Each morning while my kids are eating breakfast, I enjoy a few quiet minutes checking in on the planters on our deck and front porch. I don’t consider myself much of a gardener, but I water them and pick off any brown bits, and make sure they’re still alive and well.

This week, it struck me how similar this process is to how we ideally care for our health in midlife.

Back in early May, I bought a couple of ferns. I knew it was still a bit early, but they were a good deal. So, I babied them for a few weeks—carried them in and out of the garage (most days… I sometimes forgot!), and tried to water them just right—but despite my efforts, they started to look rough. Brown ends. Sad leaves. Not exactly thriving.

I was tempted to toss them and buy new ones. But I’m kind of thrifty, so I persisted to see what I could do to bring them back to health. Was I overwatering? Underwatering? Did they need more sun? Was it too cold?

It’s taking time, but slowly and surely, they are starting to bounce back.

This reminded me so much of what I see with perimenopausal and menopausal health.

Suddenly, what used to work doesn’t anymore. Your usual go-to meals, workouts, or routines don’t feel like they’re giving you the same results. Symptoms pop up that you never had before.

Of course we can’t trade in our bodies in for new ones (ha!), but that doesn’t mean we have to simply accept these changes.

Just like when I asked for advice in my social media stories about how to help my ferns - and got plenty of conflicting opinions - we often get flooded with mixed messages when we seek health advice. That’s why it’s so important to listen to those who understand midlife health, stay open to trying new things, and keep adjusting until we find what works.

Not all plants thrive in the same conditions. And neither do we.

That’s exactly what I do with my patients.   We begin with foundational habits and then we personalize. We check in. We tweak. We grow.

Curious to see what that looks like?  Click here to learn more. 

Dr. Jennifer Haessler, ND