When we think about retirement, the clichés abound: heading off into the sunset on an idyllic Aegean cruise, to name just one. “Think of all the time you’ll have,” comment envious friends, their mortgages or family commitments holding them hostage to careers that have long lost their appeal.

But for some, retirement can be a much more complex experience. It can evoke deep questions around identity, and meaning. Who am I now, without the title, the structure, the scaffolding.

New research from the University of Cambridge has found significant links between menopause and the loss of grey matter in the brain. This could explain why women are more likely to develop dementia than men.”

Waking up to this headline on my radio alarm was sobering.

We talk (a little) about the physical symptoms of menopause, but far less openly about the cognitive ones.

Christmas can be a stressful time and one where you can feel pulled in so many directions. If you have People Pleasing traits, this can be a particularly tricky time of year as you juggle everyone’s expectation and needs, but often suppress your own. Sound familiar?

“It’s the weekend and I’m dreading the quiet. I used to despair at the mess, the chaos and the noise when my kids were at home, but now the last one has gone to university, and the house feels empty. I feel empty.”