The way you start your day in midlife matters more than you think
Let’s talk about something no one warns you about in menopause: how the way you start your day can make or break your mood. And have a ginormous effect on how you experience the rest of the day, from random snack cravings, feeling like the food you eat is never enough, an addiction to scrolling (where did all that time go today?) and how you sleep. Which then effects the next day. And on and on it goes.
So, listen up: if you’re waking up anxious, exhausted, or just feeling like you can’t deal - your morning habits might be setting you up for failure before you’ve even had a coffee. I cannot stress enough that, even if you do not want to hear this midlife plottwist, it's the truth. But the good news is that you don’t need a complete life overhaul to feel better. A few small but mighty tweaks can help you feel calmer, more in control, more confident and way less like you want to launch your laptop (or family members) out the window.
The stress loop - how modern life is making menopause anxiety worse
You know stress is bad for you, but here’s your problem: menopause itself is already throwing your hormones into chaos. And modern habits - poor sleep, erratic eating, endless scrolling - are just making things worse.
Your body’s main stress hormone, cortisol, follows a daily rhythm, rising in the morning and tapering off at night. When this cycle is disrupted (hello, late-night doom scrolling, skipping meals, or running on caffeine), cortisol stays high, leaving you feeling wired but tired, anxious, and frazzled.
And then there’s blood sugar. When meals are skipped or loaded with refined carbs like croissants and even those low-calorie 'no sugar' snack bars, blood sugar levels spike and crash, triggering even more cortisol. The result? Sudden anxiety, irritability, and that lovely “I need to eat right now or I might scream” feeling.
The trick to breaking free from this loop? Small but powerful daily habit shifts.
How your morning routine could be making menopause anxiety worse
Your morning habits matter, however inconvenient that might be. And some of the most common ones can actually increase stress levels, making it harder to stay focused, productive, and emotionally balanced.
Phone before food - scrolling through emails or social media first thing spikes cortisol, putting your body into stress mode before the day has even begun. The other problem with phones is each time you check a message, hop onto socials and so on, your body gets a little dopamine 'snack' and this is addictive. Start with the phone scrolling first thing and you're on a slippery slope. It's not just about checking your phone more. It will leave your body seeking more and more dopamine snacks through the day - cue reduced productivity, and more snacking.
Caffeine on an empty stomach - coffee first thing might feel like a quick energy boost, but this too causes coritsol to rise. First thing, you will naturally have a cortisol spike (it's what makes you feel perky in the morning), but coffee before breakfast places a little too much stress on the body, which is the opposite of what women in menopause need as stress can spike blood sugar levels, leading to a crash later in the morning, leaving you anxious, shaky, and unfocused.
Skipping protein at breakfast - protein provides the building blocks for dopamine and serotonin—two brain chemicals that help keep you feeling happy and motivated. A low-protein breakfast (or skipping it altogether) can leave you feeling sluggish and irritable. Protein is also important for helping you feel full, so missing this vital component guarantees you'll be starving before lunch. And protein important for feeding your muscles. Muscles are metabolic gold and help your body burn more energy at rest.
Lack of daylight exposure - natural light helps regulate your body’s internal clock and supports serotonin production (crucial for mood and sleep) and has a governing role in the stress/ sleep cycle. If you want to feel energised, satisfied with the food you eat and sleep well when you go to bed, get outdoors. Staying indoors all morning? Not helping.
Making these few small tweaks to your morning routine can help stabilise your energy, improve focus, and set the stage for a much calmer day.
Five daily habits that will help ditch midlife brain fog & lift your menopause mood
Get light before screens - morning light helps regulate cortisol and serotonin levels. Stepping outside for just five minutes shortly after waking can improve mood, energy, and sleep quality. Got time for a walk? Brilliant. But even sitting outside with your morning cuppa will work.
Eat within an hour of waking - a balanced breakfast with protein, healthy fats, and fibre keeps blood sugar steady, reducing mid-morning crashes and irritability. The stress hormone cortisol is naturally higher in the morning. Extending a fast until later in the day—especially if you’re already stressed—will only make things worse. If you like to fast, eat earlier in the day and finish eating earlier, too. I'll leave you to work out the details since the evening meal is often the 'sociable one' at home.
Move more, but gently - exercise is fantastic for mental health, but if you’re already frazzled, intense workouts can spike cortisol even more. If you’re feeling exhausted or anxious, swap high-intensity sessions for walking, stretching, or strength training.
Prioritise protein and healthy fats - protein-rich foods help produce dopamine and serotonin, while healthy fats support brain function and keep inflammation in check. If you’re feeling moody or mentally foggy, check your diet. Are you getting enough eggs, nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocado, or good-quality meat?
Set a wind-down boundary - your evening habits affect your stress levels the next day. If you’re scrolling through emails or binge-watching TV until midnight, your cortisol cycle will be off. Dimming lights in the evening, setting a phone cut-off time, and avoiding late-night work will help support better sleep, better mood, and lower stress. That thing about phones? That matters hugely at night, too. And not least because you're more likely to push bedtime further in favour of find out the truth behind the song used in the closing scene of Adolescence on Netflix. It's not just me, right? Add to this, it gives you a dopamine hit and dopamine is a daytime hormone - the opposite of what you want at night.
Is your diet making you feel worse? Ultra-processed food & midlife anxiety
It’s not just what you eat - it’s how fake it is.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are everywhere - cereal bars, low-fat yoghurts, ready meals, flavoured coffees. The kind of things that look healthy but have an ingredient list longer than your to-do list.
These foods are low in nutrients your brain actually needs and high in additives, emulsifiers, and refined sugars that can:
Disrupt your gut microbiome (and your gut is where most of your serotonin is made)
Spike your blood sugar (hello, mood swings and mid-afternoon crashes)
Increase systemic inflammation (that's general inflammation throughout your body) - now strongly linked to depression and anxiety
If you’re feeling flat, irritable, or overwhelmed, take a look at how many UPFs are sneaking into your day. Even swapping just one for something wholefood-based is a solid start.
Inflammation & low mood: the hidden link
Your brain has its own immune system. And when the rest of your body is inflamed, your brain picks up the signal.
Chronic, low-grade inflammation is increasingly recognised as a key player in low mood, anxiety, and brain fog. It can be triggered by stress, poor sleep, gut issues—and yes, by food.
Anti-inflammatory foods to prioritise:
Omega-3s (oily fish, flaxseed, walnuts)
Colourful fruit and veg (especially berries and leafy greens)
Herbs and spices like turmeric and ginger
And those to cut back on:
Processed snacks and baked goods
Sugary drinks
Deep-fried or heavily refined foods
If your mood feels off, this is a powerful area to explore.
Food for thought: the nutrients your menopause brain is begging for
Menopause can leave your brain feeling foggy, flat, and uninspired—but nutrition can help.
Key nutrients for mood and mental clarity:
Magnesium – calms the nervous system, supports sleep and energy (find it in leafy greens, seeds, and dark chocolate)
B vitamins – especially B6, B12 and folate, support neurotransmitter production (think eggs, lentils, leafy greens)
Omega-3 fats – support memory and emotional balance (oily fish, chia, flax)
Zinc – needed for serotonin and GABA production (found in seeds, shellfish, beef)
Iron – low levels can tank your energy and leave you feeling low (check ferritin if you’re fatigued)
If your diet’s lacking in variety or whole foods, start there. These nutrients make a noticeable difference, fast.
The dopamine diet: how to rebuild motivation in midlife
Struggling to care, focus, or even get off the sofa some days? That might not be willpower—it could be dopamine. Dopamine is your motivation chemical. If it’s low, things feel flat and joyless. And in midlife, especially during perimenopause, it can take a hit.
Things that drain dopamine:
Chronic stress
Low protein diets
Blood sugar crashes
Staying indoors (no light = no spark)
To support dopamine naturally:
Eat more tyrosine-rich foods: eggs, turkey, yoghurt, almonds, bananas
Get morning sunlight and fresh air
Tick small things off your list daily (hello, mini wins)
Keep blood sugar balanced with regular meals and snacks
If you’re in a motivation slump, try this approach for a week—you’ll feel the shift.
The absolute worst thing you can do if you suspect you have a dopamine problem or a focus issue is to start and finish your day scrolling on your phone. Ditching this one habit (though it sounds insignificant) can be life changing. No exaggeration.
Caffeine, alcohol & your brain in your menopause era
Let’s not pretend you’re giving up coffee or wine overnight. But these “friendly” habits could be silently wrecking your mood and sleep. It might feel like it's terrible news.
Caffeine:
Raises cortisol (especially first thing on an empty stomach)
Disrupts sleep even if you fall asleep just fine
Can trigger anxiety in perimenopause, even if it never used to
Alcohol:
Messes with blood sugar and deep sleep
Depletes magnesium and B vitamins
Feels relaxing short term but increases anxiety and irritability long term
Gets harder for your body to process in midlife due to slower detox pathways
You don’t need to cut them out forever. But if your mood’s all over the place or you’re lying awake at 2am with racing thoughts - it might be worth testing a break. For caffeine (unless you are feeling anxious in which case a break is an excellent idea), try no more than 2 cups and before midday. No one who had an alcohol break regretted it. If you are wondering if you can do that, I really recommend Women Who Don't Drink. You can find them on Instagram.
Small changes, big impact
Fixing your mood in menopause doesn’t mean perfecting every aspect of your life. It’s about small, sustainable habit shifts that make a real difference—getting more natural light, balancing blood sugar, and setting better boundaries with screens.
Pick one thing to try this week. Maybe it’s having breakfast before coffee. Maybe it’s getting light before screens. Maybe it’s swapping your workout for something gentler.
The key is consistency over perfection. Small, intentional choices each day will help break the stress cycle, improve resilience, and support long-term mental wellbeing.
So where will you start? What jumps out at you?
For more menopause diet & lifestyle tips, check out the new book Everything They Told You About Menopause Weight Loss Is Wrong. It's not just about weight - it's about everything to do with how your body works in menopause. Order your copy here.
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