My birthday is in a couple of months and, honestly, I feel like I’ve arrived at this strange little life checkpoint where I keep thinking:
Is this hormones? Is this burnout? Is this womanhood? Or am I just absolutely sick of deciding what’s for tea?
Because I don’t know about you, but nobody warned me that one day the question “what are we having for dinner?” could feel like a full emotional event.
And don’t even get me started on supermarkets.
The endless rotation of buying the same things, cooking the same things, watching people not want the same things, then doing it all again three days later. Who signed us up for this? Who agreed that one person should be in charge of feeding a family forever? I’d like to see the paperwork.
But joking aside, I’ve been thinking a lot about this stage of life.
I’m nearly 48. I run a business. I’m a mum. I’m a wife. I’m a woman who has spent years keeping plates spinning - and lately, some days, it feels like the plates are made of concrete.
The mood dips. The anxiety. The overwhelm. The random dread. The complete lack of motivation one week, followed by feeling fine the next. The confusion of wondering whether you’re burnt out, hormonal, exhausted, or just living in a world where everyone has collectively forgotten how to indicate at roundabouts.
And the more women I speak to, the more I realise I’m absolutely not alone.
Almost every woman I know has a story. Some are funny. Some are frightening. Some are heartbreaking. So many women quietly going through huge hormonal changes, business pressure, family pressure, money pressure, caring pressure - all while still being expected to remember PE kits, birthday cards, food shopping, dental appointments and whether there’s enough milk in the fridge.
I recently spoke to someone I really admire. She ran her business through the busiest season of her life while going through menopause, and hearing what she went through quietly was both sad and strangely comforting. Not because I wanted her to have struggled, but because it made me feel less like I was losing the plot.
There is something powerful about another woman saying:
“No, I felt like that too.”
It doesn’t fix everything, but it does soften it.
Because sometimes the hardest part isn’t even the symptoms. It’s wondering if it’s just you.
I’ve also found the lack of support really difficult. You hear the same thing again and again: women going to appointments, not feeling heard, leaving feeling worse, then not wanting to go back. And I know menopause and perimenopause are being talked about more now, which is brilliant, but when you’re actually in the middle of it, it can still feel very lonely and very confusing.
There should be somewhere women can go and say:
“Something has changed. I don’t feel like myself. Can someone help me work out what’s going on?”
No drama. No dismissal. No feeling like you’re being difficult.
Just proper support.
The one thing that has been helping me lately is movement. I’ve finally got into a little routine with a friend - a bit of Pilates, a bit of strength, and, for reasons I still don’t fully understand, a spin class that feels like legalised torture.
But I come out feeling better.
Sore bum, but better.
And maybe that’s where I am at the moment. Trying to collect the little things that help. Movement. Fresh air. A candle on. A tidy corner. A decent cup of tea. A moment where nobody asks me what’s for dinner.
Womanhood is not for the faint-hearted. Motherhood is not for the faint-hearted. Running a business in this climate is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
And doing all three while your hormones are apparently playing darts blindfolded?
Well. That deserves some sort of medal. Or at the very least, a quiet room and a nice candle.
So if you’re in your 40s or 50s and you’re feeling a bit like you don’t recognise yourself some days, I just want to say: you’re not the only one.
If dinner feels like too much, if the supermarket makes you want to abandon the trolley and start a new life, if people not indicating suddenly feels like a personal attack, if you’re tired in your bones but still somehow carrying on - I see you.
Maybe this is hormones. Maybe it’s burnout. Maybe it’s just the invisible load finally asking to be noticed.
Whatever it is, I think more of us need to talk about it.
Because the more we do, the less alone we feel.
And honestly?
That might be the most useful thing I’ve learned on the approach to 48.
Jo x
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💛 A little something, just for you...
If you've read this far and you're nodding along, I want to say thank you - and I want to give you something back.
I'm adding a free gift to orders for any amount, just for women who've made it to the end of this blog. No minimum spend, no catch.
To claim it, here's what to do:
1. Add your items to your cart as normal
2. Click 'View Cart' (not 'Checkout' - this step is important!)
3. Look for the line that says 'Add order note'
4. Click it, and a box will appear - type WOMANHOOD in that box
5. Then carry on to checkout as normal
⚠️ If you go straight to checkout you won't see the order note option, so make sure you go via 'View Cart' first!
It's a small thing, but it's from me to you - one woman navigating all of this to another. 💛
