Perimenopause and Ageing Positively: Finding a Way Through That Actually Makes Sense
Ageing positively during perimenopause does not mean pretending everything is fine. It means building a realistic, sustainable relationship with this stage of life.
What Ageing Positively Actually Means
Ageing positively is not about being relentlessly cheerful about hot flushes or pretending you love your new belly. It is about developing a realistic view of what this stage of life is, what it costs, and what it can offer. It is the difference between toxic positivity and genuine acceptance. The women who seem to navigate midlife most gracefully are not the ones who never struggle. They are the ones who have found ways to adapt without completely abandoning themselves in the process.
The Cultural Noise Around Female Ageing
Women are surrounded by messages that make ageing feel like a failure. Anti-ageing skincare, before-and-after weight loss stories, the relentless emphasis on looking young. This cultural backdrop does not disappear during perimenopause. If anything, it gets louder, arriving at exactly the moment when your body is visibly changing. Recognising this noise for what it is, marketing and social conditioning rather than objective truth, is a necessary starting point.
What Research Says About Ageing and Wellbeing
Interestingly, many studies on wellbeing across the lifespan show that people tend to be happier in their 50s and 60s than in their 30s and 40s. Anxiety about identity and social comparison often peaks in younger adulthood. Midlife, for all its physical disruptions, can also bring greater clarity about what matters, less tolerance for situations that are not working, and a stronger sense of self. Perimenopause does not preclude a good decade. For many women, it is the beginning of one.
Practical Anchors for Feeling Well
Physical anchors matter. Regular strength or resistance training during perimenopause has documented benefits for bone density, mood, and sleep. Walking consistently and getting outside connects to mental health in ways that indoor exercise does not fully replicate. Eating enough protein supports muscle retention. Sleep, even imperfect perimenopause sleep, is worth protecting. None of these make ageing disappear. They make it more liveable.
Relationships and Community as Long-Term Assets
Loneliness is one of the more significant risks for health in later life, and perimenopause is a good moment to assess whether your social connections are sustaining or depleting you. This stage of life often prompts natural reassessment of friendships and relationships. Investing in connections where you feel genuinely seen and supported, and stepping back from ones that consistently drain you, is a real act of self-care with long-term payoffs.
Tracking How You Feel Over Time
Ageing positively includes understanding your own body well enough to advocate for it. Tracking your symptoms, energy levels, and workout patterns with an app like PeriPlan can help you notice trends, identify what helps, and bring specific data to medical appointments. Knowing yourself well is one of the most useful tools for this stage of life.
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