
Episode 2: The Science and Soul of Midlife Rage with Guest Thea Baker
It goes by a lot of names: ‘mood change’ in Midlife, MenoRage, Angry Woman Syndrome or, as I like to call it, Midlife Rage. But the fact that you’ve clicked on this episode tells me you’re already familiar with the concept.
Whether you’ve found that you’re not the ‘fun-dolly’ you used to be or you’re going from 0 to 100 in the blink of an eye, this episode is for you. We’re getting to the bottom of the question “Why are midlife women angry?” by splitting it into two parts: the science and the soul.
In the first segment, I’m breaking down the science behind what’s happening in your body in midlife. We’re looking at the interconnected ways that serotonin, your hormones, gut health, stress, diet and lifestyle contribute to your mood change.
For the second segment, I’m going to be joined by my dear friend and colleague, Thea Baker, and we’ll discuss the socio-psycho-spiritual aspects of this phenomenon and offer some practical solutions that we can all take heart from.
Thea is a counsellor and body-based (somatic) psychotherapist with special interests in all aspects of women’s health, trauma and couples/relationship therapy. In her therapeutic work, she works collaboratively with her clients to find a place of healing and recovery.
I’m so excited to share this information with you! Researching this has been TOTALLY FASCINATING and I know that if you’re going through this right now you’ll truly gain some insight and hopefully food for thought for your own situation.
Highlights from the episode
The Science
- The major role serotonin plays in your mood
- How declining estradiol impacts your serotonin levels
- The connection between gut bacteria and mental health
- Why chronic stress is considered a risk factor for mood pathologies
- Vitamin D as a key player in the production of serotonin
- The deep impact of a chronic lack of quality sleep
- Key considerations for going vegan
- Why being touched in the right way, at the right time produces serotonin
The Soul
- How Thea’s lived experiences led to the work she does now
- Where many years’ worth of accumulated resentment goes
- The compounding problem with trading your authenticity for fitting in
- Getting to the edge of the cliff around 50
- Our opportunities to reinvent ourselves
- Why Midlife women need a radically different approach to nutrition and fitness
- Coming out of fear and dropping into your body
- How we’re impacted by slow progress in gender roles at home
- The cumulative effect of our 24/7/365 role in the home
- Unlearning the manipulative storybook narrative
- Feeling trapped because of a lack of financial power
- How many women minimize issues with their pelvic health
- Why I feel that suppression of authentic expression is the origin of so much disease
- Simple practices you can use to start to work out these issues
- Why it’s essential to create a plan and a new map for this territory
Resources mentioned in the episode
- Thea Baker’s Website
- Thea Baker on Facebook
- Thea Baker on Instagram
- Thea Baker on LinkedIn
- Annabel Crabb’s Book | The Wife Drought: Why Women Need Wives and Men Need Lives
- Annabel Crabb’s Quarterly Essay | Men at Work
- Maureen Murdock’s Book | The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness
- Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski’s Book | Burnout: Solve Your Stress Cycle
- Unlocking Us with Brené Brown | Emily and Amelia Nagoski on Burnout and How to Complete the Stress Cycle
- Soraya Chemaly’s Book | Rage Becomes Her
References for this episode
- Gupta, Soma et al. “Evaluation of Endocrine Parameters as Predictor of Major Depressive Disorder.” Indian journal of psychological medicine vol. 39,6 (2017): 766-769. doi:10.4103/IJPSYM.IJPSYM_120_17
- Duval, Fabrice et al. “Interaction between the serotonergic system and HPA and HPT axes in patients with major depression: implications for pathogenesis of suicidal behavior.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience vol. 4,4 (2002): 417. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2002.4.4/fduval
- Patrick, Rhonda P, and Bruce N Ames. “Vitamin D and the omega-3 fatty acids control serotonin synthesis and action, part 2: relevance for ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and impulsive behavior.” FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology vol. 29,6 (2015): 2207-22. doi:10.1096/fj.14-268342
- Saghir, Zahid et al. “The Amygdala, Sleep Debt, Sleep Deprivation, and the Emotion of Anger: A Possible Connection?.” Cureus vol. 10,7 e2912. 2 Jul. 2018, doi:10.7759/cureus.2912
- Chang W, Kanda H, Ikeda R, Ling J, DeBerry JJ, Gu JG. Merkel disc is a serotonergic synapse in the epidermis for transmitting tactile signals in mammals. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Sep 13;113(37):E5491-500. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1610176113. Epub 2016 Aug 29. PMID: 27573850; PMCID: PMC5027443