If you struggle to improve your sleep quality during menopause as I did, changing your work-life balance to accommodate these issues takes a lot of pressure off. Diageo was brilliant and allowed me to change my shifts to later in the day to combat my sleep deprivation. On a professional level, being honest with my team and my manager was so important to get through this period. It was a lot to deal with at once, so much so that at times I thought I was experiencing something much worse than menopause! I lacked energy and on top of all of this, I could not sleep. The main effects I experienced were anxiety, depression, and anger, and they hit me quite hard. Getting younger people to talk about it now will help them and those that they love to prepare for something that, although often unpleasant, is completely normal. When I was in my 20s and 30s, we didn’t have the information about menopause that we do today, which made dealing with it when it arrived so much tougher. I’ve also found that speaking to my colleagues about menopause and how it has impacted me has been incredibly rewarding, particularly with colleagues who are at the start of their careers. Women need to talk to their male colleagues, friends, and partners about it, it’s a topic they may not have much information on initially, but having a husband that I was able to talk to about menopause was so helpful. Menopause is not a big deal, and the more we talk about what is a natural part of life the more we will be able to de-mystify it and break the taboo. But having open, honest conversations about what you're going through is the number one tool to thriving through menopause. Exercising and improving my diet has been amazing for me, it gives me energy and allows me to get out of my head when I’m feeling the mental effects. It’s so important to find what works for you when dealing with menopause. I’ve always been an extrovert who is the first person to support others and provide a shoulder to cry on, so when I fall into these mood swings, I feel like I am letting people down! I’ve experienced some nasty effects such as hot flushes, mood swings, and even depression. Hear from our employees Wambui Wahome and Ann McGovern who discuss how experiencing menopause has impacted them, as well as Rory Harradine, who shares his emotional story of how chemotherapy caused his wife to experience early menopause, and how he and his family have dealt with its effects:Īt age 50 I’ve just started perimenopause, the period when your body makes the natural transition to menopause. However, an essential part of raising awareness of menopause is to listen and learn from those those who have directly, and indirectly, experienced menopause. We also worked with balance to launch an app for employees in June 2022, to further the understanding of menopause throughout our business, becoming the first global company to do so. In March 2021, Diageo launched our global Menopause Guidelines ‘Thriving Through Menopause’, providing resources to employees and line managers who may be experiencing menopause or perimenopause directly or indirectly. It’s an important part of Diageo’s commitment to nurturing the most inclusive environment for our colleagues. Creating an environment where employees are supported and feel empowered to talk about their experiences of menopause and perimenopause is essential for our people and our business to thrive. Today marks World Menopause Day, where the global community comes together to raise awareness of menopause and perimenopause, and break taboos.
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