World Menopause Day 2025: Saturday 18 October

This year’s theme is all about “Lifestyle Medicine in Menopausal Health”

There’s more to menopause than just hot flushes. And there’s more to menopausal management than just HRT. For one thing, not everyone can or wish to take HRT. For another, HRT isn’t the only tool in the toolbox that can help the many and varied symptoms and experiences of the menopause journey.

This year’s theme highlights how lifestyle changes can positively support women through the menopausal journey in the following categories: Healthy eating; Physical Activity; Mental Wellbeing; Restorative Sleep; Healthy Relationships; Avoidances of Risky Substances.

When Manchester Mind launched our pioneering Mindfulness & Relaxation for Menopause Course in 2020, there wasn’t a lot of information about how menopause impacts on mental health. We had to put some evidence together about why a mental health charity should focus on menopause to persuade our trustees to let us trial the programme. Since then, hundreds of women have taken our course, and found first-hand how managing stress, and learning mindfulness practices can help them better manage their menopause. A recent evaluation of our programme found “82% participants reported increased confidence in managing anxiety. Significant improvements were seen in mental wellbeing, stress reduction, and symptom management”.

The UK Menopause Society’s factsheet on menopause and mental health corroborates our own findings – that Mindfulness Programmes were “effective in reducing perceived stress and improving symptom management” and suggests women “practice mindfulness, relaxation, or breathing exercises to reduce stress and hot flushes”.  These are exactly the practices covered in our course.

“I feel I’m at the start of a better path. Despite how little has changed outside of me, within me I am at greater peace.”

8-Week Mindfulness and Relaxation for Menopause Course Participant.

To learn mindfulness meditation and calming techniques in a supportive environment with other women on the same journey, find out more about our 8 week courses here

We’ve also worked with other local Minds across Greater Manchester to develop awareness sessions and support for managers to end stigma and open up the conversation about menopause and mental health in the workplace.

“Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace; however, many of these women may be struggling to manage the psychological and physiological changes their bodies are going through” (CIPD)

Check out our social media channels over the next couple of weeks as our Resilience Coordinator Ruth Rosselson will be sharing some new short practices, like the one below: