What if the anxiety, irritability or low mood you're experiencing in midlife isn't simply something you have to accept as part of getting older?
For many women in their 40s and 50s, changes in mood can feel unsettling and difficult to explain. You might feel anxious for the first time in your life, lose motivation for things you once enjoyed, become more irritable or simply feel like you're no longer yourself. And while perimenopause and menopause can play a role, hormones aren't always the whole story.
In this episode of The Health Edit, naturopath, author and speaker Susan Hunter explores the Mood Edit and why understanding changes in your mental and emotional wellbeing requires looking at the bigger picture. She explains how hormonal fluctuations, poor sleep, chronic stress, nutritional deficiencies and other health issues can all influence how we feel, and why treating the symptom without investigating the cause can mean missing something important.
Susan also explores the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry and the growing evidence connecting food and mental health. From the nutrients our brains need to function well to the relationship between gut health, inflammation and mood, she explains why her essential change for the Mood Edit is to feed your brain first.
This episode is an invitation to stop dismissing changes in your mood as simply stress, depression or menopause, and start asking what your body and brain might actually need.
In this episode, Susan explores:
Why anxiety, irritability and low mood can emerge for the first time in midlife
How perimenopause can affect the brain and amplify existing mental health vulnerabilities
Why antidepressants and hormone replacement therapy can be helpful, but shouldn't replace proper investigation
The physical health issues that can contribute to mood changes, including thyroid dysfunction and nutrient deficiencies
What nutritional psychiatry reveals about the relationship between food and mental health
The Australian SMILES trial and what it tells us about Mediterranean-style eating and depression
The role of protein, omega-3 fats and essential nutrients in supporting brain function
How the gut-brain connection, microbiome and inflammation may influence mood
Why a better breakfast can be a simple starting point for supporting your brain
How movement, social connection and making space for joy can improve emotional wellbeing
The warning signs that changes in mood need further medical investigation
How to identify which area of your health needs attention first
Your mood isn't separate from your physical health. And often, there isn't one neat explanation.
The question is not simply: "Is this menopause, anxiety or depression?"
It is: what has changed in the way I feel, what else was happening at the same time, and what might be contributing to it?
You don't need to change everything at once. The goal is to understand what deserves your attention first, rather than accepting that feeling unlike yourself is simply part of midlife.
Take the free five-minute Health Edit Diagnostic to discover which area of your health may need the most support right now.
Book an initial consultation with Susan for personalised guidance on your health.
Order Susan's book, The Health Edit: Where to Start and What to Change for Women Over 40.
