Submit your Article

Query

I am a 55-year-old homemaker who has of late been feeling emotionally vulnerable. There are days when I feel like crying for no reason and other times I am infuriated by everything. My emotions fluctuate all the time and it is exhausting. I suspect this is because of my menopause. Always feeling this way is making me restless and I would appreciate it if you can offer some coping tips. -A stressed homemaker 

Answered by Alisha Humagain, Psychosocial Counselor, Happy Minds 

Going through a menopause can be emotionally difficult. The estrogen level in the body is elevated, making your emotions unstable. Estrogen is linked with the neurotransmitters in your brain, which is why your emotions can fluctuate a lot, making you restless. You will also be going through several hormonal changes that can affect your emotional stability. 

Feeling this way is in a way inevitable. But there are things you can do to balance these emotions. First, it is important to ask yourself what is triggering your emotions. This is where you have to understand your estrogen levels and hormonal changes. You will feel much calmer after you are aware of the reasons behind your mood changes.

Besides bodily changes, other things can also be causing you stress. It is necessary to identify those triggers as well. Only then can we proceed to the next step. 

The second thing you can do is address your emotions. Suppressing emotions and being in denial is even more stressful. You will be better off accepting what you are feeling, like anxiety and depression, and figuring out what can calm you down. One thing you can do is talk to someone who has already gone through menopause. They might be able to help you out with the things they have tried for themselves. This will assure you that you are not alone: others are also going through or have gone through something similar.

It is hard to get a good night’s sleep during menopause. So if you feel like taking a nap during the day, go for it. As a homemaker, you may not have a lot of free time. But it is necessary to prioritize yourself and allocate enough resting time, which will help you reduce your stress. You can practice yoga and mindfulness too. They are very good ways to keep yourself calm and stable throughout the day.

There are many ways of practicing mindfulness. Say, if you have a personal morning routine, you can do it with your mind focused on the activities at hand rather than doing them like chores you must complete. Being mindful is all about being fully aware of what you are doing.  

If you still feel stressed and emotionally volatile, you can always see a counselor.

Nepal reported 760 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 589 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 494 returned positive. Likewise, 3, 337 people underwent antigen tests, of which 266 were tested positive.

The Ministry said that 324 infected people recovered from the disease.

As of today, there are 5, 602 active cases in the country.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 38. 61 points to close at 2,148.16 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 8. 25 points to close at 412. 25 points.

A total of 8,569,005 units of the shares of 215 companies were traded for Rs 3. 76 billion.

Meanwhile, Balephi Hydropower Limited was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 98 percent. Likewise, United IDI Mardi RB Hydropower Limited was the top loser with its price dropped by 9. 52 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 06 trillion.

Arun Subedi has been appointed as the foreign affairs advisor of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to appoint Subedi as the foreign affairs advisor of the Prime Minister.

He is a political analyst.

The government is preparing to hire around 100, 000 temporary police personnel for the federal and provincial elections slated for November 20.

Nepal Police spokesperson Tek Prasad Rai said that the process to hire the temporary police personnel will be taken ahead soon.

“We will move ahead by making a centralized security plan,” he said, adding, “There is a possibility to hire around 100, 000 temporary police personnel for the elections. We will move ahead by evaluating the security threat.”

Earlier, the government had hired 119, 000 temporary police personnel for the local level elections.

The Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) Executive Chairman Yuvaraj Adhikari has been sacked on Thursday.

A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to remove Adhikari from the top post of the NAC, a minister said.

He was accused of renting a twin otter plane against the law and not being able to keep the officials and staffers of the NAC in discipline.

A probe committee was formed to look into the issue.

The committee had proposed the Council of Ministers to sack Adhikari.

Based on the committee’s proposal, the government sacked him today.

Police have arrested six persons on the charge of abducting a Chinese couple.

The District Police Range, Kathmandu said that police apprehended six persons for abducting a Chinese couple from Lainchaur and taking them hostage at Gongabu on Wednesday night.

They have also been accused of robbing Rs 800, 000 in cash and 27 sets of mobile phones from the couple.

It has been learnt that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs 10 million from the Chinese couple.

Police said that they are looking into the case.

The government has decided to hold the federal and provincial elections on November 20.

A Cabinet meeting held on Thursday decided to hold the federal and provincial elections in a single phase, government spokesperson Gyandendra Bahadur Karki said.

The Election Commission, however, had recommended the government to hold the election on November 18.

A meeting of the ruling coalition leaders held on Wednesday had agreed to hold the elections on November 20.

The term of the members of the House of Representative and Province Assembly is expiring on November 22.