Do you ever feel like you have a week where no matter what you tell yourself, you just cannot get focused and be productive? And then the next week you feel like you are in such a groove and things are just flowing easily? What if I told you that is due to where you are at in your feminine cycle!
Yep, that is right, and I did not know how impactful this was to not only my mood but also my productivity and focus until a few years ago. As our bodies go through the different phases of menstruation, there are so many changes to our body due to hormonal shifts which then in turn affect every area of our body. When we understand the role of each hormone and when it is “in control”, we can use it to our advantage!
So, to begin, there are 4 phases in a women’s cycle. The length of days mentioned are the average days but for most women, you will fall either before or after that as I do not know many women who have the ‘standard’ 28-day cycle… I know I do not.
Menses (Day 1-5)
Follicular Phase (Day 6-12)
Ovulation (Day 13-18)
Luteal Phase (Day 19-28)
Menstruation is usually day 1-5 for most women. During menstruation, our hormones are at their lowest levels which often leads to feelings of withdrawal and wanting to reflect and have alone time. Due to the fact that menstruation is when our body sheds the endometrium, or the inner lining of the uterus, it is typical to feel a little more tired than usual. So, during menstruation, it is wise to slow down and not expect to get as much accomplished. Maybe take time to journal or do some self-reflection. Use this time to prepare for what you envision yourself accomplishing over the next month.
The Follicular Phase is when the egg starts its maturation process. Estrogen levels increase which leads to more energy and an increase in your confidence and desire to be around others. This is a great time to take action on the plan that you envisioned/journaled about during menstruation. This is typically days 6-12 for most women.
Ovulation, days 13-18, is when the egg is released and with that, estrogen levels are at their highest and there is also a surge of testosterone. This leads to better social skills, increased confidence, and the desire to do things that bring your pleasure. So, during this time, make sure to go out and do something that you enjoy doing and focus on completing the energy consuming task that you planned early in the month.
You then enter the Luteal Phase, which is usually days 19-28. During this time, estrogen levels have dropped, and progesterone is now the dominant hormone. Progesterone is a calming hormone and it causes everything to slow down, including your mind and energy. This can be a great time to do some detail-oriented tasks and self-care items will come naturally.
When we pay attention to what phase of our cycle we are in, we can organize our projects and tasks around them to honor how our body is working. When we try to do too much when our body is not up for it, it leads to frustration and feeling unproductive, but when we honor what our body is telling us, then we will feel accomplished knowing that we are doing what our body is designed to do during that phase.
When I started to track this, I noticed that things just went easier for me. And it also explained why some weeks I just did not feel like I was being productive getting a lot of “big” things accomplished, but I was getting the small details done.
Honoring the different phases of our body is so powerful and with that, we need to make taking care of our body a priority! If you notice that you are having discomfort or PMS during different phases of your cycle, there have been numerous studies showing that chiropractic can help regulate the cycle. This is done by allowing for the brain to communicate properly with the reproductive organs to allow for better hormone balance. If you would like more details on this, or want to gain some more insight, I would love to talk to you in more detail!
And as an end note- pay attention to these energy changes while you are parenting a well. Sometimes you will feel like going on more outings with your kids and other times you just want to stay home and do things around the house. That is perfectly normal, just use some of the high energy times to prepare for the low energy times by maybe preparing a few crafts ahead of time or even doing some serious meal prep. This can help you feel like you are drowning when you do something big with the kids even though you have lower energy!
When we know better, we can do better!
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