Well, 2020 has been quite a year! As we slide into December, it seems a good time to reflect and check in with ourselves.  I think everyone has struggled with their own different challenges over the past few months and this second lockdown here in the UK has felt especially difficult as we’ve moved into winter. It wouldn’t be surprising if you were feeling a bit low and anxious, because whatever your situation, we’ve all experienced a lot of uncertainly and disruption in our lives this year. So it’s more important than ever that we focus on our mental health and wellbeing and that’s exactly what we’re doing in this episode.

I’m delighted to welcome Rachel Weiss back to the podcast who is just the woman for the job. I interviewed Rachel earlier this year to celebrate International Women’s Day for episode 14 of season 1and we talked all about the lightbulb moment that led to her founding the Menopause Café, which has grown into a highly successful international movement. She’s also gone on to create the first annual Menopause Festival which is a celebration of women in midlife. If that’s whetted your appetite and you’d like to find out more, you should listen to that episode next, because it’s fascinating! This time Rachel is joining us with her other hat on, because she’s an accredited counsellor, coach and co-founder of the Rowan Consultancy which provides a range of counselling and psychotherapy services.

We discuss what’s going on in the brain when we become worried and anxious and how this can impact on our body. Rachel talks us through some simple, everyday strategies to manage our mental health and wellbeing, which she describes as emotional "first aid". Tune in to find out how you can support yourself through stressful situations and when you’re feeling pressured, so that you feel more resilient and better equipped to cope with the challenges of daily life.

If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or whichever platform you listen on, as it really helps to spread the word, so that new listeners can find the show. Because every woman deserves to have a happy menopause. 

🎉 Win a free 1-hour menopause nutrition consultation with Jackie!
Pre-order The Happy Menopause Guide to Energy and enter the prize draw.
👉 Click here to choose your retailer and upload your proof of purchase or visit my Instagram @wellwellwelluk for the link.

Check out the full Show Notes for this episode on my website www.well-well-well.co.uk/podcast, where you'll find all the relevant links and references for each guest.

For ad-free listening, bonus episodes, a monthly live nutrition Q&A and a whole host of other exclusive content, join The Happy Menopause Club at TheHappyMenopause.com for just £6 per month.

Learn how to build your own menopause diet to manage your symptoms with my latest book The Happy Menopause: Smart Nutrition to Help You Flourish. It's available in all the usual places.