Are You Peri… or Is Everyone Just Annoying?

You wake up in the morning and your first thought is:

"Lovely. A new day.""Coffee!! Before anyone speaks.""Why do I feel like I've been awake since 2003?""Why is morning happening again? We literally just did this yesterday?"

If everything feels a bit louder, hotter, foggier, or more emotional lately, you are not imagining it.

If everything feels a bit louder, hotter, foggier, or more emotional lately, you are not imagining it. Perimenopause can affect sleep, temperature, mood, memory and confidence long before periods stop completely.

Your current relationship with your period is:

Predictable enoughA bit different, but manageableWho knows? Might turn up whenever it feels like itRunning its own colourful, chaotic festival

Your confidence lately feels like:

Pretty steadyA little wobbly, but still thereDepends on the day, the sleep, the hormones and the moonMissing. Last seen somewhere around 2019

Someone loads the dishwasher wrong.

I genuinely do not noticeI notice, and I quietly fix itI notice, I fix it, and I think about it laterIt becomes a personal attack on everything I stand for

Night sweats, lighter sleep, and 3am overthinking are common in perimenopause.

Night sweats, lighter sleep, and 3am overthinking are common in perimenopause. Gentle basics can help - cooler rooms, consistent wind-downs, fewer late stimulants, and more kindness when sleep is patchy.

You go to bed at a normal temperature. A few hours later:

Still normal, thanksA bit warm, kicked one leg outDuvet on, duvet off, duvet negotiating termsI have become the sun

You walk into a room with a clear purpose. You arrive and...

Do the thingPause, then rememberStand there hopefullyLeave, do something else, remember at 11pm

Someone cuts you up in traffic, says something mildly annoying, or breathes near you wrong.

Water off a duck's backMild irritation, moves onIt sits with me for a bitI compose an entire speech in my head

Brain fog is real, and it does not mean you are lazy, failing, or losing your edge.

Brain fog is real, and it does not mean you are lazy, failing, or losing your edge. Hormonal shifts, stress, poor sleep, and overload can all affect memory and focus. Support beats self-criticism every time.

Your keys, phone, or glasses situation today:

Exactly where I left themOne brief searchA full house tourThey are in the fridge, and I have accepted this

When someone asks, "Are you okay?" you say:

"Yes, genuinely""Yes - a bit tired""Ask me in an hour""Do you have three to five business days?"

Your tolerance for noise, clutter, or people needing things is:

FineLower than usualOne more noise and I may need to leave the buildingI love everyone deeply, but from a distance

At work, your brain currently feels:

Clear and focusedA little slower to startLike there are 47 tabs open and one is playing musicLike someone has replaced my brain with mashed potato, and maybe a little gravy

When you think about this stage of life, you feel:

Mostly okayCurious, but a bit unsureRelieved to know there might be a reasonReady for answers, support, and possibly a badge that says "Handle With Snacks"

Which of these have you noticed? (select all that apply)

How much is each of those affecting you day to day?

1 is mild, 5 is severe.

Whatever your result, you are not alone, and you are not broken.

Whatever your result, you are not alone, and you are not broken. Perimenopause is a stage, not a personality flaw - and there is a lot that can help.