One moment I was happy, one moment I wanted to smash my husband's face in.
Jul 15, 2026
If you’re experiencing sadness, mood swings, and anxiety during menopause, you should know that these feelings are more common than you might think.1,2
Yes. It might be overwhelming when the physical and emotional changes that come with perimenopause and menopause leave you feeling unlike yourself, but there are ways that could help you regain those familiar feelings of ‘you’.
Let's explore why emotional changes happen and go into seven practical everyday tips to help you feel your best self again.
Menopause and Your Mental Health Well-being
Can menopause make you depressed? Well, perimenopause and menopause could cause hormonal changes that may affect your mental health.1
Estrogen plays a big role in how your brain functions, controls your moods, and how it adapts to changes.1
So, when estrogen levels start to shift during these life stages, you may notice:2
- Feelings of sadness
- Mood swings
- Increased irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Rage and aggressiveness
- Difficulty concentrating (brain fog)
- Fatigue
- Tension
If you experience any of the above in your 40s and 50s frequently, over a prolonged period, or suddenly out of nowhere, it's common, even if you don't hear much about it.2
The Emotional Roller Coaster of Menopause
One day, you may feel completely fine. The next, something small can feel so overwhelming or act as a trigger. While emotional changes are common, it’s good to know, everyone's experiences are different.2,3
Some women notice mostly psychological symptoms, while others experience more physical ones.3 And for those with more intense symptoms, the emotional impact of these symptoms may be just as intense, while others’ symptoms last a few years at most.2,3
But you don't have to just live with it. There are practical steps you can take to help manage these changes. Let's look at some everyday tips.
Tip 1: Speak to Your Doctor About Menopause Depression
Depression comes with feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.4
It might take at least two weeks before your doctor may diagnose your symptoms as depression.3
But, if you suspect you are experiencing menopause depression, and it is having a negative impact on your quality of life, it is important to speak to your doctor before embarking on any self-management techniques.3
This is so they can rule out other medical or psychiatric conditions and direct you to the help you need.3
While lots of women have symptoms of depression during menopause, you are more likely to experience them if you have had similar at other points in your life.2,4
Tip 2: Prepare for the Side Effects of Menopause in Practical Ways
Preparing for and managing the physical symptoms of menopause in practical ways may help support your mental health and well-being.
Women going through menopause often experience physical side effects such as hot flushes and bladder leaks. These may be exhausting, and contribute to or worsen menopause depression, anxiety, and mood swings.5
Managing physical symptoms can help you feel in control, and lessen the likelihood of any emotional effects.5
For example, if you suffer from menopause migraines or headaches, ensure you stay hydrated, avoid too much screen time, or reduce bright lighting.
If you know you are prone to getting hot flashes just before your period, try to schedule work meetings outside of this time, and speak to your manager or human resources department to f you need support when dealing with menopause symptoms in the workplace.
Tip 3: Eat Well for Optimum Mental Health
Eating a balanced diet rich in nutrients, vitamins, and minerals is important at all stages of life. But it’s especially important during menopause, when your body experiences many emotional and physical changes.6
To help keep your mood stable, try eating enough protein-rich foods help make serotonin, which may help boost this happy hormone along with other food.7
Some options you could try include: turkey, cottage cheese, oats and legumes.7
To help combat menopause depression and anxiety, you might like to adopt new strategies, like eating breakfast, or eating regular small meals throughout the day to keep blood sugar, and therefore mood, stable.8
Tip 4: Engage in Calming Practices to Help Menopause Anxiety
When your hormone levels shift during menopause, it could cause symptoms like night sweats, making you more sensitive to stress, and causing menopause anxiety.3
With anxiety, you might notice restlessness, racing thoughts, your heart beating a little faster, or muscle tension.3
When coping with menopause emotions, especially anxiety, it could be helpful to learn how to calm your mind.3 For example, rhythmic breathing may help calm menopause anxiety.3
Anxiety could also affect your regular breathing pattern, so if you feel angry, worried, or stressed, try to find a quiet place free of distractions and noise.3
Take some long, slow, deep breaths, or check out one of the many rhythmic breathing apps available on your phone’s app store. You've got this!
Also, adding calming practices such as meditation, mindfulness, or journaling into your day may be helpful when you're anxious.
When it comes to exercise, low-impact workouts such as yoga or tai chi are great options for both the mind and body.2,3
As well as engaging in calming practices, you might find that getting good quality sleep and going for relaxing walks in nature may help with the negative side of menopause.
Tip 5: Seek Menopause Support from Your Closest Relationships
When women go through menopause, they sometimes feel that their emotions threaten not only their personal sense of mental balance, but their relationships too.
Trying to keep a lid on your emotions can be wildly exhausting, but it’s okay to reach out for help during menopause. Laughing and having fun with your family and friends can be a nourishing to relieve difficult emotions.
If you are feeling affected by menopause irritability, and mood swings, you could try nurturing activities with your partner, children, family, and friends to take your mind off of triggers.
Family members, especially, may feel like the target of an onslaught of menopausal emotions, due to their vicinity. Rather than biting your tongue or exploding, try to talk to the people you love about how you are actually feeling, and tell them if you need extra understanding, patience, sympathy, and support.
Let people know when you need space and time alone to process your emotions, and conversely, ensure to schedule in quality time with your loved ones.
Tip 6: Channel Negative Emotions of Menopause Depression and Anxiety into Something Creative
As your body changes and adapts to a new phase of life, women going through menopause often report feeling a loss of identity, purpose, and sense of self.5
Whether you have children or not, some women find it difficult to accept the end of their fertile years. It may bring about feelings of sadness and low self-worth. The loss of fertility could even bring an increased awareness of aging and mortality.
Some women might find channeling negative emotions into something creative. But it is a good way to deal with or combat these feelings.
Painting, dancing, upskilling your cooking, learning a new language or engaging in an exciting new form of exercise are all ideas that may help you build a new sense of identity and increase self-confidence during menopause.
Tip 7: Getting Enough Sleep
During menopause, symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, and other changes such as bladder leaks may affect your sleep quality.9 Insomnia also becomes more common as you age, making it harder to drift off at night.9
After several sleepless nights, you might notice foggy thinking, irritability, and mood swings.2 That's why getting enough rest could help improve your mood.2
Some tips you could try for a restful sleep include:9
- Lower the lights on or avoid your devices before bed to help you relax and wind down.
- Try cooling bedding to help with hot flashes and night sweats.
- Limit fluids at night to help with nighttime bathroom breaks.
- Try women's incontinence products to help with nighttime bladder leaks.
Need more tips for a restful night's sleep? Our article on how to manage nighttime leaks could help.
There's No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Looking After Your Mental Well-Being
We’ve mentioned earlier that everyone’s menopause experiences may be different, and the same goes for managing and improving your mental well-being during this new phase of your life.
We’ve given you our tips to give you ideas and starting points to help. But you may find your own ways during your journey. The most important is to embrace the new phase of your life and use the time to rediscover (or discover) what brings you joy and excitement.
FAQs
How Can I Cope with the Emotional Changes of Menopause?
Emotional changes could be overwhelming, but you could try these tips for your menopause mental health:2
- Getting regular exercise
- Maintaining a healthy sleep routine
- Managing stress with tai chi, or yoga
- Asking for help from mental health professionals
- Joining a support network.
Can Hormone Replacement Therapy Help During Menopause?
Hormone replacement therapy may help with physical and emotional symptoms of menopause, but it is not suitable for everyone.2.3
Consider speaking with your doctor to better understand your options.
I have a Hard Time Concentrating and I'm Forgetful. Is this a Normal Part of Menopause?
Yes, many people experience menopause brain fog and memory issues, and these symptoms are usually temporary and manageable.2,3
References
1. Cho JM, Lee J, Ahn EM, Bae J. Beyond Hot Flashes: The Role of Estrogen Receptors in Menopausal Mental Health and Cognitive Decline. Brain Sciences [Internet]. 2025 Sep 16;15(9):1003–3. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12469143/
2. Dresden D. Mood swings during menopause: Causes and treatments [Internet]. www.medicalnewstoday.com. 2023. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317566
3. Can Menopause Cause Anxiety, Depression or Panic Attacks? [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2025. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-menopause-causing-your-mood-swings-depression-or-anxiety
4. Holland K. Mental Health, Depression, and Menopause [Internet]. Healthline. Healthline Media; 2026 [cited 2026 Jun 2]. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/mental-health#depression-symptoms
5. Fitzgerald A. What to know about menopause and mental health [Internet]. Medicalnewstoday.com. Medical News Today; 2025 [cited 2026 Jun 3]. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/menopause-and-mental-health
6. Menopause Diet: What to Eat to Help Manage Symptoms [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2022. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/menopause-diet
7.Serotonin [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2022. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22572-serotonin
8. Sherrell Z. Diet chart for menopause [Internet]. Medicalnewstoday.com. Medical News Today; 2025. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diet-chart-for-menopause
9. Does Menopause Cause Insomnia and Sleeplessness? [Internet]. Cleveland Clinic. 2024. Available from: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/menopause-insomnia
