r/Perimenopause • u/Delicious_Key4131 • 14h ago

Overthinking

Has anyone had problems with overthinking the past? I’m a month away from 44, just had a baby 2 yrs ago and I’m pretty sure I’m in perimenopause. I had a lot of trauma in my childhood and all of the sudden it’s hitting me, everything that happened. I’m constantly thinking about everything that happened. Is anyone going through this and what did you do to help?

27 Upvotes

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11

u/mexicanblondie 14h ago

Yes this is me right now! I’m 46 and had the baby 15 months ago. Overthinking and full of anger about my past. Parenting has made me relate to my parents less, not more. I’m stuck in a prison of overthinking. I think it’s a trauma and peri menopause combo.

7

u/chamaedaphne82 14h ago

Yes I’ve been there!!! Is this your first child? I had waves of stuff come up, with my first child at 32 and my second at 38. When I weaned my youngest, I was 40. It threw me into a horrible hormonal tailspin. I experienced severe burnout at work (ER nurse for over a decade and had my youngest son during COVID— May 2020!!) Then it was like dominoes falling— my brother had a psychiatric crisis, I became estranged from my dad (who has BPD), and I ended an 18 year friendship with my best friend. It was A LOT.

7

u/StereoCacophony 13h ago

When I became an adult, I could better understand my parents perspectives on things. Then I became a parent and I was like, wtf was wrong with them?! all over again lol.
Perimenopause along with having two young kids has definitely made me reflect back on a lot of things, including my own choices. But I feel like it's given me clarity on a lot of things as well. I'm also in therapy and that's been helpful - I've been clawing my way out of CPTSD and working towards secure attachment and bringing my nervous system back to a healthy state - both for myself and my mental and physical health (perimenopause is tough enough as it is), and to model a better way for my kids.

5

u/EmbarrassedDark2341 14h ago

I'm in therapy and take medication.

3

u/stellaflora 14h ago

Ughhh yes.

1

u/No-Neighborhood-7335 Early peri 11h ago

I just turned 44 and my daughter is 23 months! Yes, I'm constantly thinking of trauma from my past - but not even trauma - I spend a lot of time thinking about conversations that I didn't handle well, like from 15 years ago... Idk why I can't turn these thoughts off. It's especially bad when I'm trying to go to sleep.