Embracing the Freedom of Solitude: Reclaiming Yourself During Menopause

I recently came across something Elizabeth Gilbert said—about being greedy for her time, her mornings, her solitude. And it struck a deep chord in me. Because if there’s ever a time to get beautifully, unapologetically greedy about your own life, it’s now.

For so many years, we give. We pour ourselves into relationships, into children, into careers, into the endless expectations of the world around us. We make ourselves small to fit into the spaces that others need us to fill. And then menopause arrives—not as an ending, but as an invitation. A chance to reclaim what was always ours: ourselves.

Being single at this stage of life is not a loss; it’s a liberation. It’s waking up in the morning and knowing the day is yours to shape. It’s drinking coffee in silence, stretching in the sunlight, reading for hours without interruption. It’s the joy of saying no—without guilt. And it’s the power of saying yes—on your own terms, and I absolutely love this, so many people ask me why I’m still single, life isn’t designed for single people, & I simply don’t care.

I live life on my terms & there’s something quite delicious about that.

Menopause asks us to stop seeking permission to take up space. To stop apologizing for needing rest, solitude, or even reinvention. It’s a time when the rules you once lived by no longer apply—because you get to rewrite them.

So if you find yourself alone in this season of life, know this: You are not lacking. You are expanding. You are not lonely. You are unbound. You are standing in the wide-open space of possibility, free to choose what comes next.

And if that means being a little greedy with your time, your energy, your love—then so be it. You’ve earned it.

I’m certain I heard this on a story on Instagram only recently, which means it will have disappeared by now, I have, however found a podcast where Liz talks to Maria Forleo about how precious being single is to her.

You can listen to it here

I created these Affirmation Cards for a Women’s circle that I held once,there is something incredibly magical & powerful about affirmations.