How this DIY Hormone Retreat Guide will help you This guide is guided by three major hormone transitions that occur in midlife. These are hormonal, cognitive and metabolic systems that recalibrate in perimenopause and menopause. Specific foods, herbal teas and practices have been carefully chosen for this guide to support each transition. A weekend of retreat will set you on the path to feeling calmer, more positive and resilient, while supporting healthy hormones.

You can start anytime, and go for as long as you like. Ideally take yourself on this DIY retreat for a weekend, and then bring your favourite practices back in for an evening each week thereafter. Or as often as you like. More regular practice tends to produce ongoing healthy habits and bigger benefits.

Midlife hormone changes can be challenging. The period from 35 to 65 years in a woman’s life involves many internal shifts in the reproductive, stress and metabolic hormones, and even in the neurochemicals that influence mood, focus and cognition. Our ovaries are going through an ageing process that directly impacts the way our hormones are produced and regulated (or not!). This has a flow-on effect that leads to potential issues with appetite and metabolism hormones like leptin, insulin and ghrelin. And then there is cortisol. It is often elevated in midlife, more so with high stress lifestyles, ageing and in the latter stages of perimenopause, although some studies debate this.

These hormones are all supported by this easy retreat guide, which is inspired by a 2021 clinical study observing the benefits of 8 weeks of stress reduction techniques on stress, depression and sleep in perimenopause.

Have you been feeling a call in your body and soul for more space, less urgency, more nourishment, more inner resilience and less overwhelm? Is there a part of you that is fumbling through the stress and uncertainty of modern life and needing to step aside for just a minute, and breathe?

We may have acclimatised to a certain level of stress and urgency culture as Australian midlife women, brushing it off as ‘normal’. However, studies show that women throughout the world are feeling the effects of time poverty. Here in Australia half of the 3.28 million women currently in midlife feel time-stressed according to a study by Bankwest Curtin last year, and over 40% of us feel ‘rushed’ according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

So if you are a woman in midlife, I encourage you to take a few minutes to read this article. Do it for you!

How this DIY Hormone Retreat Guide will help you

This guide is informed by three major hormone transitions that occur in midlife as you can see in the graphic provided, these are hormonal, cognitive and metabolic systems that recalibrate in perimenopause and menopause. Specific foods, herbal teas and practices have been carefully chosen for this guide to support each transition. A weekend of retreat will set you on the path to feeling calmer, more positive and resilient, while supporting healthy hormones. You can start anytime and go for as long as you like. Ideally take yourself on this DIY retreat for a weekend and then bring your favourite practices back in for an evening each week thereafter. More regular practice tends to produce ongoing healthy habits and bigger benefits.

Opening the retreat

Many retreats begin in the late afternoon or evening to capitalise on the deep rest of the first night. Avoid any sweets and ultra-processed foods on the first night and make a nourishing soup or dinner with 25-30g protein to support good sleep. But remember, you can begin the retreat any time you like, morning, noon or night!

Don’t forget to let your family, close friends or anyone you live with know that you’re now ‘on retreat’. Set some boundaries so that you won’t be disturbed, and nobody will be offended if you don’t answer calls.

This step is important, try not to skip it. The space where you will spend most of your time should be clean and tidy. Wipe surfaces with a damp sponge and have a clean set of clothing ready. Clean windows if possible, and get the room cosy. Use heating if necessary. You want to feel relaxed, comfortable, and not be distracted by mess and dirt.

If it’s safe to do so, pop the phone on silent and put some nice music on. Ideally, find ambient music that feels spacious and calming rather than dominating. Music with water, wind or sounds of nature is a good choice. For example, Peder B. Helland has some beautiful tracks you might like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBsaY0OcYpY

It’s time to set your intention. Light a candle and take a moment to tune in with yourself. Close your eyes. How would you like to feel after this retreat? What do you feel you need from this retreat? How do you want this to help you?

You might want to focus on certain aspects of your wellbeing rather than others. This is a good time to narrow your focus, because it will help you choose the right tools and practices to use during your retreat. Once you’ve set your intentions, choose some practices for each day. Write a simple schedule up for these, ideally 2 practices in between each meal and 2 before bed. If you can’t ‘retreat’ all day, aim to for at least 4 hours each day over the first two days. After this, aim for a couple hours each week to maintain the benefits.

As you plan your retreat experience, feelings of guilt or time pressure may come up. This is normal. Remind yourself of how important it is to self-care. You deserve this!

Goals:

First two days of retreat: aim to be ‘on retreat’ for at least 4 hours each day. Use around six practices each day. Schedule as you like.

Ongoing: aim to be ‘on retreat’ for at least 2 hours each week. Use at least one practice from 3 or more practice groups during this time.

It might look like this:

07:00 – Wakeup, morning cleansing routine and breathwork
08:00 – Leisurely and nourishing breakfast
09:00 – Lymphatic draining routine, walk
11:30 – Reflective journaling
12:00 – Lunch
13:30 – Warm foot bath, self-acupressure
14:30 – Free time, rest or nap
16:00 – Sound bath or Qi Gong
17:30 – Dinner
19:30 – Warm epsom salt and Thyme bath
20:30 – Breathwork or Sitting in silence
21:30 – Lights out!

Each day begins with your choice of a hormone supporting tea and breakfast. See the options below.

First meal ideas:

1. Wholegrain toast with 2 scrambled eggs, avocado, cottage cheese and fresh parsley
2. Wholegrain toast with last nights poached/baked salmon, avocado, squeeze lemon juice and fresh greens
3. Scrambled Tofu with finely chopped spinach
4. Oats bowl with a scoop of protein powder, collagen powder, high protein Greek yoghurt and fresh berries, pumpkin seeds and 1 heaped tsp of linseed/flaxseed meal
5. Chia seed pudding of your choice with high protein Greek yoghurt and strawberries on top

With so many diet preferences around, swop to gluten free, vegan or other requirements as you like.

Hormone supporting tea ideas:

1. If you have night sweats, hot flashes: Sage and Honey tea (1 Tbsp dried Sage leaves, 2 tsp honey in hot boiled water)
2. If you have anxiety: Ashwagandha tea (buy a tea to suit you) or Holy Basil (Tulsi) tea (2 teabags in 1 cup of hot boiled water)
3. If you have inflammatory symptoms, rosacea, food allergies, autoimmune disease: Moroccan Mint tea (2 teabags in 1 cup of hot boiled water)
4. If you experience low mood or depression: Lavender latte (1 Tbsp dried lavender flowers left to sit in 1/3 cup hot boiled water covered for 15 minutes, then strain out the herb, and top up the tea liquid with 2/3 cup hot milk. Add 1 Tbsp honey.)
5. If you have all of the above symptoms (😊!): Roogenic Menopause Day Tea available here: https://roogenic.com.au/products/menopause-day-tea?_pos=1&_sid=eaecc7e41&_ss=r&variant=41473847230660 (2 teabags in 1 cup hot boiled water) or Higher Living Women’s Wellness Peaceful Pause (2 teabags per 1 cup hot boiled water) available here: https://www.higherlivingherbs.com/products/womens-wellness-peaceful-pause?_pos=1&_sid=885ad7f05&_ss=r

Traditional therapies

On the first retreat morning, wake around 7-8am. Wash your face, brush your teeth, and spend 10-15 minutes sitting in silence. As Vedic meditation teacher Anna Young Ferris says: “Cleanse your face, teeth and don’t forget to clear your mind!”

After this have a leisurely breakfast and then it’s time for some traditional therapies. Here are some ideas to take you through to lunch.

1. Morning walk (without your phone)
2. Day hike for the more adventurous (don’t forget to pack a blanket and lunch)
3. Qi Gong (A personal favourite is Mimi Kuo Deemer on Youtube: youtube.com/@MimiKuoDeemer
4. Lymphatic drainage routine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2vJCofxpag)
5. Shaking meditation (https://herbalwell.com.au/shaking-release-stress-and-calm-those-adrenals/)
6. Yoga (https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/g32393284/morning-yoga-routine/)
7. Infrared sauna (if you’re lucky enough to have one!) Traditional therapies like herbalism, acupressure, massage, sauna, and warm baths can help reduce many symptoms of midlife. Sauna treatment for instance, has been shown to reduce hot flashes, a vasomotor symptom linked to higher incidence of anxiety and depression.

Restful practices

1. Breathwork incorporates a world of techniques, mantras and body positions. You may have a favourite already! There are promising breathwork techniques for anxiety and stress reduction in midlife emerging and a solid body of evidence reporting benefits of breathwork for alleviating stress. Some popular techniques are box breathing, autogenic meditation, pranayama and belly breathing. Conscious connected breathwork techniques provided significant drops in anxiety scores in one 2026 study. A good one to start with is alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) for its ability to balance the nervous system. Stress feeds rising cortisol levels and contributes to more vigilance, anxiety, fear and tension for midlife women. Try this one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwRaIrAT4Bo
2. Foot bath in warm water with oil followed by foot massage
3. Sitting in silence (while your mind is allowed to wander…). Having tools like breathwork and meditation helps relieve anxiety by fostering a sense of presence and being ‘okay’ in the moment. They are central to addressing midlife anxiety, with several controlled studies demonstrating significant reductions in generalised anxiety scores as a result of 1-2 months of mindfulness practices (Huang et al., 2023).
4. Sound healing and music both have been shown to help in midlife insomnia and depression. A randomised controlled study reported that listening to music that emphasises beauty and goodness twice daily reduces depression and improves sleep. It stands to reason that sound healing would be beneficial as well. Try sound healing for yourself in your home retreat here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbYUSVlpC0g Lie down and get comfortable, warm and cosy. Pop on a warm eye pillow if you like, and spend 15-20 minutes bathing in sound. If you don’t like this video, try another until you find the right one. It should feel soothing, calming and safe.
5. Faith and prayer calm the adrenals and encourage feelings of safety and trust. In whatever belief system, language or style that feels right for you, spend 20 -30 minutes in a quiet space with your eyes closed. Offer your prayers to the divine.
6. Self-acupressure can reduce irritability, stress and headache. Press firmly with circular movements for 2 minutes at a time. The points to target are the depression between the big and second toe, the juiciest part of the muscle on the back of your hand between thumb and second finger and the point above your nose, directly in between your eyebrows.

Deepen rest

Turn off your phone and any devices that ping. Resist scrolling. Being in retreat really is about retreating from things that trigger your stress hormones. It’s about turning your attention inwards. Therefore, phones, television and other ‘entertainment’ devices are ideally put to the side.

Be preparing for bed from as early as 7:30pm. This could involve any of the following practices:

1. Warm bath. Throw in 2 cups of epsom salts and 1 cup of dried Thyme leaves wrapped in cloth. Thyme baths are a powerful recuperative for the body.
2. Abdominal massage. Lie or sit in a comfortable position and apply some oil or rich lotion to your abdominal area. Using moderately firm pressure, massage in small circular motions, in a clockwise direction. This follows the natural pathway for your intestinal processing of waste material and supports healthy digestive function. You could also try a simple tummy massage technique here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrg1MCI414U
3. Strategies to rest more deeply and profoundly. Gazing at a small candle, yin yoga, gentle stretching, guided meditation and lying on your back with your legs up the wall are some of the strategies that work well to calm errant cortisol in the evening. Aim to spend 15-20 minutes on one such practice each night before sleeping.

Reflective practices

This is where you and your unique talents come in! What are the things that you loved doing when you were young? Could you pick up your pastels and brushes and start expressing yourself through art? Was it playing an instrument? Was it dancing? Lots of women feel more rejuvenated by spending time in reflective or expressive practices like journalling, sketching and chanting.

The aim with reflective practices is to lovingly welcome your own expression, and carve out some much needed me-time to experiment, play or manifest. It’s about prioritising yourself, rather than being overly focussed on being productive. It’s also about rediscovering your passions.

Social practices

1. Have a google or check out Bodhi Holistic Hub, Facebook groups and other websites to see what’s on around you. Think about attending a qi gong or yoga retreat, a sound bath, an art class, a walking group, a movement class like Nia or a women’s circle.
2. If you’re finding life challenging, know that there are people out there who would love to support you through tough times. Consider reaching out to a friend who can listen, or even a psychologist, counsellor, or therapist who is experienced and qualified in mental health support. Having someone on your team in this respect can make a big difference in your quality of life.
3. Deep conversation. Reach out to a friend or loved one for a chat. A 2021 study on menopausal women found social support significantly reduced anxiety, coping and stress evaluation (Kotijah et al., 2021).

With all of this my wish for you, is that you find some practices that feel accessible, safe and helpful in your journey through midlife. I wish you a deeply healing and restorative retreat, may you and your hormones feel loved!