Anxiety, Anger, and Grief — A Different Perspective - Episode 9
Summary
In this late-summer check-in, Françoise reflects on the seasonal shift from high summer toward the slowing energy of autumn and invites listeners to consider their own “harvest” of the year. She introduces three emotions that often arise during midlife and perimenopause—anxiety, anger, and grief—and offers a deeper, more holistic perspective on them. Rather than suppressing these feelings or medicating them away, Françoise shares why they are valuable teachers and previews how she’ll explore each in depth this fall, including both the physiological and emotional roots, along with practical tools for moving through them.
Keywords
perimenopause, midlife emotions, anxiety, anger, grief, nervous system health, seasonal living, emotional processing, holistic menopause support, catharsis, emotional healing, women’s wellness
Takeaways
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Seasonal transitions influence emotional states — Late summer into autumn is a natural time for reflection and “harvest,” both literally and metaphorically.
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Anxiety, anger, and grief are common in midlife — These emotions often have deeper roots than hormonal changes alone.
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Anxiety may signal unresolved stress, boundary violations, or unprocessed trauma; addressing root causes can bring relief.
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Anger can arise from injustices or suppression over decades; honoring it helps release its hold.
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Grief can emerge from many sources—loss of beauty, missed opportunities, childhood wounds—and needs space and ritual to be processed.
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Feeling is part of healing — Suppressing emotions can prolong distress, while working through them creates resilience for the future.
Chapters | Timestamps
00:00 Embracing Summer's End
03:55 Navigating Midlife Emotions
06:25 Understanding Anxiety
11:17 The Power of Anger
16:23 Honoring Grief
Full Transcript
(Cleaned for readability while keeping your voice and style)
Hi ladies, and happy August. It’s been a while—I think the last time I recorded a podcast was the week before my birthday in late July. Now we’re in mid-August, and I’m finally enjoying summer. It’s warm here on the mountain in the Bay Area after what’s been a pretty cold season along the coast.
I’m savoring it before fall arrives, and I can already feel the shift. On a hike recently, I noticed dried grasses, leaves on the ground, and that early-autumn air. Things are beginning to slow down. Mid to late August marks the start of the harvest season—energy moving from full bloom toward rest.
Last weekend, I attended a cacao ceremony where we honored the harvest with fresh blue cornmeal. It reminded me to reflect on what I’ve been growing and what I’m ready to “harvest” in my own life. I encourage you to think about this too.
Today, I want to briefly touch on three emotions that often surface in midlife and perimenopause: anxiety, anger, and grief. We’ll explore these deeply in the fall, looking at both the science and the emotional work needed, as well as tools—like essential oils and nervous system support—to move through them.
Anxiety
Anxiety is almost universal among the women I work with. In my own perimenopause journey, I experienced panic attacks and intense unease. While hormones play a role, anxiety often signals something deeper—unresolved stress, boundary violations, or trauma stored in the body over decades.
When our nervous systems are overwhelmed and stress cycles go incomplete, anxiety builds. By identifying its roots and addressing them—through boundaries, speaking up, or removing ourselves from toxic situations—we can reduce its grip. This is not just “perimenopause”; it’s a lifetime of stress accumulation. In the fall, we’ll also discuss vagal toning and other tools for calming the nervous system.
Anger
Anger often gets medicated away, but it’s a valid and important emotion. By midlife, we’ve often accumulated many reasons to feel angry—from personal injustices to systemic issues. As our hormonal “mothering phase” ends, we lose the built-in patience that once kept the peace. Now we have space to truly feel what wasn’t safe to express before.
Rather than suppressing anger, honor it. Create an altar, use ritual, and give it room. If it feels overwhelming, seek guidance from a coach or therapist.
Grief
Grief may be the heaviest of the three, but it’s equally important to honor. It can arise from the loss of beauty or youth, dreams not realized, childhood wounds, or even the state of the world. In Chinese medicine, grief is tied to the lungs and can disrupt sleep—especially waking between 3 and 5 a.m.
When grief surfaces, ask yourself: “What am I trying to process?” Create a grief altar or find a place in nature that holds your sorrow. By sitting with grief instead of fighting it, we allow it to move through us.
Closing
These emotions are not “wrong” or problems to medicate away—they are invitations to heal. Feeling them fully now means we won’t carry as much unresolved pain into the next phase of life.
This fall, we’ll start with anxiety, then move to anger, and finally grief—exploring causes, tools, and healing practices for each.
Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer. Get outside, soak up the sun, and take time to simply be.
Lots of light—and it is finished in beauty.