale to help make it more affordable for you. If you subscribe now, you will get 20% off forever. I know that it’s not financially feasible for everyone to pay for all the newsletters they follow and enjoy, so I understand if it’s not possible for you right now. And, if you have the means, please know that your support makes it possible for me (and my team) to produce more in-depth, research backed posts like this one.

The research for today’s post was done by my incredible research assistant, Madysen Luebke, who is a Nebraskan living in New York and working as a freelance fact-checker, editor, and writer. Madysen has worked on books such as The White Bonus by Tracie McMillan, When You Care by Elissa Strauss, and Overworked by Brigid Schulte, as well as for the publications Guernica, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Early Learning Nation and Refinery29. In her own reporting, she often focuses on American religion, the Midwest, and disability— specifically, children of disabled parents. Your financial support of the newsletter helps me pay Madysen.

I urge you to hit subscribe to read and learn more about mid-life, menopause, and how to make this time in your life feel more meaningful and fulfilling.

xo,

Pooja