Did you know that it is wise to synch your life with your menstrual cycle? In this article, HSP entrepreneur Anne-Kathrin shares practical tips on synching your schedule with your natural rhythm.
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Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Back when I became an entrepreneur, I started my business with the idea that I had to hustle 24/7.
However, after a couple of months of doing so, I noticed how my energy and productivity declined. Moreover, I experienced awful symptoms of a burnout, indicating that I needed to make changes to my daily structure asap.
Consequently, I started identifying what may be causing my misery. I soon realized why I felt the way I did: I did not listen to the nature of my body. Moreover, I was extremely disconnected from my feminine energy and only living in the masculine energy of my body.
As a result, I began looking for an alternative way to go about my entrepreneurship journey. One of the biggest game changers I came across was to synch my life with my menstrual cycle.
In this article, I’ll share how this change can affect your overall happiness and energy. Also, you will discover practical tips on where to start when you want to synch your life with your menstrual cycle.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
Why You Should Start Aligning Your Life With Your Menstrual Cycle
You may wonder why you should bother aligning your life with your menstrual cycle. The reason is simple; until 70 years ago, our society was dominated by masculine energy. However, with the rise of feminism and more rights for women, more and more women entered the work field.
However, the work standard still only considers the masculine 24/7 energy, which is aligned with the sun. Feminine energy however, aligns with the moon cycle, which goes through phases, just like the menstrual cycle.
Hence, it is better for females who menstruate to align their daily tasks and duties as much as possible to their menstrual cycle. By doing so, we are more effective at managing our energy and productivity the best way possible.
During each phase of our menstrual cycle, we have different strengths that we can utilize in our private and work life. By considering these strengths and using them accordingly, we’ll get more done than doing tasks that don’t align with the specific phase of the menstrual cycle.
Therefore, consider changing your habits to optimally use your energy as a menstruating female.
The First Step To Synch Your Life With Your Menstrual Cycle: Understand The Different Phases
When you want to start working with your menstrual cycle, it is important to understand the different phases within it first.
By knowing the different phases and being able to pinpoint them on your calendar, you can start scheduling your month ahead in a way that suits your energy flow at that given time.
Your menstrual cycle consists of four phases:
- Menstruation
- The follicular phase
- Ovulation
- The luteal phase
Below, I’ll briefly explain what each phase entails and how your energy may adapt itself around that phase.
Menstruation
In this phase, you are on your period. When you are not pregnant, your uterus lets go of its lining through what is partly blood and partly tissue from inside your uterus. The first day this occurs, is known as cycle day number 1. Usually, the menstruation phase lasts between 3 to 7 days.
You may experience heavy cramps during this phase. Also, you may experience bloating, lower back pain, sore breasts, food cravings, mood swings & irritability, fatigue and headaches.
Looking at this list of menstruation symptoms, it goes without saying that you may experience low energy during this phase. Your body craves rest and ease, as it is going through an intense physical process.
The Follicular Phase
Secondly, your body goes through the follicular phase. This phase begins at the end of your period. The follicular phase is a time of growth that usually lasts about two weeks. It’s called the Follicular Phase because your pituitary gland releases a hormone known as “FSH” which stimulates one of your ovaries to mature and release an egg.
During this phase, your estrogen and testosterone levels increase gradually. This increase causes a gradual boost in mood, energy and brain capacity. As a result, you’ll feel more confident, happy and energetic. Even on the outside, you will glow more and more, feeling beautiful and powerful.
Ovulation
The ovulatory phase is a culmination of all the hard work your body has been doing for weeks. Right before you’re about to release an egg, there’s a surge in luteinizing hormone and this causes one follicle to burst open and release its precious cargo into the fallopian tube. It’ll live 12-24 hours so if fertilization happens, a baby will be on their way or else the eggs will be released during the next menstruation.
Estrogen and Testosterone continue to increase, boosting all of the effects you enjoyed during the follicular phase. You look more attractive now that your face is starting to clear up! As a result of this hormone balance, self-esteem also spikes as we start feeling better about ourselves.
The Luteal Phase
Finally, after ovulation is over, the luteal phase sets in. This phase lasts about 12 to 14 days and can be divided into two sub-phases.
In the first half of this phase, you will still notice the hormonal effects from the previous phases. Due to the high amount of estrogen and testosterone, you’ll still feel confident and powerful.
However, as these hormones decrease and you start producing progesterone to prepare for the next menstruation, you will feel the need to slow down and be closer to home. The reason you experience this, is because progesterone naturally is a calming hormone, literally sending signals to your body to rest.
Besides the need to wind down, your brain prefers activities that require focus during this phase. Also, you may feel more creative and inspired towards the end of this phase, due to a slight increase in estrogen.
How To Synch Your Life With Your Menstrual Cycle: A Practical Guide
Now that you know what the various phases are, it is time to start synching your life with your menstrual cycle! Below, I share some practical tips on how to start doing that.
Colour Code To Synch Your Life With The Menstrual Phases
The first thing you may want to do, is to colour code your calendar. Choose one colour for each phase and mark the various phases in your calendar.
If you use the natural cycles app (like I do), you will receive an accurate overview of the different phases of your menstrual cycle. Use these insights in your daily calendar and you will immediately know what phase you’re in when scheduling new appointments and tasks.
Schedule The Proper Tasks In The Proper Phases
As soon as you know the different phases of your menstrual cycle, it is time to synch your daily tasks in life with these phases. Here is an overview of the tasks you should schedule in each phase:
Tasks To Perform While You Menstruate
During this phase, it is best to do tasks that are best performed at a slow pace. For instance, you may want to set goals for the upcoming cycle. Or you may want to do some envisioning and manifesting on what you’d like to focus your energy on for the next couple of weeks. Most important of all is to not over-schedule yourself during this phase. You may want to see this phase as a time to recharge. Something that is very beneficial for highly sensitive people and empaths.
Here’s a list of things you may want to focus on during this phase:
- Self care activities;
- Envisioning;
- Reflect on previous cycle;
- Goal setting (Create a plan for the upcoming month);
- Relaxation days;
- Focus on good nutrition;
- Drink enough water;
- Redesign your work/day structure.
The Follicular Phase Tasks
As you increasingly feel more confident as the follicular phase proceeds, it is wise to make important decisions and work on big projects. This is also a great time for socializing – both at work through networking and privately with friends.
Here are some ideas to try out during this phase:
- Do job interviews (if you plan on switching jobs);
- Work on bigger projects (both at work and at home);
- Start creative initiatives;
- Join fun activities with friends and family;
- Plan networking events;
- Get to know new people.
Ovulation Tasks
During this phase it feels like you are on top of the world. Now is a great time to use that energy to show the world what you’ve got!
Here is a list of tasks to try out when you ovulate:
- Schedule a date night with your partner or go on a date;
- Attend a big, public event (or do public speaking yourself);
- Exercise (to get all the excess energy out of your system);
- Finish (and launch) big projects.
The Luteal Phase
As mentioned, the luteal phase can be divided into two phases. During the first sub-phase, you may want to still ride the wave from the previous phase and do tasks that require more energy. As you proceed into the second sub-phase, try to schedule tasks closer to home. Now is the time you want to get all the small things done to create room for the new cycle.
Here are activities to try out during this phase to synch your life with your menstrual cycle:
- Declutter your home (and work life);
- Organize your home (and work life);
- Check items off your to do-list;
- Think about what you want to let go;
- Do restorative exercising like Yoga.
Respect Your Boundaries
Once you start listening to your cycle when scheduling new events and tasks, you may meet some resistance from your social environment. After all, you used to be available 24/7 to them.
It can be challenging to protect your boundaries and stick to your new routine, but I promise you that you won’t regret it. After a couple of months of trying this new rhythm, you will notice changes in your energy levels and feel more connected to your body. And that is worth a couple of challenging discussions with friends and family, I promise!
What If Your Menstrual Cycle Is Irregular?
Now that you have discovered these tips, you may wonder if they apply to you when your cycle is irregular. I can imagine that it is incredibly challenging for you to schedule your life ahead when you don’t know the exact days you’ll be entering a new phase of your menstrual cycle. Also, if you take hormonal birth control, you may not find this advice applicable to your situation.
If following your menstrual cycle is challenging for you, I highly recommend you to experiment with following the energy of the moon cycles. The Embody Me platform has an amazing course about the different moon cycles for its members. Besides that, they offer great Yoga- and meditation classes & wellness workshops. I highly recommend it if you aim to seek more balance in your daily life.
Try Embody Me now for 7 days for just 1$!
Have Fun Experimenting!
Now that you have discovered the practical tips to synch your life with your menstrual cycle, it is time to get started with scheduling! I wish you the best of luck in your journey towards finding more balance in life!
If you’d like to read more about aligning your life with your menstrual cycle, have a look at the book ‘Moon Time: Harness the ever-changing energy of your menstrual cycle’.
