Month: October 2025

Depression affects millions of women worldwide, but it takes on unique dimensions as we age. Women over 50 are at particular risk, with hormonal shifts, life transitions, and even physical changes in the body contributing to low mood and loss of vitality. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies depression as a leading cause of disability globally, affecting over 300 million people worldwide.

In Chinese medicine, depression is often viewed not just as a mental condition but as a weakening of chi – our vital life force. When chi is stagnant or depleted, the body struggles to function optimally. A weakened liver, for example, is associated with fatigue, malaise, and emotional heaviness. Supporting liver health with herbs like milk thistle and engaging in detox practices can help restore balance, especially for women who have endured surgery, medications, or long-term stress.

Causes of Depression in Older Women

Depression can arise for many reasons. Sometimes it is situational, triggered by loss, grief, financial stress, or a dramatic life transition. Other times it is more free-floating, without a clear cause, often linked to physiological imbalances. Common contributors include:

• Loss of a spouse, partner, or loved one
• Declining health or chronic pain
• Retirement and loss of purpose
• Empty nest or feelings of isolation
• Financial stress
• Side effects of medications
• Hormonal imbalances (especially low progesterone, estrogen, and thyroid function)
• Weakened liver function or toxin overload.

It’s worth noting that low progesterone – common in midlife and beyond – can play a significant role as well. Progesterone is calming and mood-stabilizing; by the 60s, many women have lost up to 95% of their progesterone. Without it, symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and depression often surface. Estrogen, testosterone, thyroid hormones, and cortisol also interact with mood and energy, making hormonal balance critical for emotional well-being.

The Problem with Medications

While antidepressants can provide temporary relief, studies suggest they are often no more effective than placebo for mild to moderate depression. More importantly, they tend to blunt both lows and highs – bringing people to a midline where sadness may be dulled, but joy and vitality are also harder to access. Many common prescription and over-the-counter medications – including aspirin, beta-blockers, corticosteroids, and some pain relievers – list depression as a side effect.

Natural Ways to Restore Your Life Force

The good news is that depression does not have to define your later years. Research shows that 80% of our health outcomes are within our control, while only 20% are determined by genetics. That means most of us have far more influence over our mood, energy, and future than we’ve been led to believe.

Here are 10 natural approaches to restoring vitality and lifting depression:

Exercise Daily

Countless studies confirm that exercise is one of the most effective antidepressants available. Even a 20-minute brisk walk can boost endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine.

Support the Liver

Use herbs such as milk thistle and incorporate regular detoxes to clear toxins and medications that burden the liver. Many women find a cleanse is the first step toward restored energy and mood.

Balance Hormones

Bioidentical hormones, natural progesterone creams, or supporting adrenal and thyroid health can make a profound difference. Please reach out if you’d like a reference to a medical lab that specializes in this testing.

Get Sunshine

Low vitamin D is strongly linked with depression. Aim for 15–20 minutes of daily sun exposure or supplement if needed. Getting outside in the early morning light has been shown to support our circadian rhythm and stimulate our ATP-cellular energy.

Ground Yourself

Walking barefoot on the soil or using a grounding mat has been shown to improve sleep, reduce inflammation, and elevate mood. Many women report immediate results. Personally, I used a grounding mat daily during surgery recovery – within 10 minutes I could feel my low mood had lifted some.

Eat Mood-Boosting Foods

Omega-3s, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and colorful fruits provide nutrients essential for brain health. Avoid sugar and processed foods, which create crashes and inflammation.

Essential Oils

Oils like lavender, bergamot, and frankincense are shown to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Get one of those plug-in diffusers to make it easy.

Strengthen Social Connections

Loneliness is one of the greatest predictors of depression in older women. Regular contact with friends, groups, or volunteer work provides meaning and purpose. Those that live in the Blue Zones site that social connection is one of the most fulfilling parts of their lives.

Sleep Deeply

Poor sleep is both a symptom and cause of depression. Natural sleep aids such as magnesium, calming teas, or progesterone support can help restore restful nights.

Find Purpose

Whether it’s travel, volunteering, learning, or creating, having a reason to wake up each day fuels our life force and wards off depression.

My Personal Story

After hip surgery, I experienced a period of deep uncertainty and low mood that was very new to me. The anesthesia and medications had taken a toll on my liver, leaving me sluggish and sad. What helped me recover wasn’t more medication – it was a full-body cleanse, grounding practices, sunshine, and natural liver support.

Slowly, my energy returned, my mood lifted, and I regained my sense of purpose founding The Wise Women of Wellness Community. This space is specifically designed to help women over 50 have the natural tools they need to create health and vitality… at any age.

Final Thoughts

Depression in women over 50 is not simply a “normal part of aging.” It is a signal that the body, mind, and spirit are asking for restoration. By addressing root causes – whether hormonal, nutritional, energetic, or emotional – you can reclaim vitality and joy.

Your most radiant years are not behind you. They are waiting for you to nurture your life force and step into them fully.

Discover what’s possible when you combine timeless natural wisdom with modern wellness. In Wise Women of Wellness, Dr. Shirley guides women 50+ to restore their vitality, confidence and radiance… naturally. Come join us!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How has depression affected your life? What has been the culprit that gets you down the most? Is it medication, unhealthy lifestyle or something else?

Did they also lose their titles?

October is breast cancer awareness month and a reminder to have our mammograms. If you’re unfortunate enough to brush up with breast cancer, you hopefully have a great support system. During the course of my two breast cancer journeys, writing has always been my panacea, whether writing in my journal, writing articles or poems.

Wounded Healer

People have called me a wounded healer because in helping others, we are also healing an inner wound of our own. In shamanic cultures, the most gifted healers are called “wounded healers” because these people have been called to look deeply into the psyche. They use the pains and wounds of life in an alchemy of healing that is very empowering and has deep purpose.

Many writers have used storytelling to help them navigate illness. Some of these include Audre Lorde, Norman Cousins, Nicole Broyard, Kay Redfield Jamison, and Terry Tempest Williams, to name a few.

Arthur Frank (1995) in his book, The Wounded Storyteller, identifies three types of narratives written by wounded storytellers or those who write about difficult times – the restitution narrative, the chaos narrative, and the quest narrative.

The Restitution Narrative

This type of narrative shares the story of a difficult time, but through it runs the idea that, for example, “Yesterday I was healthy, today I am sick, tomorrow I will be healthy again.” This narrative harbors positive thinking and bright undertones and is usually written by those who are dealing with acute, rather than chronic, illness. The focus tends to be on their improved health.

The Chaos Narrative

This narrative assumes a position of illness with no hope or indication for improvement. They write as if they’re doomed. They tend to illicit anxiety in themselves and in the reader. Everything about the writer’s situation seems urgent and stressful. The perspective is a negative one, and the reader feels as if the writer experiences a freefall with no hope of returning.

The Quest Narrative

Those who write this type of narrative accept their illness or challenging situation as part of growth and transformation. They meet their problem head on and use their difficulty as a way to forge ahead.

Having It Double

I am reminded of my middle daughter Regine’s comment when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 47; she was 16 at the time. When my oncologist phoned after my first breast cancer diagnosis (I have had two mastectomies 24 years apart), I was seated in my home office. Regine happened to be walking past when she saw me hang up the phone with a distressed expression on my face.

She knew I’d been waiting for the doctor’s report from my breast biopsy and intuited that I had just received bad news. She slowly walked toward the sofa where I was seated.

Regine sat down beside me, put her arm around me, put her head on my shoulder and said, “Mom, I think there’s a book in this.” I glanced at her and smiled at her ability to see the good in this potentially devastating news. By writing my breast cancer story in my book, Healing With Words: A Writer’s Cancer Journey, I was transformed and empowered in the process.

Regardless of the type of narrative, it is natural to incorporate self-reflection into the story. When using reflection, the writer writes what’s happening in both their exterior and interior worlds. This will help them understand themselves better, which is a key to transformation.

Self-reflection encourages an examination of thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. It might inspire setting intentions. When other people read reflective writing, they might be inspired to engage in their own writing.

Sharing Stories to Heal

Sharing the stories can also guide others in navigating their own journeys and serve as a road map for those who might feel lost during the process. Sometimes people might be too close to their lived experience to be able to figure out how to handle it.

Viktor Frankl openly shared his Holocaust story in his book Man’s Search for Meaning (1959). When Frankl was asked why he wrote the book, he said that he wanted “to convey to the reader by way of concrete example that life holds a potential meaning under any conditions, even the most miserable ones.” He added that sharing his story would be helpful even for those who were in despair.

Inner-Child Healing

In his book Reconciliation (2010), Thich Nhat Hanh wrote that inside each of us there is a young, suffering child, and that to protect ourselves from future suffering we try to forget the pain. He says that the cry we hear deep in our hearts comes from the wounded child within. Healing our inner child can help heal any negative emotions we might have.

Whether writing narrative or expressing yourself verbally, embracing and acknowledging the wounded child is the first step in the healing process. When we put light in a dark room, we see more clearly. Walking around in the dark brings with it more problems. You can talk to your inner child and say that you hear him or her and haven’t forgotten that part of yourself.

Some therapists suggest having a conversation with the inner child. It’s about closing our eyes and returning to a time when you felt pain and being asked to have a dialogue with that child in that place and time using adult sensibilities. You might be told to tell the child that everything will be okay and reinforcing that you are loved and adored. This helps with self-acceptance and so does the art of writing.

Here’s to your health.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you record your life story? What ups and downs have you written about? What type of narrative do you prefer – restitution, quest or chaos?

The twist of twists.

You’ve traded deadlines for downtime, meetings for me-time, and that inbox full of “urgent” emails for a calendar full of… well, white space. You thought closing the door on your 40+-year career would feel glorious – and mostly it does – but sometimes, you find yourself three episodes deep into a true-crime documentary thinking, I really should find something to do!

Welcome to the weird, wonderful world of post-career life. It’s not just about retiring. It’s about reinventing your daily schedule. You’ve spent decades doing, achieving, producing and being at the beck and call of bosses and clients. Now the challenge is different: what to do with all that whitespace on your calendar and how not to lose hours to scrolling or snoozing.

Here’s a playbook for getting into a whole new flow:

Reclaim Your Calendar (and Make It Reflect Who You Are Now)

You may think you don’t need a calendar anymore. After all, it may have been the nemesis of your 50-hour work week. But here’s the secret. A calendar that reflects who you want to be in this new chapter can be the key to creating the life you crave. Scheduling “appointments” for hobbies to explore, activities to try, personal projects to accomplish and more will help create momentum – something previously generated by deadlines, meetings, and appointments.

Try these fun hacks that combine structure with adventure:

Theme One Day a Week

A Theme Day may sound silly, but dedicating time every week to one topic can be surprisingly effective. Try “Make Something Monday” to expand your repertoire of recipes. “Friends on Fridays” could be a standing lunch date where your rotate through different friend groups. And what about designating one morning a week where you skip the workout in favor of tutoring young readers at a local elementary school?

Make Time for Fun

Schedule joy with the same commitment you planned your work life. Block time for learning a new language, trying your hand at a painting class, or an hour sampling sweet and savory at the farmer’s market. For more ideas on adding fun, purpose, connection and more, sign up for Spark 60, a weekly, minute of magic and midlife inspiration.

Add One “Stretch” Thing Each Week

Plan to do something just outside your comfort zone – a solo dinner at a new restaurant you’ve been meaning to try, learning how to create and post fun videos to share with friends, or signing up for a group travel excursion.

Think of your calendar as your new creative canvas. You’re not managing time anymore – you’re designing a life.

Ditch the Endless To-Do List

Somewhere between your color-coded planner and the notes app on your phone, your to-do list has grown into a small novel. I’ve even found myself adding things I’ve already done (“sweep patio… check”) just so that I can pat myself on the back for being “productive.”

Here’s the thing: you’re not supposed to finish life. You’re supposed to live it.

So instead of “organize linen closet” and “sort through family photos,” try making two lists:

The Ta-Da List

Things you actually enjoy doing.

• Take a long walk.
• Call my sister.
• Learn how to use the air fryer.

The Maybe List

A short, realistic list of 2–3 things that would genuinely improve your life if you did them.

• Schedule dentist.
• Finish that book.
• Update travel bucket list.

When you focus less on getting things done and more on feeling good about what you are doing, life feels like a win because it is.

Move Your Body, Change Your Mood

No need to join CrossFit or train for a marathon. Unless you want to, in which case, I’ll applaud from the sidelines. But if you’re feeling sluggish, physical movement is the quickest and best reset button.

Try sneaking in activity like balancing on one foot while brushing your teeth, ending your day with a stroll through your neighborhood. It’s a great way to connect with neighbors who are just getting home from work. Or do like me and pull out your yoga mat and knock out a few stretches while watching your favorite show. I find that I sleep better when my muscles are relaxed.

Redefine “Productive”

You spent decades measuring productivity in meetings, projects, and performance reviews. Now it’s time to change the metric.

Productive might mean you spent an hour journaling, experimenting with watercolor paints, or finally reading a stack of magazines that keep tumbling off of your nightstand. It might mean you made a killer soup, checked in with a sick friend, or learned how to make a reel for your travel photos.

You’re not being lazy – you’re living at your own pace. The goal isn’t to stay busy. It’s to stay curious, engaged, and forward-thinking.

Fill Your Days with Meaning

Instead of thinking about how to fill your time, refocus on creating momentum toward something that matters. If you’re drawing a blank on what would add meaning to your next chapter, try sitting down with your childhood self for a journal session focused on rediscovering things that brought you joy before career and family took center stage.

Make a list of all the memories that lit you up and the “someday I’ll try” wishes that have taken a back seat. Then, create a plan for exploring and testing out all the intriguing hobbies, activities and adventures that once seemed like interesting possibilities. With practice and patience, you’ll start to uncover what lights you up and earns a regular spot on your weekly calendar.

Whether you’re downshifting your career or leaving it all together, it’s important to remember that the world doesn’t need you to slow down. It needs you to show up. A smartly crafted schedule encourages time to explore and engage while also allowing for precious downtime to feed your soul and relax into low-pressure lifestyle.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How have you added joy, adventure, and growth to your post-career years? Is your calendar full with me-time or someday events?