How are you holding up?

My philosophy is that worrying means you suffer twice

Newt Scamander – Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them

There’s no getting away from it, COVID-19 is a challenge for everyone to deal with. As this blog is mostly about menopause and related issues, I wondered how everyone was doing. How are your menopause symptoms fairing?

Speaking for myself as a post-menopausal woman, I can tell you that the anxiety that reared its head during perimenopause is back with a vengeance. This time I can pinpoint the cause – worry! At least I know I’m not losing the plot this time, so that’ something to be grateful for. Still, it hasn’t stopped me from waking in the wee small hours, my brain jumping on the hamster-wheel of doom, endlessly worrying about various things such as:

1. how to keep the family fed and supplied with the basics
2. what to do if one (or more) of us catches the virus – will I cope?
3. what if my elderly parents (one with stage 4 breast cancer and the other with bladder cancer in remission) catch it? Who would look after them?
4. What if…. etc

Although I am consciously aware that I am ruminating on things that have not happened, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to put a stop to it. You notice from the above list, that apart from the first item, which is a genuine challenge, the others have not, and may not, actually happen.

Yay! I can whittle down my list of things to fret over to one single item. I am fortunate that Mr D is in the food production industry. He showed me the figures for supplies – we have plenty in the system. With lockdown in place and supermarkets changing opening hours, rationing items per purchaser, and reducing the number of shoppers in store at any one time, the shelves are starting to look more normal (at least where we are)– almost like the pre-Christmas rush. When people see stock on shelves they are less likely to panic-buy. Well that’s my theory…

Mind you, I am seriously concerned about the state of the beer and wine shelves, not to mention the lack of tonic water for gin! If this doesn’t improve I may have to be brave and open some elderflower wine I brewed last year! I may open it anyway, just to see if it’s drinkable. My last brewing effort occurred during my student days (a couple of decades ago… ok, maybe 3 decades ago!). The results were quite spectacular for a peach wine. Nobody recollects much about the resulting party.

If it’s no good, I can try to concentrate it, increasing the alcohol content, and use it for home-made sanitiser!

In the meantime, stay safe, stay at home, and keep smiling, even if you have to fake it sometimes.

Cath xx