Building out your own coping menu
At our last Perimenopause Posse meeting, we talked about something so many of us run into: when stress hits or the evening wine craving kicks in, the coping skills we know work seem to disappear. Between brain fog, poor sleep, and everything else on our plates, trying to remember what helps in a hard moment is one more thing we don’t have room for.
That’s where a coping menu comes in. Instead of relying on memory, you keep a short list of options sorted by what you need right now: a replacement for the evening drink ritual, comfort for your body, a distraction to ride out the urge, connection with someone safe, or grounding through your senses. When a hard moment comes, you don’t have to think. You look at the menu and pick one that fits.
The first page has ideas to get you started. Use the second page to build your own, and keep it somewhere easy to reach, like your fridge, your nightstand, or a photo on your phone. It takes time to find what works for you, so add to it as you go.
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