Your period cycle is made up of four very distinct phases, and each phase includes a range of changes to your mind and body. As you learn to be more comfortable with your body and its phases, you’ll have more control, feel more productive and be able to balance your hormones.
Let me explain…
Have you ever thought about how many things in the universe go through cycles?
The earth orbits closer to the sun then farther away, creating the seasons. A fruit tree flowers, then fruits, bears its seed, and flowers again. The moon’s light waxes, becomes full, then wanes into darkness.
As women, this cyclical ebb and flow happens each month in our bodies in the form of the menstrual cycle. It’s your own personal creativity cycle that you can use to your advantage.
The 4 Stages of Your Cycle
Just like there are 4 seasons in a year, we go through 4 distinctive hormonal shifts that make up the phases of our cycle: Menstrual, Follicular, Ovulatory and Luteal.
The hormonal shifts impact our brain chemistry, energy, creativity and how social we feel (pretty much everything!). This is all backed by science.
Because of these shifts, we naturally become more equipped to take on certain tasks during each phase of our cycle. I like to call our shifting talents ‘menstrual super powers’, which is a term I learned from Lisa Lister’s book, Loving Your Lady Landscape. I combined this knowledge with info from Alisa Vitti’s book, The Women Code, to get a better idea of what we’re best at in each phase.
When you become aware of the phases of your cycle, you can tap into the menstrual super powers to decrease stress, get more done and enjoy living in your miraculous human body!
The 4 Phases & Menstrual Super Powers
Menstrual Phase: Otherwise known as your period, typically lasts around 3-7 days. Your low estrogen and progesterone levels create a sense of calm and clarity. You feel more inward so take time to be alone.
Super Power: You’ve got heightened intuition. Want to be more patient or call in more self-love? This is a good time to set personal intentions for the month ahead. Bust out your journal and do some reflecting… you might be surprised what your inner self has been trying to tell you.
Follicular Phase: Right after you stop bleeding. This phase lasts for 5-10 days as your estrogen ramps up and increases your energy. It’s like your personal springtime… things are growing.
Super Power: You’ve become a quick study! Take action on intentions that you set. Challenge yourself to learn something new or start a creative project. You could get crafty and make something cool for you or a friend.
Ovulatory Phase: Unbeknownst to you (until now!) your testosterone and estrogen are at their highest for 3-4 days every month. It’s your time to shine! Your self esteem is high and you feel more outward and social. You’re ready to take on the world.
Super Power: You’re very persuasive. This is a great time for public speaking, making new friends, or a job interview. Put your favorite song on and dance like no one is watching, it’s time to celebrate (because that’s how you feel)!
Luteal Phase: Usually lasting the last 2 weeks of the month, progesterone is your dominant hormone. There are actually two parts to this phase. In the first week progesterone is high and the second week it drops slightly.
Super Power: In that first week, you’re feeling creative. You can settle down at your desk and get to work on your painting, writing or coding that you love to do. During the second week, your brain becomes really good at tying up loose ends. This is a good time to clean your space or buckle down and get tasks completed.
Riding the waves of your cycle can bring so much goodness into your life and help you feel more connected to your body.
However, when this creative cyclical energy gets blocked in some way through trauma, shame or disconnection from our bodies, we can experience negative menstrual symptoms such as cramping, lighter or heavier flow, ovarian cysts or fibroids. You can be annoyed with these symptoms or you could see them as gifts; it’s our body’s way of calling us back ‘home’.
Learning to tune in to your cycle and work with your menstrual superpowers when they are ‘in season’ will keep your energy flowing, which creates vibrant health in your body.
Learn more about balancing your hormones by eating for the phases at naturalhormonehealing.com
*girl is not intended to exclusively refer to a specific gender but to people who get periods
Post written for Blume by Natural Hormone Healing
