Managing stress, mood, and anxiety in midlife

Expert tips from Dr. Michelle Jacobson OBGYN, Co-Founder Coven Women’s Health: Managing stress, mood, and anxiety in midlife

Stress can feel different in your 30s, 40s, and beyond; often showing up as anxiety, low mood, anger (ok, rage), disrupted sleep, or feeling constantly overwhelmed. You don’t need to struggle through this chaos alone. Here, Dr. J shares some warning signs, what might be going on in your body and how to seek support:

Dr. J’s Midlife Stress Checklist

✔ Start with sleep, not just stress
Frequent wake-ups, especially around 2–4 a.m., are often an early signal of hormonal and cortisol disruption.

✔ Look beyond mindset
If stress feels disproportionate to your circumstances, consider underlying drivers like estrogen decline, progesterone changes, or thyroid function.

✔ Pay attention to “wired but tired”
Feeling exhausted but unable to relax or sleep is a common pattern linked to nervous system and hormonal shifts.

✔ Assess your baseline, not just flare-ups
Mood and anxiety changes that persist (not just situational stress) deserve a more comprehensive evaluation.

✔ Don’t treat symptoms in isolation
Stress, sleep, mood, and hormones are deeply connected; addressing one without the others often leads to limited results.

At Coven Women’s Health, Dr. Jacobson and her team take a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to midlife health, combining medical, hormonal, and mental health support.

→ Learn more about midlife stress and how to get the support you deserve: https://www.covenhealth.com/the-craft-blog/cbt-mental-health-perimenopause-menopause