018 | Why You Feel the Urge to Fix Your Body in Perimenopause (Overwhelm & Urgency Explained)

Why does it feel like you need to fix everything… right now—especially in perimenopause?

If you’ve noticed changes in your body, your weight, or your energy…

and felt that sudden urgency to “get it together”… you’re not alone.

This episode is part of the “Steady in Midlife” series—a gentle path from urgency, pressure, and overwhelm toward steadiness in perimenopause.

In midlife, certain moments can catch you off guard—

a photo… a number on the scale… a shift in energy…

and suddenly, something tightens.

“I need to get a grip.”

“I have to fix this.”

In this episode, we gently slow that moment down.

Because underneath the urgency to change everything…

there’s often something deeper asking for your attention.

Instead of rushing into action, we begin with something different:

pausing, noticing, and becoming aware of what you’re actually feeling.

This is where steadiness begins.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Why urgency feels so strong during perimenopause
• What’s often underneath the impulse to “fix everything”
• How body changes can trigger deeper emotional responses
• A simple way to pause and begin noticing what you’re feeling
• Why awareness is the first step toward real, lasting change

A Gentle Reminder

If you’ve found yourself thinking:

• “I just need to get it together”
• “Why can’t I figure this out?”
• “I should be able to handle this better”

You’re not alone.

And you’re not doing this wrong.

Your body—and your experience—deserve to be understood,

not rushed or overridden.

A Small Practice to Try

The next time you feel that urgency rise…

Pause.

And gently ask:

“What am I feeling right now?”

Not to fix it.

Not to change it.

Just to notice.

Because noticing…

is where the shift begins.

Why This Matters

When we move quickly into urgency and pressure,

we often skip over what our body is actually trying to communicate.

But learning to pause and notice helps you:

• better understand your emotional and physical responses
• reduce reactivity
• begin building a more supportive relationship with your body

This is especially important in perimenopause,

when hormonal changes can affect energy, mood, and how your body responds to stress.

A Little About Me

I’m Bethany Thomson, a Registered Dietitian, functional nutritionist, and holistic Christian life coach. I walk with women in midlife as they learn to care for their bodies and souls with gentleness, wisdom, and steadiness.

I’m also a wife and mama of five, living on our family farm outside Nashville, Tennessee, where life is full, a little messy, and deeply rooted in rhythms that nourish both body and soul.

Support for This Season

If you’re feeling stuck in cycles of starting over, pushing harder, and feeling frustrated…

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

🫖 Learn more about working together at ingrainedliving.com

(nutrition therapy + holistic life coaching for midlife women)

Share + Review

If this episode resonated,

would you consider sharing it with a friend who might need it too?

Or leaving a review—it helps more women find this space.

A Gentle Place to Land  

You are not failing because you feel the urge to fix everything.

You may simply be at the beginning of noticing

what your body has been trying to say.

And that… is a powerful place to start.

Grace and peace,

Bethany

Everything shared here is for education and reflection. Please partner with your trusted provider for your personal care.

Full disclaimer: ingrainedliving.com/disclaimer 
© 2026 Ingrained Living. All rights reserved.

What is Nourishing Her Midlife Rest: Body & Soul | Perimenopause, Holistic Nutrition & Life Coaching for Christian Women?

Nourishing Her Midlife Rest: Body & Soul is a podcast for Christian women in their 40s and 50s navigating perimenopause, hormone shifts, exhaustion, burnout, and the changing rhythms of midlife.

Hosted by Bethany Thomson, Registered Dietitian, functional nutritionist, and Christian life coach, this podcast blends functional nutrition, hormone health, whole-person wellness, and grace-filled encouragement to support women in body and soul.

Some episodes are practical and educational—covering topics like perimenopause, hormones, fatigue, inflammation, nervous system support, digestion, stress, and nourishment in midlife.

Others are more reflective and restorative, offering gentle conversations about rest, emotional healing, caregiving, faith, identity, and learning to live with greater steadiness and compassion in seasons of overwhelm.

Whether you feel exhausted, disconnected from yourself, stuck in survival mode, or simply weary from carrying too much for too long, there is space for you here.

Together, we’ll explore a gentler path toward nourishment, steadiness, and rest—body and soul.

Learn more at:
www.ingrainedliving.com

Remember last time…
when we talked about those moments—
trying on the jeans that won’t button any longer…
or facing a milestone birthday… or a reunion…
or seeing a photo of yourself and thinking,
“Is that really me?”
even though just moments before…
you felt so good about yourself…
and then something shifts…
And almost without realizing it…
that sense of urgency begins to rise.
“I’ve got to get a grip on this.”
“I need to fix this.”
And we talked about how quickly we move into that place…
of wanting to change everything… fast.
But today…
instead of jumping into fixing…
what if we slowed it down?
What if we spent a little time listening…
and reflecting…
before we did anything at all?
Welcome to Nourishing Her Midlife Rest: Body & Soul.
I’m Bethany Thomson—Registered Dietitian, functional nutritionist, and holistic Christian life coach.
This podcast is for weary Christian women navigating perimenopause and the sacred middle seasons of life—
where flourishing isn’t about pushing through,
but about learning to receive: grace, wisdom, and rest—body and soul.
If you’ve been carrying too much…
pushing too hard…
or wondering where the real you has gone—
you’re not alone.
This is a space to breathe again.
To reconnect with your body.
To rest in the care of the Good Shepherd—
who meets you with gentleness in this midlife season.
Because you can’t hack your way to healing…
and you can’t hustle your way to wholeness…
but you can begin to return to rest.
And that’s where we’ll begin today.
So as we start…
I want to gently invite you…
when that urgency rises—
that tightening… that pull to fix everything—
to pause for just a moment…
and ask yourself:
“What’s underneath this?”
Because underneath that reaction…
there’s usually something else going on.
And it’s easy to miss it—
because we move so quickly into action.
But if you slowed it down…
you might begin to notice…
Is this fear?
Fear of where this is heading…
fear of losing control…
fear that maybe you’re becoming someone you didn’t want to become…
even something that reminds you of your mother… or your family…
Or maybe it’s frustration…
“Why can’t I get this together?”
Or even anger…
at yourself…
at your body…
at how things have changed.
And sometimes…
there’s a sadness there.
A kind of grief…
about getting older…
about things not feeling the way they used to…
about realizing that time is moving forward…
And sometimes…
there may even be a quiet sense…
that you’ve been carrying a lot for a long time…
maybe even putting yourself last…
And most of the time…
we don’t stay here long enough to notice.
Because it’s uncomfortable.
So instead…
we react.
We move quickly into doing something…
trying to change it…
trying to get back in control.
But today…
we’re doing something different.
What if…
just for a moment…
you stayed?
And if it feels comfortable…
you might even begin to notice…
where that feeling is showing up in your body.
It might feel like a tightness in your chest…
or a heaviness in your shoulders…
or maybe a knot in your stomach…
Or it might show up somewhere else entirely.
There’s no right place—
just gently noticing what’s there.
And if it feels okay…
you might place your hand gently there…
like a caring presence…
just acknowledging…
“I notice this.”
You don’t need to change it.
You don’t need to fix it.
Just be with it…
for a moment.
And if that feels unfamiliar…
or even a little uncomfortable…
that’s okay too.
We’re so used to moving quickly past what we feel…
trying to fix it…
trying to get it under control.
But what if…
you didn’t have to do that right away?
What if you could just stay here…
noticing…
listening…
letting yourself be with what’s actually there?
Because this experience…
it’s real.
And it’s more common than you may think.
These moments in midlife—
they do bring things to the surface.
They invite us to look a little more honestly…
a little more deeply.
And if you’ve felt fear…
or frustration…
or even grief in that…
you are not alone.
So in the days ahead…
if you notice that urgency rising again—
that pull to fix it all…
I want to invite you…
to come back to this moment.
To pause.
To gently ask yourself…
“What am I feeling right now?”
And just notice what’s there.
You don’t have to figure it out.
You don’t have to change anything yet.
Just noticing…
is enough for now.
And you don’t have to do this alone.
Because sometimes…
what begins to surface here…
is tender.
And it can be hard to hold by yourself.
So that might look like sharing with a trusted friend…
a sister…
someone who feels safe to you.
Or if you’re needing a little more support…
having someone walk with you in this—
to help you stay with what’s coming up…
and begin to build something steadier from there.
For now…
this is enough.
You don’t need to fix anything today.
Just by noticing…
you’re already beginning
to shift something.
And next time…
we’ll begin to stay with it…
just a little longer.
And if you’re finding yourself in a season where things feel tight…
or urgent… or unclear…
and you’re longing for support in building something steady—
you don’t have to figure that out alone.
If you’d like to work together,
you can visit ingrainedliving.com
to learn more about the ways I support women in midlife
through nutrition therapy and holistic life coaching.
I’d be honored to walk with you.
And if today’s episode met you in a tender place,
would you consider sharing it with a friend
who might need that same kind of gentle support?
Or leaving a review—
it helps this message reach more women
who are quietly carrying the same things.
Until next time, dear one—
You are not failing because you can’t get a grip…
You may just be ready…
for a steadier way forward—
one that’s allowed to unfold over time.
Grace and peace,
Bethany