We’ve covered the nitty gritty of how the menstrual cycle works. Now it’s time to introduce you to your superpowers. I’ve compiled what I have learnt from Lucy Peach and Claire Baker plus my own experience into a series of blog posts. One by one, I’ll be guiding you through each of the four hormonal phases, starting with…
WINTER: MENSTRUATION (~DAY 1-7)
The first day of bleeding marks the start of your winter. You are running on empty hormone-wise and energy levels are low. Unfortunately, society expects us just to push through and get on with it. This often leaves us feeling exhausted, overwhelmed and completely inadequate. But there is another way…
superpowers
Rest and recharge
Think of your period as your monthly pit-stop. Rather than rush through, take the time to slow down and refuel. If you don’t, you will find yourself running on empty for the rest of the month.
This takes some planning. If you know when your period is due, mark these dates in your diary in red. Try to keep these dates as free as possible. Use this time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Try to go to bed earlier and sleep in when possible.
lower your expectations
Of course, life doesn’t stop when you have your period. But you can still work/study/look after kids when you have your period. Just take the pressure off yourself by:
- ordering takeaway or heating up meals you have cooked in advance
- working or studying from home if you can
- resisting the urge to say yes to things just because you think you should
- moving anything that isn’t urgent on your to-do list to next week
Ask for help
If you are always the one looking after everyone else, now it’s your turn! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and allow yourself to be looked after. When someone offers to make you dinner or a cup of tea, take it! You will return the favour in your summer phase.
Nurture yourself
There is no better time for self-care than when you have your period. Think about the things that bring you joy and comfort. Here are some ideas:
- book a facial or a massage
- sip herbal tea or hot chocolate out of your favourite mug
- run a bubble bath
- get into your comfiest clothes
- curl up on the couch and read a book
- binge watch a series or have a movie marathon
- indulge in some dark chocolate
- take a nap or allow yourself to day dream
If you are a mum with little ones, the only time you may have to yourself is in the shower. So take a longer one and use a nice body scrub. Or when your partner gets home from work, go for a walk around the block by yourself or find a quiet room and close the door. Lie on your back with your legs up the wall and do 5 minutes of deep breathing.
Meditate
Do you usually struggle with meditation and mindfulness? Now is the time to start! Download a guided meditation app like Smiling Mind, Headspace or Calm. Or simply take deep belly breaths. Make your exhales twice as long as your inhales.
Move gently
You may like to skip the HIIT workouts and opt for gentle movement like yoga instead.
Dream deeply
Lucy calls this phase the ‘dream’ phase. According to ancient cultures, your intuition is at its strongest when you are on your period. You may find yourself coming up with new ideas or projects. Claire calls these ‘period ideas.’ Write them all down in a journal ready to come back to later. Pondering a big life decision or have a problem? Bleed on it. The solution will likely come to you, if not in this cycle then over the next few!
START OVER
Your period marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new one. Consider it an opportunity to start fresh every month. You may like to journal about the month you’ve just had and what you want the next month to look like.
LAY THE GROUNDWORK
While you are being all wise and observant, lay the groundwork for any upcoming assignments or work projects. Use this time to research and write notes. You can come back to writing it in your spring phase when you are firing on all cylinders.
LET IT ALL OUT
Let yourself feel whatever emotions come up in this phase. If you feel sad, have a good cry. You don’t have to hold it all in!
see your period in a new light
Our menstrual cycle and the hormones involved are controlled by the brain. The purpose of the menstrual cycle is to create a pregnancy. Every month, your brain assesses the situation inside your body and your environment and decides whether it is ‘safe’ to get the process started. If you are highly stressed, overexercising or under-fuelling your body, your brain will decide it’s too dangerous to fall pregnant and won’t give the go-ahead.
In this way, your period is kind of like a monthly health report card. Rather than thinking its gross, see your blood as a sign that everything is working as it should. It is important to note here that I am talking about a menstrual bleed and not the withdrawal bleed you get when you are on the pill.
do the thing
In an ideal world, your period would fall on a weekend when you can spend all day in your pajamas. So what do you do when your period falls at a time when you are meant to be on your best game? This happened to me only recently. I was presenting at a conference for the first time and I was day 1 on conference day. I was also planning on wearing white pants…
I remembered what Lucy said in her book, “Anything he can do, you can do bleeding. You might need a nap after, and maybe a wine…in the bath.” So that’s what I did. After the conference, rather than going out for dinner, I went back to my room, ordered room service and had a nice soak in the bubble bath.
Connect
Lucy says we can feel particularly vulnerable when we have our period and that it’s ok to let others see this. She goes on to say women are made to come together, connect and learn from each other during this time. With this in mind, I was open about having my period when a few people complimented me on my outfit at the conference. (I still wore the white pants). The following day, I took a workshop with a small group of female myotherapists. We talked about pregnancy, birth and womanhood in general and shared our thoughts and ideas with each other. It was such a special day! I came back from that weekend exhausted but absolutely buzzing!
Hopefully you are starting to see that if you plan well and look after yourself, you can actually enjoy this phase. Rather than dread the arrival of your period, you may even begin to look forward to it!
Challenges
Period pain
If you are like one of the many women I see with crippling period pain, the thought of enjoying your period understandably sounds laughable. But hear me out. Recently, I read a beautiful book called ‘Healing Pelvic Pain‘ by Dr Peta Wright, a prominent Brisbane gynaecologist who specialises in pelvic pain. Peta reports seeing huge improvements in quality of life and reduction in pain in women who listen to their bodies and give themselves permission to rest in this phase.
Feeling guilty
In a society that prides itself on being busy, it is easy to feel guilty for taking the time to rest. Remind yourself you deserve it and that if you use this time to fill your cup, you will have much more to give in the weeks ahead.
Once your bleeding stops (or even before), you may notice a slight spark in energy. Your oestrogen levels are rising and preparing for the next phase. Now it’s time to DO…
Courtney x
P.S. How would your attitude towards your period changed if it was the ultimate self-care time of the month? Comment below!
