Stacy London / On Pause

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It's also my birthday month. I don't see these things as entirely unrelated. I've struggled with mood issues my whole life. But during perimenopause, things got out of control: the anxiety was crippling, the rage was incendiary, and the depression was absolutely exhausting. Add in a sprinkle of spine surgery and a massive heap of grief and I can tell you it was a recipe for disaster.

My self-esteem was decimated when television executives told me that nobody would want to watch a show about older women. This rejection, combined with my raging hormones, caused me to spiral in a way that is familiar to far too many of us.

My doctors were unhelpful, only offering medication as a solution. Of course, that is always an option. But it was an option provided outside of the broader context of the natural change my body was going through. It was only by educating myself about menopause, and taking time and creating space to acknowledge my feelings that I was able to create a new narrative for myself. If I wasn't going to be allowed (or chosen) to create meaningful content and connection through an old medium, I had to create a new one. And that's how State Of Menopause and my journey as a CEO began.

So this (Menopausal) May, take time and create space for yourself. Talk with your healthcare practitioner honestly and openly about all options available to you. Feelings aren't facts. Menopause can be hard but it isn't hopeless and you, my friend, are far from helpless. In fact, you may be on your way towards a whole new future you could never have imagined.