1. My understanding is HRT can be started any time within 10 years of menopause and before age 60. Birth control is very different from HRT. For one, the dose of hormone is much much lower, probably around one tenth as much as much; second, the HRT hormones are typically bio identical, whereas birth control is synthetic. Finally birth control is known to cause mood issues but HRT is known to improve mood. I would consult a knowledgeable physician. Please don’t rule HRT out as it has potential to help a lot of the symptoms with which you currently suffer.
2. Perhaps strangely, cleaning and organizing, culling, sorting and clearing out drawers, shelves, cabinets, storage spaces, seems helpful when I go through big changes that effect my core sense of identity (e.g. change in job, not being able to run long distances anymore, children leaving home and empty nest). I think it helps make mental space for something new to occur. It’s a bit like Spring Cleaning only what I have found is in the process I somehow pick up on a thread of something that opens a new door. A concrete example, when my youngest finally left home and I did the “Spring Cleaning”, I came upon an old unfinished knitting project. I decided to finish it and in the process ended up joining a knitting group that has become a wonderful addition to my social life. Another time I found some binoculars previously used at sports events and decided to put them to use with a local bird watching group. After my best friend died, I tried to do a wardrobe clear out and ended up finding YLF.
