Spilling the tea on glowing up

Hi, welcome to my new blog. If you followed me from my Cape Town Curly days, you’re probably reading this and wondering why I decided to change things up. Don’t worry, you can still find the hair content. I just have so much more to say. So pull up a chair and grab some tea while I get ready to spill some. I’m about to let you in on a little secret.

Turning back the clock

Everything happened about this time last year, when the world was still normal(ish). I had just left the office to do some grocery shopping. It was a beautiful , yet cold winter’s day. And then it hit me. Right in the middle of the V & A Waterfront. This wave of heat stemming from the very core of my being. I couldn’t understand it at the time. Was I coming down with a fever?

 It lasted for all of 1 minute, and then it disappeared. Then it was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. It happened again a few times after that. It crept up on me while at work, at home while watching tv… I never gave it much thought. Thinking back, I was definitely in denial.

Twenty @#$%ing  Twenty

My year started off like a bat out of hell. The first week of 2020 saw me in hospital with gastro. A few months later, Caitlin and I were back at the doctor’s surgery with the same issue. On top of that,  I suffered my very first anxiety attack which booked me off work for weeks. I was very open about how I despised 2020 BC (Before Corona), but something else happened during that time and I need to fess up.

The Change

Early one morning in February I woke up in a pool of sweat. Another heat wave. However this time it was different. My bedding was soaked. Could it be another case of gastro?

I visited my doctor and explained my symptoms to him. I remember laughing (and swearing at him in my head) when he told me he was going to draw some blood to check if I was perimenopausal.

Perimenopausal? What the hell does that mean?

Perimenopause means “around menopause” and refers to the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the reproductive years. Perimenopause is also called the menopausal transition. Women start perimenopause at different ages

mayoclinic.org/2017

I asked my girlfriends if they had heard of this term and unsurprisingly, they had not. It occurred to me that the topic was completely taboo. No one wanted to be heading that way. Menopause (and midlife) is a sign of aging and mood swings and weight gain and no one wanted to go there.

The GP called a few days later to confirm. I was definitely starting my journey to menopause. Tests confirmed that I was showing signs of the beginning of perimenopause. Can’t say that I was surprised, the signs were all there. Irregular periods, emotional roller coaster rides and of course those @#!&ing hot flashes that crept up on me at the most inconvenient times.

Why Glowing up

I started searching for other women, blogs, influencers going through the same thing . Of course it wasn’t easy to do, because like I said, the topic is taboo. No one wants to admit that they’re getting older or that things aren’t functioning like they used to. So I decided to document this new chapter of my life. I refuse to be bogged down by the pessimism surrounding  age. My aim is to trash the negativity and embrace this new phase of life. Hot flash? What hot flash? We don’t sweat honey, over here we glow!

glowingup.co.za is dedicated to women who share the same outlook on middle age. It is a safe space to chat about this very special yet neglected time in our life. We will be exploring style, beauty and wellness. We will get deep and sometimes even very intimate. One thing is for sure, we will not be holding back. Hope you enjoy the ride!