Stress can send our hormones haywire.
And the last few weeks of constant change have certainly had an impact on mine. Itchy skin, disturbed sleep, brain fog and low energy were my companions. Not to mention the scratchy mood. My usual remedies of sleep, exercise, time outside and good food just weren’t cutting it.
I made the decision to practice what I know to be true. To rest for the first 2 days of my period so that the month ahead would be a better one, from a hormone balance point of view.
Because we don’t know what life will throw at us next week, but we all know that being well rested helps.
Our period can be described as the winter phase of our cycle. Just as the opposite is ovulation and summer.
In winter nature rests. And so did I.
Well, as much as you can when you have kids at home and a small business to run.
I stayed in bed until midday (well, actually I got up, had breakfast and put laundry on and then went back to bed so I could have it to MYSELF!)
I read books, drank tea, wrote in my journal, dozed a bit, scrolled a bit, meditated a bit. I delegated.
My family know that this is good for me. And so do I. It’s taken a few years of education, trial and error, but we ALL benefit.
I didn’t immediately emerge a new woman, but I was definitely a lot easier to have around.
In Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer, they suggest that menstruation can be a natural time to de-stress, and a re-set button for the next cycle. They and others suggest that ‘how you bleed sets the tone for the rest of your cycle’. I certainly know that if I don’t rest I feel the effects. And that this month, rest was both easier to come by and more necessary to help deal with the stress of lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic.
Alyssa Vitti in Woman Code suggests that in the menstrual phase communication between left and right hemispheres of the brain are stronger than ever which can help you evaluate your life, and make intuitive decisions about the month ahead. So when you rest, you can get clearer on what you want and need in life.
Sounds like two very valid reasons to rest, right.
I also know that stress, alcohol and sleep deprivation will trigger symptoms related to perimenopause/low progesterone. So if I can have a couple of real de-stress days, that should help set me up for the month ahead and fewer.
I track my cycle. I find it really helpful. Because then I can see if these actions actually make a difference.
And they do.
It’s not hard. It’s just bringing awareness.
Simple sustainable strategies that make a big difference.
And in my forties as my hormone levels decline and I don’t always ovulate, it becomes even more important.
Working with your cycle is just one element of my upcoming Feel Good Forties course.
Find out a little more here.