S-Y-D-N-E-Y: A Powerful Mindfulness Method for Women Navigating Through Perimenopause and Menopause

After the first MiniPause retreat I hosted, near my hometown of Adelaide, I felt so full of energy and positivity that I brought all these good feelings with me on our family holiday to Sydney.

Sydney is a special place for my family as my husband and I lived there for a couple of years, and it is where our first child was born.

On this recent Sydney trip, we wanted to show our children the roots of our family tree.  But now, the name SYDNEY has taken on a new meaning for me as I help women through perimenopause and menopause.

A Simple Way to Remember How to Handle Tough Perimenopause Moments

I’ve created an easy-to-remember tool using the letters in SYDNEY to help women deal with those overwhelming moments that can come with perimenopause and menopause:

S – Stop, Soothe, or Soften

When your hormones trigger anxiety, hot flashes, or big emotions, the first step is to pause. Stop what you’re doing. Take a break. Be gentle with yourself. Soothe your nervous system with compassion.

Y – Your

Remember that this is YOUR journey. No one else’s. Your perimenopause experience is unique to you and deserves personalised attention and care.

D – Devastating or Destructive

Notice when your thoughts feel devestating or when you’re stuck in destructive patterns that hurt you. Just naming these feelings can help them lose power.

N – Negative

Watch those negative thought spirals without judging yourself. When your hormones are all over the place, negative thinking can get worse. Awareness is the first step toward transformation.

E – Emotions

Feel your emotions without trying to push them away. During perimenopause, your feelings might seem bigger, or come out of nowhere – that’s okay.

Y – Yourself

Come back to the real you, yourself – the person you are beyond all these temporary symptoms and challenges of this transition.

Why Practice This Technique Now?

Why should you implement this practice immediately? Because:

• NOW is all we have. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
• Don’t waste another minute feeling bad when you have tools to feel better
• Your life is worth it. You deserve to experience this transition with ease and self-compassion
• You’re creating your future in each present moment
• You can only change YOURSELF – not others, only your own thoughts and responses.

How to Implement the SYDNEY Method During Perimenopause

It’s super simple:

PAUSE!

Take a deep breath. Maybe take two or three. Notice your thoughts, your emotions, and what your body feels like.

Focus

Focus on your feelings. Own them. Watch them come and go, like waves on the beach.

Be Present

Stay in this moment instead of worrying about tomorrow or yesterday.

Apply What Works For You

If you’ve been at one of our MiniPause retreats, try any of the techniques you learnt that felt good for you.

Making Your Midlife Journey Better

Women at our retreats find that this simple mindfulness trick helps them handle hot flushes, mood swings, sleep problems, and anxiety that often come with perimenopause and menopause.

The journey isn’t always easy, but there’s magic happening right now if you can see it. When you help yourself with these simple practices, you not only feel better – you eventually become someone who can inspire other women going through the same thing.

At MiniPause, I believe that even though perimenopause and menopause can be really hard, it gives us a chance to know ourselves better and find new purpose.

The SYDNEY method is just one of the simple tools I share at our one-day where we come together to support each other, learn practical ways to feel better, and find new hope during midlife.

Join us at our next MiniPause retreat, designed for women going through perimenopause and menopause. Visit www.minipause.au to learn more.