How Menstrual Cycle Awareness Can Help Period Problems
/Why Use Menstrual Cycle Awareness?!
In a nutshell, our menstrual cycle is the barometer of our overall wellbeing.
If we are struggling with our cycle, it is often showing us that something in our lifestyle is not working for us. We may feel that something is wrong with our cycle and it needs fixing in some way. However, I have noticed that if we try to improve our lifestyle rather than trying to fix the cycle itself, very often the difficult symptoms improve or resolve themselves.
This can sometimes be hard to hear and I absolutely do not mean that women are to blame for their symptoms. Not at all! It’s more the case that our modern lifestyles do not take our cycles into account and we are expected to act as though we don’t have them - or take the pill to suppress or ‘fix’ them. This disconnects us from our body’s signals, and we can end up feeling at the mercy of our hormones rather than in alignment.
We can work in tune with our body not in battle against it.
As the saying goes “knowledge is power”. The more we know about ourselves, our individual cycles, our needs and superpowers in each season, the more we can work in tune with our body instead of fighting against it. The more we become able to do this, the more comfortable we become in our own body on every level.
Cycle awareness is also an important part of really understanding and managing our fertility.
Whether we want to be pregnant or not, cycle awareness can help connect us to our fertile days. The more attuned we are to these, the easier it is to both get pregnant and avoid pregnancy. Of course it is not fail safe, but being able to read and respond to our body’s signs and signals increases our overall body literacy and gives us more information to work with.
It is also hugely helpful preparation for menopause and if you are there already, it is never too late to start. We are not just looking at monthly cycles, but the cycles of our whole lifespan.
What are the seasons of the cycle?
This is gradually becoming more widely known, but in case you haven’t come across this concept before, here is an overview:
Winter – this is the bleed phase and the beginning of counting the days of our cycle. This is where energy can be lowest but intuition and insight highest.
Spring – this is the phase between bleeding and ovulation (follicular), our energy generally is rising and we are more outward focused and curious.
Summer – is the ovulatory phase where we can multitask, feel friendly, flirty and outgoing
Autumn – is the pre-menstrual phase (luteal) where energy begins to drop, discernment is high and we are less tolerant of what is out of alignment for us.
I will go into each season in more detail in separate blog posts so that you can understand the qualities of each and how to better harness the powers of each phase and care for the vulnerabilities too.
What if I do not menstruate?
This can be the case if you are pregnant, menopausal, on the pill or other medication or simply have issues with your cycle.
If you do not have a bleed cycle, you can use the moon as a guide instead with, Winter being new moon, Spring being waxing moon, Summer being full moon and Autumn waning moon.
How to Track Your Menstrual Cycle
The first stage of using MCA is to gather knowledge of your own cycle as we are all unique. By taking daily notes you will be able to start ot recognise your own unique patterns and be better informed about how best to self-care throughout the month.
Day 1 is the first day of your bleed, or first day of the new moon. This is the starting point. Simply make brief notes each day until you next bleed or the next new moon. These notes can include your mood, energy symptoms or whatever you feel is relevant and useful. Then repeat for the following cycle and so on.
There is no right or wrong way to do this, just try to be consistent. Spend as long or as little as you like each day; literally a few words can be sufficient to give the overall feel of the day. You may like to rate your energy from 1-10, use an emoji or colour codes. Over time you my start to notice patterns emerging which can give you key information to work with in your life.
In the following months, I will delve into each season in turn, giving the qualities, superpowers and pitfalls of each and the self-care and action to take to flow with ease in your life. In turn you may find your menstrual cycle also flows with more ease.
If you have menstruating (or soon to be) daughters, you may also like to introduce them to this concept. I recommend Milli Hill’s book My Period, which my daughter loves and is a good source of questions to begin conversations.
Both reflexology and yoga can be a valuable part of supporting our natural cycles.
Reflexology can help to balance hormones and release stress to help regulate the cycle and well woman yoga can promote healthy pelvic alignment and tone and ease menstrual symptoms. Both can help you reach deep relaxation where mind and body can heal. I have seen many a client’s symptoms improve or even disappear over the years, whether it be pain, regularity or PMS issues.
If you’d like to work with me you can book online here or simply get in touch.