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A post shared by Tarn Ellis (@tarnellisart) on Jun 27, 2020 at 4:00am PDT

Oh, the changes we face as women when we enter menopause. 

It’s maddening how quickly the changes start to appear, and how much those changes affect your life (not in a positive way).

There are times when I feel like I have so much time left—I feel young, full of energy, and beautiful.

But those “good feelings” have shown themselves less and less over the past year. My “good weeks” have dwindled down to one single measly week out of the month. It’s horrifying how “crazy” I feel at times.

Thankfully I am really in tune with my body, and I can feel the shift in my hormones instantly. I know when I will start acting like a lunatic, and that it is most likely the damn hormones.

Between the horrible PMS (or PMDD, I’m not sure which it is), the weeks of irritability, anger, anxiety, sadness, and a day (or four) of migraines—and let’s not forget the battle of weight gain (which I genuinely believe is 90 percent bloating)—I can’t get any relief.

The weight gain has been strange! I am someone who can easily drop 10 pounds and have been wearing the same size-four pants for about 30 years. 

But for the past year or so, my body looks and feels so different. If I had to explain, I would say puffy, lumpy, misshapen. 

It’s terrible and disheartening.

And let’s not forget to mention my hips! 

What the hell happened to them? 

They have exploded! It feels as if I got hip implants. My frame is too small for them, and I don’t know how to manage them.

I am a yogi, a nutrition buff, a lover of all exercise, and consistently active. So why can’t I keep these hips at bay?

I digress…

As a coach, I encourage and guide my clients in the direction of self-love and self-acceptance. The path to happiness is accepting ourselves for exactly who we are. Especially when we treat ourselves with kindness and respect. When we treat our bodies as sacred. 

And I believe in this 100 percent.

This is why I exercise daily, even if all I have time for is stretching. I do just that.

I eat well, I indulge when I want to, but otherwise, I am balanced. I watch my intake of many things, but don’t deprive myself either.

I treat myself, I surround myself with beauty, I only engage with people who are all things good, and I keep away from anyone toxic.

I have a fantastic boyfriend, an incredible career, great kids, and a balanced life.

What’s missing, you ask?

Accepting the changes in my body. Maybe not loving them, but accepting that this is the natural course of life. 

I can’t change it. 

I won’t try to alter it, but I can accept it.

And I will.