How can I get past that awful feeling that life is almost over? It makes me anxious and I feel like I'll never be happy again.

Many women entering menopause feel as if life at one moment is just fine, and minutes later, everything shifts into darkness. If that's you, I'm here to assure you that you are not going crazy and you are not alone. Your body is going through hormonal shifts combined with a growing awareness that something fundamental about you is changing. Yes, at some point you will no longer be menstruating. You have reached a point in your life that signals a new phase has begun. That doesn't mean that life is almost over or that you'll never be happy again. If you recall adolescence was also a time of emotional drama. Transitions tend to make us feel that way. Research shows that depression and anxiety often peak during our teenage years and then again between ages 40-55, but it also shows that it tends to pass for most everyone. So, get through this stage ? like you did adolescence ? and things will calm down. They may even get better than ever before.