Saying No & The Top 12 Self-Care Tips for Perimenopause This Winter
- Andrea Marsh
- Dec 1
- 11 min read
A holistic guide for women looking to reduce menopause symptoms naturally
This time of year can feel overwhelming — especially if you’re in perimenopause or menopause, when your energy, hormones and resilience might already be stretched thin. With school events, work deadlines, Christmas planning and family demands, it’s no wonder so many women tell me their symptoms feel worse during the winter months.
The irony? Many women say their calmest Christmas ever was during Covid when they were forced to slow down. Now that life is back to pre-pandemic pace, I’ve put together the ultimate menopause winter self-care kit to help you manage stress, boost energy and reduce symptoms naturally right through to the New Year.
Saying No & The Top 12 Self-Care Tips for Perimenopause This Winter
These self care tips are as time efficient as possible for you, it's not about booking a spa day in the middle of this hectic season it's about looking after your health in mind and body so that you get to the new year with your energy intact ready to start again!
Viewing your health from the view point of chinese medicine means I have a lot of little tricks that you won't yet know about and some may seem counter-intuitive but stick with it as they do work!
Let’s start with the tool that costs nothing and can change everything…
It's OK to say NO
Learning to say no is one of the most powerful ways to reduce menopause stress, fatigue, and burnout.
Before automatically saying yes, pause and ask yourself:“Do I really have the energy for this?”
Menopause gives you a limited energy budget — protect it. When you say no to the things that drain you, you say yes to your health, your hormones and your peace.
1. Vitamins before treats: Natural Support for Menopause Energy
You can always have a little of what you fancy but keep it as treats rather than staples, and reach for your supplements if you feel you're going into an energy slump. I take my vitamins every morning to reduce the cravings for quick energy carby foods. Get ahead of your energy slumps by feeding your mind and body what it needs - nutrients!
Balanced nutrients help reduce:
energy crashes
cravings
low immunity
brain fog
During perimenopause and menopause your body needs extra nutritional support. A daily multivitamin, vitamin C and magnesium can help stabilise energy and reduce symptoms like tiredness and irritability.
Overdone it the night before?Double your vitamin C, magnesium and your multivitamin the next morning and again before bed. Your liver and nervous system will repay you with better sleep and more stable energy.
2. Keep hydrated (between Prosecco's!)
Whether you have a tipple or not, keeping hydrated keeps headaches away, grumpiness reduced and diminishes cravings. It doesn't need to always been plain water, herbal teas, decaffeinated tea, hot cranberry juice and the like, they all hydrate you. Trying to keep most of your drinks at least at room temperature as warmer drinks help you feel more energised.
Cold drinks put a pressure on your kidneys which regulate your body temperature so they work harder to warm you up, which tires you out. You don't need this additional stress on your kidneys as menopause is already taking a toll. If you can keep your drinks warmer you'll want to pee less too!
Hydration is one of the simplest natural ways to reduce:
headaches
hot flushes
irritability
food cravings
menopausal fatigue
The Chinese medicine bit: Warm or room-temperature drinks are especially beneficial in menopause as cold liquids make your kidneys work harder — increasing tiredness.
Water is the element of Winter, so it's just as important to remain hydrated through this time of the year as in the warmer months. Being indoors more with heating on can dehydrate you, and you may also notice your skin is dryer, so be mindful of this and keep on sipping!
In the evenings, if you're feeling cold try heating cranberry juice (no added sugar one) with a pinch of cinnamon in, it's a lovely warming drink plus the cinnamon has positive health benefits like regulating your blood sugar. Cinnamon is just one of those spices that says Christmas all over, so inhale the scent and enjoy this alternative to Mulled wine.
In the mornings a warm water with fresh lemon/lime helps flush out yesterdays toxins!
Stick to the golden rule:one glass of water for every alcoholic drink; also clear spirits are a lighter load on your liver than wine/prosecco.
3. Keep things simple - Reduce stress to reduce symptoms
Stress is one of the biggest triggers for hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety, and mood swings.
Drop the “shoulds” this season. Your body doesn’t need a perfect Christmas — it needs a peaceful one.
If something feels stressful, guilt-driven or unnecessary, let it go.
Top tip: Got a long list? Take a deep slow breath and think whether everything on the list is really necessary?
4. Essential Oils for Natural Menopause relief
One of my favourite self care rituals is having my favourite scents around, this can be a candle with a blend of essential oils or a roller ball or bottle on hand to sniff when you feel anything from heat to anxiety taking hold.
Essential oils are nature's medicine and offer powerful, fast-acting support for menopause symptoms - here are just a few:
Eucalyptus → easier breathing
Citrus oils → quick mood lift
Lavender & geranium → calm and relaxation
Clary sage → hormone balance/lower blood pressure
Peppermint → cooling
Roman chamomile → reduce anxiety
Lemon/Lime → detox and reduce night sweats
Rose → dissipates anger
Sandalwood → pick me up with low energy
Petitgrain Mandarin → helps you drift back to sleep in the night
Do you already have a favourite essential oil? If so; this is the medicine you need.
My favourite menopause blend is Blossom , which I created to reduce hot flushes, night sweats and stress naturally.
5. Candles for better sleep in menopause
Candles set the mood so quickly, their scent can change the way you're feeling (see above) and the soft flickering light induces melatonin so you start to relax and feel sleepy. In the evenings, as soon as you can pop candles on - it helps regulate your circadian rhythms and especially during the darker months.
Candles can be used to help you meditate, gaze at the hypnotising flame as it flickers and minutes will pass in mindfulness. Studies show that the rate at which a candle naturally flickers inducing calming alpha waves in our brains.
Use candles:
in your evening wind-down
while bathing
during meditation
in the kitchen to balance blue light
Ensure your electronic devices are switched to night light after dark to minimise blue light (which we should only receive earlier in the day).
Top tip: bulbs in your house should be in a warm light (i.e. higher kelvin - steer clear of cool light after dark and that includes your Christmas lights!).
Small rituals make a big difference.
6. Bath in goodness - Magnesium for Menopause
Make your bath work for you! Use a bathtime to help you replenish your nutrient reserves as well as serve as well-earned me-time. Add some drops of your favourite essential oils into a bowl of about 200g of Magnesium fla. If you see bath salts with sea minerals in this would be great to add too. The aromas of the oils along with absorbing the nutrients through your skin will benefit you by reducing aches and stress.
Magnesium is one of the best minerals for perimenopause and menopause.
In your bath, combine:
magnesium flakes for muscles/ calming
Epsom salts for detoxing
essential oils of choice
dead sea salts - soothes skin complaints
Magnesium supports aches, cramps, mood and sleep.
No bath? Use essential oils in the shower and inhale the scent for the health benefits. Use a Magnesium gel/balm/cream.
7. Keep Your Kidneys Warm — A Chinese Medicine Secret for Menopause
In Chinese medicine, warm kidneys = better hormone balance and more energy.
This one may take a leap of faith especially if you have hot flushes! Your kidneys regulate your body temperature and happy kidneys like to be kept warm but not too hot (hot kidneys are another issue in chinese medicine). A lot of issues in menopause have the underlying cause of kidney energy imbalance. If you have hot flushes, 3pm slump, brain fog or anxiety it can all be to do with the temperature of your kidneys.
When you're sat at a desk or you'rerunning around you may not realise that your lower back is cold, and you especially won't realise this if you're feeling hot. Most of the time when you register that you're hot it's from the chest to the head. Wearing a Haramaki (aka belly warmer) keeps your kidneys warm and your body temperature balance and it doesn't need to cost you a penny! Just wrap a hoody or scarf around your middle if you're sat down or cut the top off a too tight T shirt and wear it under your clothes around your middle. The aim is to trap your own body heat around your kidneys so you want something that fits snuggily!
This is what my client Beverly said about her Haramaki experience after reading my blog on the 3pm slump:
"As somebody who struggles daily with fatigue and often by sweating; I took note about a Haramaki! I thought it seemed counter-intuitive to keep warm when I was experiencing sweating but I decided to give it a go.I'm so glad that I did!
Now I have many more hours in the day to enjoy with the ability to get through the afternoon without wishing it were bed time! So convinced am I by the benefits of keeping my kidneys warm that I have now invested in a Haramaki and wear it everywhere, even to bed. At work ( I'm office based) I also tie my fleece around my waist for extra protection and can honestly say that I no longer struggle with brain fog or sweating after lunch. "
Wrap a scarf, hoodie or a Haramaki around your lower back to trap warmth. It sounds simple — but it can be life-changing!
8. Liver the cause of night sweats in menopause
Christmas and winter in general can put more duress on your liver. Your liver works overtime in menopause and struggles even more with festive rich foods, alcohol and sugar.
A stressed liver can lead to:
night sweats
itchy skin
irritability
breakouts
nausea
unable to detox
unable to hormone balance
Support your liver with a daily liver supplement, turmeric, lemon water and nutrient-dense foods. Your hormones depend on a healthy liver.
Your liver is like the filter in your hoover if it isn't cleaned once in a while it gets hot and smelly and the hoover can pack up! A struggling liver is the root cause of a lot of disease as well as menopause symptoms. The long term health benefits of keeping your liver running smoothly are immeasurable. Something to think more on in the Spring but for now give your liver some TLC!
9. Embrace the Greens - Natural detox support in menopause
Green veg are powerful allies in menopause and perimenopause.
They help your liver detox, regulate hormones and reduce inflammation - leading to radical symptom reduction.
Add more:
cabbage
kale
broccoli
spring greens
asparagus
If you're having stews or curries or any evening meal with a pinch of spice you can swop heavy carbs for greens.. You don't need potatoes, rice and pasta on a daily basis, you'll feel better and sleep better if you reduce them. Steam them gently so they don't get soggy and mix them in with your tasty dinner.
10. Hygge it up - Calm your nervous system down
Winter is a natural time for slowing down; we're the only living things on this planet that fight the hibernation tendencies. Hygge encourages simplyfying things with rest comfort and warmth plus the pleasures you love! Dress warm, enjoy a wintery walk in nature, come home to a hearty stew, play a board game by candlelight, enjoy the company of those around and retreat to your bed (even just 30 minutes earlier) to get some quiet time and extra sleep whenever you want it!
If slowing down feels uncomfortable, you may be stuck in “tired but wired” mode — common in menopause. Hygge helps bring you back into balance.
It's crazy up until Christmas time so plan in your hibernation for the whole of January. This is the month of laying low so your mind and body can have the time to rejuvenate....
11. Your mood is what your food is
Hormone-friendly foods = hormone-friendly moods!
So you've woken on the wrong side of the bed and bitten your hubbies head off, or you're at work feeling a dread of imposter syndrome or you've lost your confidence to do things? Much of this can be attributed to what you ate yesterday! I know sounds crazy right? Let me explain: The food you ate yesterday is in your gut and then makes the nutrients to run your brain and body.
Around 90% of your serotonin (your happy hormone) is made in the gut. So if you feel low, overwhelmed or irritable, it could be linked to yesterday’s food choices.
Support your gut with:
warm veggie soups
smoothies (room-temperature)
probiotics
vitamins & minerals
Your gut maybe impaired this means it doesn't have a good variety of bacteria. It's been proven that a poor gut microbiome means you find it harder to lose weight and explains everything from low immunity to brain fog. Help your gut bacteria out by taking a good probiotic, I use a liquid one: Microbz it's the best I've tried with 15 strains of live bacteria ready to repopulate your gut immediately. And say goodbye to everything from gum disease (swish it around your mouth before you swallow) to body odour (get the Detox one). A probiotic can be a symptom game changer especially for reducing night sweats!
Reframe Your Christmas Break — Make It Your Menopause Retreat
Ever noticed how all the Christmas songs stop on the radio after Christmas day? That used to really annoy me so much as I worked until the last minute and then just as I was ready to start - the vibe stopped! I pace myself nowadays and go with the seasonal vibe where ever it may be leading up to and then reframe my Christmas time off.
Many women feel anticlimactic after Christmas Day — especially if you've spent the day in the kitchen so from Boxing day let's reclaim the season for selfcare!
Instead of collapsing, use your time off to deeply replenish your precious energy:
sleep in
walk daily
take nourishing baths
eat warm, healing foods
go to bed early
rest until you feel restored
digital detox - calm your mind with a singular pursuit that you love
If you don’t recharge now, the winter months will feel even heavier and you'll have no mojo for Spring!
Why do I get so tired or ill when I relax? This triggers your body to flick the switch into a healing state it'll greaty appreciate the shut down for a few very beneficial days - go with it.
Ready to Prioritise YOU This Menopause?
Your menopause journey transforms the moment you decide to show up for yourself.
Start now — not “when things calm down” as that will always be put off. Change starts in the moment you decide to do it!
Explore:
Understanding Your Menopause — your practical guide to feeling better
Go-Getter Starter Pack — for fast, focused results
1:1 support — if you want personalised, holistic guidance
Your best menopause transition is absolutely possible — one small step at a time and all resources are available on this website: you can start here.
Meet Andrea
Andrea is a shiatsu and chinese medicine practitioner who uses the principles of chinese medicine in a completely practical way to help you resolve your symptoms naturally and effectively. If you live locally you can book in for wonderfully relaxing Shiatsu for Menopause, otherwise Andrea does online indepth consultations where you'll leave with an actionable plan to follow. Andrea is also passionate about doing workplace talks.
Using the age old wisdom of chinese medicine for a happy menopause today!
