Why Do I Suddenly Feel So Anxious?

Many women find themselves reacting to things in a way that feels unfamiliar during perimenopoause and menopause. They may feel suddenly overwhelmed by a busy day, anxious about something that wouldn’t have worried them before, or unable to switch their mind off at night. You're left with the thought...

“Why do I feel like this?”

For women who have spent most of their lives feeling capable, resilient and able to cope, this shift can feel confusing and sometimes unsettling. It may feel as though something has changed in the way your mind responds to stress.

What many women don’t realise is that anxiety and emotional changes are very common during peri menopause, and they are often closely linked to the hormonal shifts happening in the body during this stage of life.

Understanding these changes can be an important step in making sense of what’s happening, and in finding ways to feel more balanced again.

The Hormonal Changes Happening Behind the Scenes

During perimenopause our hormones don’t simply decline in a smooth, predictable way. Instead, they begin to fluctuate, sometimes quite dramatically.

Most people immediately think about oestrogen when menopause is mentioned. And while oestrogen certainly plays an important role, it isn’t the only hormone influencing how we feel emotionally.

Two other hormones are also involved: progesterone and testosterone.

Together, these hormones influence the delicate balance of brain chemicals that regulate mood, calmness, confidence and emotional resilience. When these hormones begin to shift, it can affect how steady we feel emotionally.

Progesterone: Our Natural Calming Hormone

Progesterone is often described as the body’s natural calming hormone.

It works in part by interacting with a neurotransmitter in the brain called GABA, which helps quiet the nervous system and promote feelings of relaxation. When progesterone levels are healthy and stable, many women notice they feel calmer and better able to cope with everyday stress.

However, during perimenopause progesterone is often the first hormone to decline. As ovulation becomes less regular, the body produces less progesterone, which means that calming effect on the nervous system may also begin to reduce.

For some women, this can show up as feeling more anxious than usual, becoming easily overwhelmed, struggling to switch off at night, or feeling as though their nervous system is constantly on edge.

It’s not that you suddenly can’t cope. Rather, one of the hormones that helps regulate calm in the body is no longer as steady as it once was.

Oestrogen and Emotional Stability

Oestrogen also plays a powerful role in how we feel emotionally. It interacts with important neurotransmitters in the brain including serotonin and dopamine, which influence mood, motivation and emotional balance.

When oestrogen fluctuates during perimenopause, these brain chemicals can fluctuate too. This is one reason many women describe feeling emotionally up and down during this stage of life. One week they feel like themselves again, and the next week they may feel unusually sensitive, anxious or overwhelmed.

Often it isn’t simply that oestrogen is declining, it’s the unpredictable swings that can make emotions feel less stable.

The Often Forgotten Hormone: Testosterone

There is another hormone that rarely gets mentioned in menopause conversations but quietly plays an important role in women’s wellbeing. That hormone is testosterone.

Although we often associate testosterone with men, women produce it as well. In women it contributes to things like energy, confidence, motivation and mental resilience.

As testosterone gradually declines during midlife, some women notice that situations which once felt manageable now require more effort or feel more draining. When you combine fluctuating oestrogen, declining progesterone and gradual changes in testosterone, it becomes easier to understand why many women notice shifts in their mood, anxiety levels and emotional resilience during perimenopause.

And importantly, this can happen even if you have never experienced anxiety before in your life.

You Might Recognise Some of This

Many women arrive at this stage of life feeling slightly confused by what's happening in their bodies and emotions. You may notice that you’re reacting to situations differently than you used to. Small problems feel bigger. Your mind may run through worries late at night when you’re trying to sleep, or you may feel more overwhelmed by a busy day than you once did.

Perhaps you find yourself hesitating before things that previously felt easy - a meeting, a social event, or even a long to-do list. And because you may have spent most of your life coping well with these situations and stress, it can feel unsettling to realise something has shifted.

Many women quietly wonder if it’s just them. But in reality, this is something I hear about again and again from women navigating peri menopause. Once you understand how hormonal changes influence the brain and nervous system, these experiences begin to make far more sense.

Simple Ways to Calm Anxiety When It Appears

While hormones are driving many of these changes, there are small practical steps that can help calm your nervous system and reduce the feeling of overwhelm.

1. Slow Your Breathing

When anxiety rises, the nervous system shifts into a stress response. Taking slow, even deep breaths can help signal to the body that it is safe to relax. Just a few minutes of slow breathing can help settle the nervous system.

2. Break Down the Overwhelm

When everything feels urgent, the brain struggles to prioritise. One helpful tool is simply writing everything down. Make a list of everything that feels like it needs to be done, then ask yourself three questions:

• What actually needs doing today?

• What can wait?

• What could someone help me with?

This simple exercise often reduces the feeling that everything is urgent and puts you back in control.

3. Adjust Expectations

One of the biggest challenges women face during this stage of life is trying to operate exactly as they always have, but perimenopause is a stage of change. Energy levels shift, stress tolerance may change, the brain may need more recovery time.

Rather than pushing harder, many women find relief when they adapt their routines and expectations to support where they are now.

You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone

One of the most difficult parts of perimenopause for many women is simply trying to make sense of what’s happening and to admit that things have changed. You may have spent decades feeling capable, resilient and in control of your emotions, only to find that things suddenly feel different, and there's no shame in that!

This is something I talk about often with the women I work with through my 1:1 menopause coaching. Together we look at what’s happening in the body, but we also focus on creating practical ways to navigate this stage of life with more clarity and calm.

That might mean gaining perspective when anxiety appears, learning how to prioritise what truly matters, or building small daily habits that support your wellbeing.

Because very often it isn’t about doing more. It’s about finding a calmer, more supportive way to move through this transition.

If This Sounds Familiar

If anxiety or overwhelm has started appearing for you, please know that you are not imagining it and you are certainly not alone.

Understanding what’s happening is often the first step towards feeling more like yourself again. And sometimes having someone to talk things through with can make all the difference.

If reading this has made you realise how much this stage is affecting you, it might be the right time to have a conversation about the support you need moving forward.

If you're feeling overwhelmed by the emotional changes of menopause, you can learn more about my 1:1 menopause coaching here.