Menopause and Mind - Book Babes!

Book Babes!

Menopause and Mind raises awareness and understanding of the impact of menopause on our mental health. It's as simple as providing a safe space to gather together and support each other with a focus on well-being and connection through creativity and sharing.

Regardless of the varying and fabulous activities that lure us into MenoMind meetings, much of our quality time together is spent sharing tales of daily struggles and successes.  We are reminded that we’re not overreacting. We are not mad.  And we are certainly not alone. 

Join us for an inclusive space of fun and friendship that allows you time out to process, reflect and relate!

Book Babes!

Last time I looked through my shelves, I saw WHOLE LOTTA books that are supposedly selfy-helpy ones, that I thought might be nice to share.  Then at the very next group, I noticed that many of the things we discuss are things we’ve learned from books!

I will bring the Davina McCall “Bible”(!) but it’s not only the obvious ones. Often we gain inspiration or insight from random sources … sometimes it’s an adventure story that inspires us. Or a biography of someone who’s had it harder AND SURVIVED. Maybe it’s a passage from something completely off-topic but somehow relevant to our struggles.  Or an art book that visually soothes the overwrought mind. Or a comic that makes us giggle every time. Or a kid’s book - you know, one with a value learned at an early age that's still with us deep down, or when teaching our children, we have an “ahah” moment. 

Source isn't important. It's all about warming the heart, deep values & bright ideas and passion. Or heck, it could just be FUN!

* Please come equipped with at least one book to show/share.  It may be a whole book with lots of special passages that you've been relying on during difficult times, or it could be a fictional tale that has a great character or moment in it. Something you stumbled on years ago that will pop into your head at random times and make you smile. 

* It’s probably wise to have plenty of battery on your phone, so you can photograph other people’s pages and covers as you’re drawn to them.

The aim is to leave the night enlightened - if not intellectually, then most definitely spiritually. To be honest, it's usually a bit of both, with laughter-flavoured icing. Come join us - the power of comradeship is immense!

Accessibility 

The event will be run by our facilitator and board member Sara Gordon, and will take place at the Justlife Hub on London Road. The space is wheelchair accessible with an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

While we want to make this event accessible to all we realise that everyone’s needs are different, so if you would like to chat with one of us about access needs before coming along please email us at [email protected] so we can talk you through the spaces, and their possibilities and limitations.

Inclusivity

We are using "Babe" as it is largely considered a gender-neutral term of endearment, commonly used for partners and friends across all genders.

We recognise that the mainstream narrative of menopause does not include everyone and discriminates and excludes many marginalised voices, including (not exhaustively) LGBTQIA+, trans voices, minority ethnic voices and neuro and physical diverse groups. We also recognise the negative impact that adverse childhood experiences have during menopause and that menopause happens at many ages, and impacts on those experiencing POI (Premature Ovarian Insufficiency) and surgical menopause can be particularly challenging. There is a lack of information of the impact of other conditions, such as endometriosis, on menopause due to a lack of high-quality research. Menopause and Mind embrace menodiversity and welcome any person experiencing menopausal symptoms from any background. We are open to feedback to improve our sessions, and to ensure that we are using inclusive language and approaches.

We support the aims of the Menopause Inclusion Collective and are a trans-positive organisation.

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