Controversial post ahead. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Let’s face it, life is full at midlife. Relationships and responsibilities. Careers and kids. Parents and projects. Bills – oh, the bills!
I heard the term “Hurried Woman Syndrome” yesterday. It’s coined by Ob/Gyn Brent Bost. Dr. Bost describes the four major symptoms of a woman with Hurried Woman Syndrome as 1) weight gain, 2) low libido, 3) moodiness, 4) fatigue. Ironically (or not), these are four common complaints of perimenopause.
What makes a woman susceptible to Hurried Woman Syndrome? In my observation, putting everyone and everything else above her self-care is a risk . Not just in time commitment, but in budgets as well.
Hurried Woman Syndrome and Perimenopause
Many women I talk with about hormone coaching in perimenopause suffer from Hurried Woman Syndrome. And they don’t know how to solve it.
These women have tried everything. They are working out regularly and eating well. They’ve visited their doctors and if their complaints weren’t dismissed outright as “normal,” they’ve gotten little in terms of relief. They are frustrated by sleep deprivation, hot flashes, mood swings, and weight gain they can’t tame. Booking a consultation is often a last resort.
I’m not a pushy salesperson. I know that my services are challenging for some to pay for, and I refuse to resort to the high-pressure tactics many coaches apply. I recognize that what I offer is not a planned budget item for most women when they first book their last-resort consultation. Nonetheless, I’m saddened when they walk away without considering how they can make it work. What will they do instead?
They will try to go it alone. They follow me and other coaches or influencers, learning what they can from our content and try to integrate it into their cobbled-together health plan. They invest countless hours consuming free content, then ask their doctor about a smattering of information. They run the risk of deprioritizing the big needle-moving actions by the flagging hope offered by some new supplement. They spring for said supplement, beauty regimen, or gadget that promises to help them.
The High Price of Not Hiring a Coach
What they don’t realize is that going it alone in this fashion costs them more in the long run – more time, more money, more effort, and more frustration.
According to a recent report, women experiencing menopause symptoms are losing confidence in their careers as well as bearing an economic burden. Check out these statistics
- 121% higher use of healthcare resources to manage and treat symptoms
- 57 percent more days of lost work productivity
- $2,100 in additional costs per year spent on healthcare and lost wages
The reality is that health coaching saves you a significant amount of healthcare dollars and time, and significantly increases your chances of successful health outcomes.
You Deserve a Custom Solution
This is not intended to pressure anyone to commit to an expense they truly can’t afford. But I do want you to truly ask yourself these questions.
- Why is it that you are the last to merit a budget line?
- Why do the things you need to feel your absolute best fall into the “I can’t afford that” column?
- Why do you insist on cobbling together solutions that don’t work, only to waste time and money?
- Why do you think that this self-sacrifice is better for everyone else, when in fact taking care of yourself better prepares you to continue in your responsibilities?
You matter. Your health is worth it and should be a priority. Your time is a precious commodity, and you deserve to spend it on high-yield activities, not on inefficient health strategies that may or may not be backed by science and may or may not be ineffective.
You deserve a well-crafted solution, customized for you from beginning to end. Not a smattering of things you picked up on TikTok or Instagram. Save yourself the time, the confusion, and the money.
Coaches on social media – myself included – try to offer valuable content to help you on your journey. And we’ll continue doing just that. But it will only be a part of the solution.
If you’re ready to optimize your health in perimenopause, I’m here for you.