02/09/2026
From a Baltic Adventure to Walking in Finland and Sweden
Just under a week left of my latest trip, which is my first since returning home from Bulgaria in October. It's been a rough year mentally. Perimenopause is absolutely kicking my ass. And now that it's becoming a more open topic, let's talk about it. I've heard that many women just don't feel like themselves anymore, and boy, is this true for me. I've also read that it can start earlier and be even worse for people with epilepsy. My anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and brain fog have never been this bad (also, the restless legs, hot flashes, lack of sleep, and on and on). So much worse than I ever imagined. Anxiety that I never thought would hold me back from doing scary stuff after facing so many fears has done just that, leading me to cancel 2 planned trips this past spring to Sri Lanka and Peru.
Finally, I decided I needed to get back out there and chose (again) to head to Europe, where my anxiety feels a little more manageable. This time, to the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) before heading on a tour that would take me walking/hiking through Finland and Sweden.
While I've enjoyed the places I've seen overall, that anxiety has remained. The constant fear of seizures, as well as over a million other issues. It's been a daily (and nightly) occurrence. One that has led me to tell CC to remind me in a month or two when I talk about leaving again, that it's not the right time for me during this stage of my life.
Or maybe I can get over the anxiety of trying HRT while on epilepsy meds, and I can experience the relief that it offers many women these days, and begin to enjoy again one of the things in life that has often brought me so much joy - travel.
Maybe I'll get to posting about each place. Maybe not. Right now, I'm on a 5.5-hour ferry ride from mainland Finland to the Åland Islands, so I have some time to share one of my favorite parts of travel (we all know what's coming) - the food!
**a
