“I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

I spoke to a friend when I was driving home.

She had gone to the grocery store.

But forgot what she went to buy.

Her mind went blank.

She said “I feel like I’m losing my mind”.

She laughed, but she was nervous.

Because it wasn’t the first time.

Then she said, “This keeps happening, Tamara. I walk into rooms and can’t remember why I’m there. I forget people’s names. I’m scared something’s wrong.”

Over the next two weeks, I had different versions of that same conversation with women in my circle.

One forgot her words.

Another forgot her daily routine.

Another started to doubt her competence.

These aren’t women who slack off.

They’re physicians, executives, entrepreneurs, mothers.

They run things.

They’ve built their lives on being sharp, organized, and in control.

And now they feel like their own minds are betraying them.

Most thought it was “early onset of dementia.”

No one sees it.

Because they still look put together.

Still showing up.

Still getting it done barely.

But underneath?

They’re terrified.

Terrified of losing credibility.

Of being seen as “slipping.”

Of not trusting themselves anymore.

They start writing everything down.

Smiling through meetings.

Hiding how foggy they feel.

That’s the part that breaks my heart.

They’re suffering in silence

Thinking it’s their fault.

It’s not.

It’s menopause.

When estrogen drops, your brain chemistry changes.

Memory, focus, and confidence all take a hit.

And the woman who once carried the world on her shoulders suddenly can’t find her keys.

You’re not losing your mind.

You’re losing your hormones.

And you can get them back.

Once we balance them, the fog clears.

The confidence returns.

You stop questioning yourself.

You remember things again.

You trust yourself again.

You feel like you.

If your memory’s fading, your focus slipping, and you’re scared something’s wrong, it’s time we talk.

Because you’re not losing your mind.

You’re losing your hormones.

And you can get them back.

See you next Sunday,

Dr. Tamara Beckford