How to Love Your Period
How to Love Your Period!
I don’t see many women that love their period which, given the grief it can give us, is understandable. Pain, mess, moodiness, fertility or lack of… the list of issues goes on and I encourage you to seek help for anything in your cycle that is causing you concern or affecting your life.
But on the flip side it brings some pretty cool benefits if you look at it the right way. I’m sure some of you think I am totally nuts right now but hang in there! I’ll start with the annoying negatives (the big issues like endo, pain, severe mood issues, flooding etc. are for other blogs) and then I want to flip all of that on its head for you!
My list of pet peeves, personal, and the ones women talk to me about, are as follows:
· I am exhausted when I get my period
· I could eat a horse the week before my period
· I am snappy and moody before my period
· I get so frustrated that I can’t work out the same all the way through my period
· I just want to be left alone during my bleed
· Why can’t I be energized like I am mid cycle?
I know there are heaps more, but for most it is definitely more of a frustration than a joyous time. In part, it’s because we don’t honour it. We don’t ride the waves and instead constantly fight against it. I wish that I had learnt about utilizing each time of the month to its full benefit in my teens because wow, I would have done so much more and been so much kinder to myself. If you have a teen just coming into menarche then get her to read this secret!
The secret is to see your cycle as a series of seasons and plan your life to make the most of each season.
Confused? Let me explain.
Spring: This is the post bleed time before ovulation. In technical speak it is your Follicular phase. This is where the follicle containing the egg is starting to grow but you are symptom free. Oestrogen is climbing! It’s spring! What could be wrong? You are full of love and life and joy. No one pisses you off, you cope with day to day life with ease and life is good!
In spring we are at our most creative. We dream big, make big plans, and have a zest for life we haven’t seen for a week or 2. Explore, plan, play as you become an expert problem solver and brainstormer extraordinaire.
Be careful not to overcommit yourself for later in the month!
Summer: This fleeting phase is Ovulation. We are at peak harvest time. All those plans and projects we sowed in Spring are ready to harvest and we are at the peak of our energy and exuberance.
This is a great time to start launching our plans, getting ourselves out there, doing the hard stuff. If you need to make phone calls, organize things and get into the world generally then now is the time!
Don’t use all your energy here! Save a bit for later!
Autumn: This is our luteal phase post ovulation. The ovum has been expelled and our body waits expectantly for a fertilized egg but toward the end of this season if it doesn’t get a fertilized egg it starts to plan a clean out for the next month. Sensible progesterone starts to take the wheel in this phase. Oestrogen starts a slow steady climb as well but in balance with progesterone. Things can start to get a little crazy at the end here as they drop again. Our patience dips, our hunger increases and our bodies start to wind down and prepare for winter.
Autumn is a time to start tying up loose ends, making plans for winter and nesting, starting to slow down and enjoy the spoils of Spring and Summer.
Don’t expect too much of yourself right now.
Winter: This is the internal season. It’s actually the start of our cycle as day 1 of our period is actually day 1 of our cycle. We move inward emotionally, our energy is decreased, we may have a little niggling pain (anymore than that and please come see me!) and even feel a little teary. Generally speaking, we really don’t want to do much and that is ok!.
Plan for this time. Get yourself some comfort food, plan to watch movies, take a nap, have a day of doing nothing. If you need to go to work, do the minimum as when you get back in Spring and Summer you’ll be doing more anyway. A couple of days doing the minimum is fine!
This is a great time to plan for Spring and Summer. Think about what you need to do in those weeks and start jotting down ideas. Use this time to dream a little or a lot and cut yourself some slack for not wanting to do much- it’s ok!
Honour your energy level and take it easy. The world will wait.
It is so easy to get caught up in the go, go, go of life and push through but if you really want to make the most of your life then start listening to your body. Really utilize the seasons for what they offer as they all hold a beauty if we allow ourselves to sink into them.
If you need help with your cycle, then use the button below to start repairing your hormones so you can start to see the benefit of having a cycle and not just feel at the mercy of it.