Meditation — The Monster in the Closet

How Calming Your Nervous System Can Support Hormonal Health

The first thing I hear clients say when I mention meditation is:

“Oh, I don’t have time for that.”

Or:

“I can’t sit still for long enough.”

Or my favourite:

“My mind is just too busy.”

I’ve been meditating for over 20 years now, so I can say with certainty that the common view most of us hold about meditation is simply not true.

For many people, meditation has become a bit of a monster in the closet.

It sounds complicated. It sounds time-consuming. And there is often an assumption that you have to sit cross-legged, perfectly still, close your eyes and somehow empty your mind.

You don't.

There are many different ways to meditate — sitting, lying down, walking, moving, listening, breathing, visualising, chanting or simply bringing your attention into the present moment.

The key is finding a practice that works for you.

And this is where meditation becomes particularly interesting when we start talking about hormones.

Your hormones listen to your stress response

Our nervous system and endocrine system are constantly communicating with one another.

Our stress response is designed to protect us.

When the brain perceives a threat, the sympathetic nervous system activates. Adrenaline and noradrenaline increase, heart rate rises, breathing changes and the body prepares to respond.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis also becomes involved, ultimately influencing the release of cortisol.

This is incredibly useful when we actually need to run from something.

The problem is that modern life can keep the system switched on when there is nothing physically chasing us.

Emails. Phones. Notifications. Work. Family. News. Deadlines. Traffic. Noise. Mental load.

We can spend much of the day in a state of low-level fight or flight without even realising it.

And then we wonder why we feel exhausted but wired, can't switch off, can't sleep, feel more anxious, or why our body doesn't seem to recover.

And sometimes this is when the other monster appears.

You finally get into bed and your brain decides that 3am is the perfect time to review every problem you've ever had in your entire life.

Did I remember to do that? What if this happens? Why did she say that? I really should… What am I going to do about…?

When our nervous system is already under strain, those thoughts can feel much bigger than they actually are.

Then menopause enters the picture

During perimenopause and menopause, the picture becomes even more interesting.

Changing oestrogen and progesterone levels interact with the brain and systems involved in mood, sleep, temperature regulation and the stress response.

This can mean that the same stress you might previously have shrugged off can suddenly feel much more significant.

Your resilience can feel different.

Your sleep can change.

Your anxiety can increase.

And if you are already running your nervous system at full speed, there is less capacity left for everything else.

This is why I believe meditation isn't simply a nice thing to do when you have some spare time.

It can become an important tool for nervous-system regulation and hormonal health.

So which meditation?

This is where it gets really interesting.

From my own experience, I use different techniques at different times depending on what is going on for me.

Having a toolbox with lots of different tools that can do the same job has been such a blessing.

Sometimes I need breath.

Sometimes movement.

Sometimes sound.

Sometimes a mantra.

And sometimes I need complete silence.

Breath meditation can help shift the autonomic nervous system towards a more parasympathetic state — our rest, digest and recovery state. Slowing the breath and allowing the exhalation to lengthen can be particularly calming.

There is also an interesting relationship between breathing, CO₂ and oxygen delivery. CO₂ influences haemoglobin's affinity for oxygen through the Bohr effect, helping oxygen to be released where tissues need it. CO₂ also plays a role in regulating blood vessel diameter.

Mantra and chanting give the busy mind something consistent to focus on, while rhythm, sound and breath can help settle the nervous system.

Binaural beats provide a rhythmic auditory stimulus and can be a useful tool for some people to support relaxation, focus or sleep. Research into whether they actually entrain the brain into specific alpha or theta states is still mixed.

Guided meditation and body scans can bring attention away from racing thoughts and back into the body, while walking meditation is a great option for anyone who finds sitting still particularly difficult.

And then there is silent meditation.

No music. No voice. No mantra.

Just you, your breath, your body and your thoughts.

For many people, this is the most challenging — but it can also become a powerful practice once you are comfortable with the basics.

What happens when we practise?

The magic of meditation, whether through binaural beats, guided meditation, breath, silent meditation, walking, mantra or whichever style suits you best, is that we repeatedly practise moving out of fight or flight and towards a more regulated state.

We are giving the nervous system a different experience.

“I don't need to react.”

“I can slow down.”

“I am safe enough to pause.”

With regular practice, meditation can support autonomic regulation and reduce the physiological load associated with chronic stress.

And because the nervous and endocrine systems are so closely connected, this may support better sleep, less anxiety, greater emotional resilience and overall wellbeing — and for some women, may help reduce the intensity of certain menopausal symptoms.

It isn't a magic switch that suddenly “balances your hormones”.

But it can help regulate one of the systems that has a significant influence on hormonal health — your stress response.

You don't have to become a monk

You don't need an hour.

You don't need a meditation cushion.

You don't need to empty your mind.

And you certainly don't need to be “good” at meditation.

Start with five minutes.

Try the breath.

Listen to something.

Walk.

Use a mantra.

Or simply sit quietly and notice what your mind is doing.

The right meditation is the one that works for you — and the one you will actually do.

And perhaps once we stop thinking of meditation as something we have to be good at, and start seeing it as another tool for regulating our nervous system, it becomes a lot less daunting.

Want to experience it for yourself?

On 22nd September, I’ll be hosting an Introduction to Meditation evening — two hours of mindfulness and practical meditation techniques to help you discover what works for you and start your own practice.

If meditation has always felt a little intimidating, you don't know where to start, or you simply want to explore some different techniques, come and join me.

Two hours of mindfulness to start your practice. Whole Being Well Being.

If you would like to join, WhatsApp me on 07956528671 or follow this link https://bit.ly/4x1zr02 to book your place. Early bird rate available to 5 September 2026.