Let’s Be Honest—Perimenopause Messes with Your Mind
By Dawn Van Berkel, LPC, CCTP, CST
When you think of perimenopause, maybe you picture hot flashes or irregular periods. But here’s the truth: your mental health is on this rollercoaster too!
What does this look like:
Anxiety showing up out of nowhere
Mood swings that could rival a teenager
Crying because you dropped a grape (yes, that happened)
Brain fog so thick you put the milk in the pantry and the crackers in the fridge
Suicidal Ideation (please contact a therapist, medical professional, hotline)
And no—you're not broken.
You're just hormonally rebranding.
What’s Really Going On? (Besides You Wanting to Live in Pajamas)
Blame it on estrogen. As your hormone levels start shifting, they mess with the brain chemicals that regulate mood, sleep, and focus. Serotonin and dopamine are the feel good chemicals and those hormone shifts cause these levels to bounce up and down.
…it’s not you. It’s science.
Why Mental Health in Midlife Deserves the Spotlight
There’s still this idea that midlife women should “just push through” or you have to “suffer enough” before you get help. Our symptoms have been invalidated for years!
But mental health challenges during perimenopause are real, and ignoring them doesn’t make them go away—it just leaves you feeling more isolated and confused.
By talking about it, we:
Ditch the shame
Get the support we deserve
Laugh about the chaos (and cry if we want to)
Feel like ourselves again—or even better.
How Therapy Can Help You Stay Sane (and Possibly Not Strangle Anyone)
Working with a therapist who gets perimenopause can be life-changing. Not just someone who’ll say “you should try a bubble bath or light some candles” but someone who understands that:
Your identity might feel like it’s shifting
You might be grieving the old version of you
You need tools that help—not toxic positivity
Therapy can help you learn to ride the hormone wave without feeling like you're drowning in it.
Other Things That Might Keep You from Losing It
Aside from therapy, here are a few great things to start with for your mental health toolkit:
Meditation & mindfulness - sounds cliche right now, but it really does work! Start with just 3 minutes and day and work up.
Breathwork - make sure your exhale is longer than your inhale.
Community support—aka women who won’t blink when you say “I’m rage-cleaning my house again”.
Actual education—because being informed is powerful (and feels better than doomscrolling).
Final Thoughts: You're Not Alone (Even if It Feels Like It at 2AM)
Perimenopause isn’t a personality flaw. It’s a biological and emotional transition, and it deserves real support—not just memes about hot flashes and wine.
So let’s laugh, cry, normalize, and support each other.
Because life doesn’t pause, and neither should your mental health.