Women have an intuitive sense within us, an element of ourselves that tells us each month that rest is due and it’s time to slow down. But in the societal world we live in, filled with so much expectation, women often do not slow down when menstruation arrives. The modern world is not set up for menstruation, and as a result, women suffer terribly, having to “suck it up and get on with it.”
I always find it sad when I hear that women are suffering while having to show up as their confident and energetic selves, repressing pain and discomfort—”because they have to.”
I never honoured my cycle, purely because I didn’t understand its importance—the importance of allowing myself the time to do nothing, to say no to socialising, to cradle my womb, hold space for myself, and just rest! Shortly after being given some resources from a friend – I began to learn.
Our cycle is split into four stages: Menstruation, Follicular Phase, Ovulation, and Luteal Phase.
In more recent years, these stages have been identified as mirroring the seasons. For the purpose of this article, I will use the seasons, as they provide a clear view of how to respect these phases.
First, let’s view the seasons generally as they appear on Earth:
- Winter: Plants die or go into dormant mode, animals hibernate, the weather becomes cold, daylight is shorter, and generally, humans slow down, eat more food, and go out less.
- Spring: Buds begin to appear, animals and insects come out of hiding, the weather warms up, days become longer, and the world prepares to emerge after winter.
- Summer: The animal kingdom is out in full force, trees bloom, the weather is mostly sunny, days are much longer, and humans live their best lives, enjoying each day to the fullest. It’s a very social time—parties, festivals, and the like.
- Autumn: Leaves begin to fall off the trees, the animal kingdom prepares to hibernate, the weather changes, there is less sun, summer is over, and humans have had their fun and begin to slow down.
Now that you have this knowledge, let’s look at the seasons relating to the menstrual cycle:
| STAGE OF CYCLE | PHYSICAL BODY | SEASONAL MEANING |
| Menstruation or Winter | Estrogen and progesterone are in decline. Uterine lining sheds, and the period starts. | A time to cocoon, slow down, and go inward. Say no to social plans and yes to inner love and rest. |
| Follicular Phase or Spring | Estrogen begins to rise. Eggs begin to mature. | A time to open up to the world again, plan, conjure ideas, and think about socialising softly. |
| Ovulation or Summer | Estrogen is at its height. The egg is released. | The time to say YES. This is when you feel most confident and extroverted. |
| Luteal Phase or Autumn | Estrogen declines, and progesterone rises. The egg travels down the fallopian tube ready to be released. | A time to listen to our bodies and begin to slow down. This is when premenstrual symptoms may arise. Time to cocoon. |
Each of these seasons brings a new energy that I believe we must honour. Especially when it comes to our masculine and feminine energies. Spring and summer foster more connection with our masculine energy—outward and external—while autumn and winter are very much feminine energies—softer and more inward.
I would highly recommend tracking your cycle. Tracking your cycle means marking Day 1 as the first day of your bleed. Each day, you write down your symptoms, moods, cravings, quantity of sleep, sex drive – as a handful of examples. You’ll begin to find after 2-3 months that you can look at your regular patterns. For example, I know that around Day 17/18 I have my transition day. That’s the day I move out of Summer into Autumn.
By doing this, we can manage our calendar and time more efficiently and avoid pushing ourselves when we are simply not in the space. For example, I know that when I move into the week before my period, it’s a no go zone for helping others, dressing up and going out as I know that my confidence and energy levels will be lacking.
In order to understand your cycle more, there are a number of things you can do:
- Read informative books – Wild Power by Alexandra Pope is incredibly informative and will teach you a lot about how the cycle works
- Begin to track your menstrual cycle. Use my tips above. There are many ways you can do this; by paper, digitally (there is an app called Flo), or journal (there are specific menstrual journals you can buy with circular diagrams where you can track your cycle)
- Join or create a menstrual cycle group – where women come together and discuss their experiences. It helps to have support and hearing other peoples experiences makes you feel less alone
And let me know if you have any questions using the box below!