The 8-week mindfulness and relaxation for menopause course we offer at Manchester Mind is primarily aimed at helping women better manage stress, and the impact of peri-menopause and menopause symptoms in their day to day lives. Anyone is eligible for the course – whether you are approaching peri-menopause with trepidation, in the midst of symptoms or still struggling post menopause.
We will not be giving advice around treatments (alternative or conventional, dietary or otherwise), or go into great detail about the menopause symptoms. It is not a general ‘understanding the menopause course’.
However, we do hope that the meditation techniques, plus being in a group with others in a similar time of life, will help with some of the psychological impact of the physical symptoms and give greater capacity to manage both physical and emotional impact of this time of transition. Our previous courses indicate that the course has helped them greatly with these aspects. I also hope that the tools around anxiety and relaxation will reduce feelings of anxiety, worry and stress as they have done for previous participants of this course. In order to give yourself the best chance of benefitting from the techniques taught on the course, we suggest that you put aside at 20 minutes a day (or most days) for formal meditation practice. If this commitment seems too much for you, then it may not be the right time to do the course.
Is this course right for me?
Mindfulness isn’t suitable for everyone. After you’ve registered, (or even before, if you prefer) we like to have a chat with you to help us decide whether or not the course is likely to be safe and beneficial for you at this time. In some circumstances, we may suggest that you consider either waiting a while to take the course, or that you explore other options, including more specialist mindfulness-based programmes designed for people experiencing specific difficulties, such as a mindfulness for depression course, or perhaps support from a GP or mental health professional. Before we have a chat with you, please read the information below.
When it may not be the right time for a mindfulness course
Mania, Suicidal Thoughts and Self-Harm
The mindfulness course offered by Manchester Mind is not suitable for you if you have experienced a manic or hypomanic episode in the past six months, if you are currently self-harming or if you are currently experiencing suicidal thoughts. It isn’t that mindfulness will not be helpful for people with these conditions – in fact we know it might very well be, but it would need to be delivered in a more specialist group. If you are feeling suicidal we would strongly recommend you speak to your GP or another mental health professional. We are unable to give specific advice or support to those with individual mental health problems. If you do need to speak to someone urgently, the Samaritans offer emotional support 24 hours a day on 08457 90 90 90.
Alcohol and Drug Use
Practicing mindfulness through attendance at an 8-week Mindfulness course involves completion of daily home meditation practice and other activities and it is essential that this practice takes place when your consciousness is not impaired. If you are drinking a lot of alcohol or using other drugs please consider carefully whether you will be able to find time each day to complete your practice when you are not under the influence of alcohol, drugs or their after affects. If this is likely to be difficult to you then this course will not be suitable for you at this time.
Recent bereavement – in the past year
If you are recently bereaved it is helpful to have come to terms with some of the grief before starting an 8-week course. It can be difficult to recognise and work with pre-existing and more longstanding habits of mind, when the bereavement is still very preoccupying. The 1 year period is a notional time (and people will differ a great deal in when they feel ready to begin a course) so again, a chat with our course facilitator may help clarify whether you’re ready for the course.
Current Depression
If you are currently depressed, to such an extent that it is difficult for you to manage your everyday life, it is probably not the right time for you to do the course. We know from research into the efficacy of mindfulness courses that people coming on the course need to be reasonably well. The course involves some daily home practice and finding the motivation and energy to do this whilst feeling very depressed will probably be too challenging. However, if you feel you are managing your depression on a day-to-day basis, and feel confident within a group environment, then the course may still be helpful for you. A chat with our course facilitator might help clarify this for you.
Stressful life events – current
Taking a mindfulness course can be quite challenging. There is a big time commitment, since in addition to the 8 weekly sessions, you’ll be encouraged to do daily practices at home – around 20 minutes or average. If there’s too much going on in your life right now (change of job, job loss, loss of home, moving, relationship breakdown too many work commitments etc), then it might just not be the right time for you. Again, a chat with our course facilitator might help you clarify this.
Life crises and recent trauma
Similar to acute illnesses above, when participants have had a recent bereavement, divorce, cancer diagnosis, etc., is usually not a good time to take a mindfulness course. Pre-existing mindfulness practice is very helpful in dealing with strong, raw feelings such as grief, shock and anger, but these are usually too overwhelming for participants to learn how to meditate while dealing with them.
If you have any questions about any of this information, or unsure about any of this information please don’t hesitate to contact us for a chat first before signing up to the course. You can email [email protected] or text to request a call: 07527 127 786
