About ten years ago, I picked up a book called Natural Alternatives to Dieting 
Familiar symptoms
I forgot all the book until some years later, at a point in my life where I was suffering from panic attacks and anxiety, feeling quite jumpy and stressed. I had seen my GP and asked for a referral for counselling which he talked me out of. Instead, he told me to take a few days off work and have a rest. I was glad of the break from work but really felt no better at the end of a week off.
Then, it suddenly dawned on me that the way I was feeling was not unlike how I had felt at the start of menstruation when hormones were in disarray. It got me wondering, and I dug out Marilyn Glenville’s book Natural Alternatives to HRT for another look. Sure enough, this time, many of the symptoms were familiar. It was a tremendous relief actually. I wasn’t cracking up. I was probably in perimenopause. Just knowing that, helped me to relax and get over it.
There is a lot of sensible advice in this book – some of which I have taken, some of which I haven’t. What I like about it is that it puts managing menopause into a zone where you can take some steps to control the emotional and physical chaos.
If you’re embarking on the journey, and in need of a guide, you could do a lot worse than start with this one.
I recommend it.