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Navigating the Menopauses: 'Finding Your New Rhythm' with Our Free PDF Guide

Updated: 3 days ago

How Creativity Can Support YOU Through Change


Introduction: Why This Topic Matters

Perimenopause and menopause affect biological women, transgender men, and non-binary / gender non-conforming individuals, yet many of us reach this stage with little clear information, limited support, and a lot of confusion. We at The Black Art Hub decided it would be great to provide you with a fun community book to complement your current support system.



These life stages (the Menopauses' can affect:


Mood

Memory

Energy

Confidence

Identity

Creativity

Relationships

Employment

Sense of self


Across the UK, many of us often describe feeling unprepared, unheard, or dismissed.

As an artist and community organiser working in creative spaces, I see how art can become a supportive system when language, medicine, or systems fall short.

Before we talk about how art supports us, it’s important to understand what perimenopause and menopause actually are because they are not the same thing—even though they’re often used interchangeably.


Understanding the Difference

Perimenopause: The Long Transition

Perimenopause is the stage before menopause.

It can:

Last 4–10 years

Begin in your 40s (sometimes earlier)

Hormones fluctuate unpredictably.


Common experiences include:

Anxiety or low mood

Brain fog

Forgetfulness

Poor sleep

Sensory sensitivity

Irregular periods

Fatigue

Loss of confidence

Emotional overwhelm


Many of us report that perimenopause is the hardest stage, not menopause itself.


Menopause: The Marker Point

Menopause is reached when you’ve officially reached menopause when you’ve gone a full 12 months without a period. After that, you move into postmenopause. Most of us will reach this stage by around age 54, and the good news is that symptoms like hot flushes and night sweats often start to settle down. It’s a new chapter, and many people find that this stage brings a sense of relief and steadiness. Both stages are valid, and both stages deserve support.


Post-menopause can include:

  • Emotional clarity

  • Changed energy levels

  • Body changes

  • A stronger sense of boundaries

  • Reduced tolerance for stress



Creative Spaces Feel Safer Than Explanations

Many of us struggle to explain what we’re experiencing.

Creative spaces help because:

  • You don’t need the right words

  • You don’t need to justify how you feel

  • You can engage quietly or actively

  • There is less pressure to “perform wellness”

Art allows expression without interrogation.

You can show up tired, foggy, emotional, quiet, or overwhelmed—and still belong.


Creativity Supports the Nervous System

Hormonal changes affect the nervous system.

This can cause:

  • Anxiety

  • Shutdown

  • Emotional flooding

  • Difficulty focusing

  • Physical tension


Creative activities help by:

  • Slowing the body

  • Providing sensory grounding

  • Reducing stress responses

  • Creating rhythm and routine

This is not about talent.

It is about regulation and care.


This Stage of Life Is Deeply Personal

Perimenopause and menopause often overlap with:

  • Career changes

  • Caring responsibilities

  • Illness or disability

  • Trauma resurfacing

  • Identity shifts

  • Ageism


Creativity becomes:

  • A private processing space

  • A way to make sense of change

  • A place where nothing needs to be “fixed”

Art at this stage is not about productivity.

It is about continuity and survival (mind, body, and soul).



UK Community Art Spaces Offer Flexible Support

Across the UK, community-led creative spaces quietly support their community by offering:


  • Walking photography

  • Sip-and-paint sessions

  • Poetry circles

  • Zine-making

  • Storytelling and archiving

  • Low-pressure workshops




These formats work because they:

  • Allow rest

  • Encourage connection

  • Adapt to fluctuating energy

  • Centre lived experience

They are naturally menopause-friendly—even when not labelled as such.



Black Women and Menopause

Black UK women often face additional barriers during perimenopause and menopause, including:

  • Cultural silence around menopause

  • Medical dismissal or misdiagnosis

  • Racial bias in healthcare

  • Fewer culturally safe spaces

  • Under-representation in research and imagery



Creative spaces can offer:

  • Validation through shared experience

  • Visibility where mainstream narratives are absent

  • Cultural memory and storytelling

  • Safer environments outside clinical systems

Including Black women’s experiences is essential for a complete and honest archive, not as an add-on, but as part of the wider story of women’s health.


The work of Dr Itunuoluwa Johnson‑Sogbetun, aka Dr Sho, guides readers through the powerful and often misunderstood journey of being Black and in menopause. I’d like you to take a moment to think about what you already know about menopause — and the questions you’ve always wanted answered. This space is for you, and many of those questions will be explored through her guide: 'A PERSONAL GUIDE TO MENOPAUSE FOR BLACK WOMEN'




Navigating Menopause as LGBTQIA+ People

LGBTQIA+ women, trans men, gender non-binary and other gender minoritymay experience menopause differently due to:


  • Gender dysphoria

  • Medical gatekeeping

  • Fear of discrimination

  • Hormonal treatment histories

  • Lack of inclusive language in healthcare


Creative spaces often feel safer because they:

  • Allow self-definition

  • Avoid assumptions about bodies or identities

  • Centre experience over labels

  • Support non-linear narratives

Inclusive art spaces make room for all bodies, identities, and experiences without requiring explanation.



Attachment: Recommended Reading for This Session

Title: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) menopause: Literature review, knowledge gaps, and research agenda Author: Dr Sue Westwood (University of York)

Why this is included & how to use it: This open‑access paper maps what we currently know—and don’t yet know—about LGBTQ+ experiences of the menopausal transition, highlighting gaps in healthcare, workplace support, and inclusive research. It offers a clear agenda for intersectional, community‑informed studies that reflect real, diverse lives.


Our community events aim to centre lived experience and practical wellbeing.

Come along to our MVA‑funded Sip & Paint — LGBTQIA+ Smoothie Edition on Tuesday 24 February, 6:30–8:00pm, part of Medway’s LGBTQIA+ History Month, a welcoming, safe, creative well-being space.




As we continue building safe, inclusive spaces across Medway, it’s clear that conversations about menopause need to reflect the diverse realities of the people experiencing it.


Research continues to highlight how lived experiences vary widely across culture, identity, health, and background, yet so many voices remain missing or overlooked in mainstream menopause discussions.


Our community sessions, creative wellbeing workshops, and free resources are part of a growing effort to change that—centering compassion, representation, and accessible education.


Whether someone is navigating perimenopause, menopause, or post‑menopause, we want them to feel seen, supported, and informed. By combining creative expression with evidence‑based knowledge and community‑led support, we hope to create a space where individuals can better understand their bodies, connect with others, and explore what wellbeing looks like during this chapter of life.



Art Creates Records That Systems Often Miss

Many menopause experiences are:

  • Poorly documented

  • Under-researched

  • Minimised or erased


Art creates records where systems fail.


Photographs, poems, journals, and digital archives:

  • Preserve lived experience

  • Challenge silence

  • Create memory

  • Ensure our voices are not erased.

Archiving this work is an act of care and visibility.


What This Archive Is For

Perimenopause and menopause are significant life transitions.

Local support must come in all shapes and sizes; this is our contribution.

UK art spaces—especially community-rooted ones—offer women space to:

  • Breathe

  • Create

  • Reflect

  • Be seen without judgement.


👉 Read, share, or contribute

👉 Download your FREE Sip & Paint: Smoothie Edition – Menopause community booklet called

'Finding your New Rhythm.'



The Black Art Hub has created an intimate space, so you don't have to go through these stages alone.


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