Sep 29, 2020
In this episode #133, I talk with Paula Fontenelle, therapist, author, podcaster. Paula shares her story of going through perimenopause and things you can do when you are experiencing loneliness.
Topics discussed:
- How her sleep changed going through the beginning of perimenopause
- Her sleep solutions and what is working
- Her perimenopause journey and how she feels today
- Understanding your body and your aging process
- How Paula didn’t experience perimenopause symptoms
- Finding something that works
- Why loneliness is evolutionary
- How and why our brains and body react to loneliness
- The fight, flight and freeze response and what happens during this time
- The health problems that come from long-term loneliness
- Drinking because of loneliness and panic attacks
- Feeling lonely around other people
- How loneliness turns into isolation and withdrawal
- The pain of loneliness and embracing solitude as an antidote
- Slowing down during COVID and re-evaluating your values in life
- How to use social media to help you stay connected, not substitute in-real-life relationships
Book mentioned: Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker
Paula Fontenelle is a Brazilian journalist who decided to change careers after the death of her father to suicide, in 2005. Since then, she has finished a training in Psychoanalysis, in Brazil, and a Masters in Clinical Mental Health, in Portland/OR. Today she works as a therapist at Life Counseling, in McMinnville, Oregon. As part of what she considers her mission, she hosts a podcast and a YouTube Channel called Understand Suicide, which has listeners from over sixty countries. She is the author of the book Understanding Suicide: Living with loss, paths to prevention (finalist of the Brazilian Book Award).
To find Paula:
Understanding Suicide: Living With Loss. Paths to Prevention.
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