Over the last few years, around the time of the new year, I have chosen a word or phrase for the year.
Or rather, I have created some space for deep listening and allowed a word or phrase to come to me.
When looking I see that my menopause process is clearly visible in these words.
I had a few years of words like:
Simplify
Slowing down
Self care
Stillness
(Lots of Ss for some reason!)
All pointing to the Metal and Water (the autumn and winter) phases of menopause.
Then last year I got the word 'courage', a big surprise, and a clear indication that I had moved into a different phase of menopause; that, as I'd sensed, I was coming out the other side.
This year the word that has come to me is 'optimism'.
This has perhaps come as an even bigger surprise! And it has had a big impact on me.
I am repeating 'optimism, optimism' often, silently to myself and sometimes out loud and each time I say it, it's like taking a spoonful of medicine!
Part of me asks how I can be optimistic when there is so much violence, pain, suffering and chaos in the human and non-human world.
But repeating 'optimism' I can feel my brain rewiring itself and old, pessimistic habits of thought are suddenly glaringly obvious, and I notice I have a choice about where my thoughts go. I can choose to open to optimism.
This is a very gentle and natural-feeling process - it has nothing to do with forcing myself to recite fake-feeling affirmations, or relentless 'positive thinking'.
I am still available for all my feelings. I am still facing and voicing the difficult things when needed, and feeling my grief when it arises.
Optimism is helping me to believe that my love makes a difference, that my showing up makes a difference. And also that perhaps there is something greater than us guiding us through what I see as a kind of global menopause.
Two weeks into 2025, I already feel changed by the power of 'my' word in the most beautiful way.
If you would like to find your 'Word of the Year':
1. Create some space. Give yourself a bit more spaciousness in your daily schedule. Take moments to journal, walk in nature or just dream.
2. Don't force it. Let the word come to you. There's no hurry.
3. When the word comes, trust that you will know, and receive it with gratitude.
4. Use your word in any way you wish. Write it down and place it somewhere you'll see it often, meditate on it, journal all your associations with it, look up the dictionary definition, try saying your word out loud as 'medicine'. Share it or keep it as your secret.
5. Does your word tell you anything about where you are in your menopause process? You may like to look at the Menopause Map in my ebook for a recap of the inner phases --> https://www.melanieward.co.uk/ebook
If you already have a practice of choosing a word of the year:
Try looking back over the last few years and see if you can see the bigger picture in relation to your menopause journey.
And if this whole thing is not for you, or you're trying to find your word but it's remaining elusive:
1. Perhaps you're more of a visual person? In my next post I'll be sharing my guide to creating powerful vision boards in an intuitive and embodied way, plus I share the two things you've probably been missing off your vision boards when you've created them in the past.
And 2. Don't worry! Human beings have been around for millions of years and the majority of them probably never had a 'word of the year'!
