Peri/menopause rage is not fun! But it's real and it's part of the impact of changing hormones on our brain and of our growing experience of life. But all anger is not equal. What type of anger gets to you and what can you do about it? #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd medium.com/@helenaclare...

1/2 Could Lysander be the world's laziest cat? He spends just about all day like this. Even when he wakes up, his mission is to follow me round until I sit down so he can sleep on my lap instead. But, every time I see him I think how a cat's default position is sleep.

Perimenopause and menopause can be really tough when you work in a school. I help schools figure out how best to support those staff.

1/3 Often the school leaders who find themselves on the front line when staff have problems with perimenopause and menopause aren't confident or comfortable dealing with it. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/3 One of the things I found inspiring when I was going through perimenopause was to look at women who'd gone through it and were living great lives. So today I offer you Dame Evelynn Glennie. An extraordinary performer, champion of new music and campaigner for music education.

1/2 Just a reminder to give yourself a break if you are struggling with perimenopause. It's tough. Your brain is struggling to adjust to hormonal fluctuations, causing mood swings, memory loss, fatigue and brain fog. It's not all in your mind - it's in your brain! #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/4 If you've reached midlife and you're still teaching, the chances are it's because you love it and it matters to you - and you're probably pretty good at it by now. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

Confidence really matters when you're in the classroom. We are on show all the time - and being on top of our game is easier when we feel good about ourselves. Perimenopause and menopause can take a bite out of our confidence. Here's why. And what we do about it. medium.com/my-menopause...

1/2 When I'm not working with schools to help their menopausal staff, I sometimes run creative menopause workshops with The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester. On our last workshop we made lavender bags.

1/4 Teaching is a stressful job. Always has been. You're in performance mode all day, thinking on your feet, working with demanding children and young people who are still learning how to manage their emotions and their lives. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/3 When perimenopause sneaks up in the middle of the night and makes off with not just your libido, but your passion for your job! What's that about? It's all set off by those hormonal shifts doing a number on your brain. But there's lot going on.

One size does not fit all with menopause. One size does not fit all with menopause treatments. One size does not fit all when it comes to supporting school staff. One size does not fit all when it comes to menopause policy. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/4 Can ignorance about perimenopause and menopause be deadly? Ignorance is a harsh word but not recognising perimenopause when it happens is common - because it often shows up in unexpected ways. Sometimes those ways can involve devastating mental health crises.

Honestly, if you don't have a menopause policy you are missing a trick that could improve the wellbeing and performance of key members of staff, reduce attrition and protect you from a whole world of trouble. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd medium.com/@helenaclare...

1/4 Yes, you need a menopause policy. 📝 You need it because you have a legal obligation to support employees through perimenopause and into menopause. 📝 You need it because it lets you to consider what that support might look like - and put reasonable boundaries on it. #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd

Perimenopause was the loneliest time of my life. I didn't understand what was happening. Those around me didn't appreciate what I was going through. Throw in a misdiagnosis and a sprinkling of medical trauma and things really started to fall apart. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/4 What if we could make a cloak that captured what people felt about perimenopause and menopause? What if we could make a cloak that felt comforting and soothing to those struggling with perimenopause and menopause? What if we could combine those two ideas?

1/3 There's always plenty going on it a school to get any person going. But you're not any person. You know how to de-escalate, how to keep calm and how to use your own emotional regulation to suck up all the difficult emotions in the room. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/3 Have you come across this research? It's not been picked up by the press at all. People who suffer from painful periods in adolescence are more likely to suffer from chronic pain as adults. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

I help schools support their staff through perimenopause and menopause so that they can keep on doing the jobs they love the way we know they can. Here's how. And here's how you book a quick chat with me. tidycal.com/haclare/quic...

Perimenopause and menopause can make mincemeat of our brains. Brain fog, fatigue, anxiety, rage, memory loss - even the hot flushes start in our brains! Hormone shifts have a impact on lots of key areas of the brain. Here's more. helenaclare.medium.com/how-mindfuln...

1/2 When the brain goes awry in perimenopause and menopause there are a few ways to handle it. HRT can be a big part of the fix. Diet's important - cutting down on carbs and upping the protein's really helpful. Exercise helps with fatigue and focus. #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd

1/2 Few things make me smile more than an autumn rose. So here's to all us late bloomers. Those of us who are rocking it in mid-life and beyond, despite the challenges of perimenopause and menopause and the demands of life.

1/4 Being honest is something that matters a lot to me. Being 'nice' not so much. Because the thing about being nice, is it isn't always about being kind. Being nice is holding back.

It really is that many! In some schools two thirds of staff or more can be experiencing perimenopause. Something as simple as an all-staff talk makes them feel seen, helps them find solutions and support, and builds understanding in the rest of the school community. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/4 Education matters. The work you do in our schools matters. It makes a long lasting difference to the lives of the children and young people you work with. It makes a valuable contribution to our society and the world in which we live.

1/3 I wish teaching through perimenopause and menopause was easy. Honestly I wish teaching was easier, but it's never going to be a really easy job! Neither is perimenopause going to be completely straightforward! But we can make it better if

Things ought to have just clicked into place by now. But they haven't. With perimenopause there can be so much going on that we don't feel comfortable in our own skin and our confidence can be badly affected. What's going on? What to do? #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd medium.com/my-menopause...

1/2 You have a moment to yourself. What music do you play to improve your mood? What music gets you focussed? What music helps with fatigue? There are studies that show that music can help with all those things. May I suggest creating playlists for calm, for focus and for energy?

For those of you that haven't met me yet, I'm Helen and I help schools support their staff through perimenopause and menopause (and for those who have met me, yes, that's the dress I made for my 60th birthday party!)

Isn't that wonderful? This member of staff feels able to ask for more understanding and give more understanding. If your school needs to improve the way that staff deal with perimenopause drop me a line and we'll sort something out! #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/3 They might... But there are a lot of reasons why they might not. They may not realise themselves that it's perimenopause. They may be in denial. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/4What do we achieve when I work with a school? 💧We build an understanding of menopause for all your staff - and an opportunity to develop empathy. 💧We help your staff in menopause find each other and support each other. #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd

1/6 Here's a weird perimenopause thing that's hardly talked about. And it can really make you self-conscious, especially around young people. Smell. What's going on?

The new school year often comes with mixed feelings. Sadness for the end of the summer. Excitement about seeing colleagues and pupils again. Determination to do it well. There's also anxiety - and that can be exaggerated in perimenopause and menopause. Hope this helps! medium.com/my-menopause...

The 1st September. Off we go again! I hope you've had a decent break and your prep and various responsibilities haven't got in the way of you enjoying yourself and resting. How are you feeling? #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/10 I'm 60 today! Very definitely post-menopausal and fully transitioned into this next stage of life. So I thought I would tell you a little bit about the view from this side of the valley. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/4 We could do without it right? Especially when we're in the middle of building our school career. Suddenly our brain doesn't work when we most need it to. Our calm is shattered as our moods are all over the place. #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd

What to do when perimenopausal anxiety kicks in next week? This is the quickest way I know of giving your self a quick reset and grounding. Good luck #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

1/2 New School Year Anxiety kicking in? Is your peri/menopausal brain adding an extra twist to whirring thoughts? Have you figured out the ways you're going to make the next year just a little easier on your peri/menopausal body while giving your perimenopausal brain time to chill? It's a lot.

It doesn't take much to make sure that perimenopause and menopause don't spoil people's joy in their jobs and sap their stamina as they work through another year. Let's talk!

The start of a new school year comes with big feelings, especially with perimenopause or menopause on top. What can we do to to make sure we've got everything we need to survive menopause in school for another year? #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd helenaclare.medium.com/once-more-un...

1/5 When I was in Year 7, (We called it the first year then) the girls and boys were separated for a lesson and the Lady from Lillywhites came to talk to us. #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Another year being hobbled by perimenopause or menopause symptoms while you do a challenging and important job? Another year watching colleagues struggle. Let's see what we can do about that! #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd

1/2 Yesterday I made jam - a small batch of blackcurrant and a small batch of blackberry. The blackcurrants are from my garden and the blackberries are foraged locally. I admit I had a bit of a sugar frenzy licking the spoons and scraping the pans - as I used to do when my mum made jam.

Here's my 60th Birthday dress (complete with accessories) finished with over a week to go! Now I have the hood of a menopause cloak to sew next week. Don't ask! Actually please do!

1/3 Imagine the world was built for menopausal women. 💧That we could nip to the loo when we needed. 💧Take a moment to reset when we needed. 💧That nothing was stressing us out. #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenEd

1/4 Usually when I work with schools I start by sharing knowledge with the whole staff. That's not just knowledge about menopause, it's knowledge about how perimenopause and menopause play out in the school environment... #Edusky #EduskyUK #WomenEd

If you're like me, you're not very good at doing nothing. But there's a lot to be gained by doing things slowly. You notice more, appreciate more, feel less stressed at the end of it - and somehow you manage to do quite a lot! helenaclare.medium.com/the-benefits...

1/3 The last thing we want is our peri/menopausal staff members shutting up and putting up. That only makes their experience of their difficult symptoms worse, and it also runs the risk of things escalating. #Edusky #EduskyUk #WomenED