What nobody told you about your period
Your body has seasons
Women are cyclical — our hormones fluctuate during the month. I have previously talked about how our periods affect us wholy — from our energy levels, to the kind of tasks that we would like to perform.
Today, I want to dive deeper into our cycle and talk about a concept that I just very recently discovered: the inner seasons. This concept has apparently been around for some time, but was popularised by Maisie Hill in Period Power.
Nowadays, there is a bigger understanding or visibility around the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle, traditionally known as menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation, luteal phase. However, the concept of the inner seasons seems to be pretty new for most.
The idea of this concept is to link these traditional phases to the seasons of the year, given the seasonality and change in your emotions and feelings as you go through your cycle. Feeling gloomy during day 1 or 2 of menstruating? That is because, in your body, it is winter.
Let’s dive into this.
Inner Winter — Menstruation
The first days of your cycle (can range from 4 to 7 days), you bleed. Your energy levels might feel at the lowest, like on a dark winter day where the sun sets at 4pm and you just want to cuddle on the sofa. You might feel more irritable, especially if you are dealing with any of the multiple symptoms menstruating folks experience during a period — cramps, abdominal pain, bloating... You might feel less social and want to distance yourself from others. It is a good moment of reflection and looking onwards, like in a cold Winter afternoon at home.
The idea here is: do not try to push yourself too much. Respect this low moment and work around it to support it. You might find that you cannot push as hard at the gym, or lift as heavy as before — this is not a good moment to try to do a PR.
Instead, try lower intensity exercises, like walking or a Hatha yoga flow. You might feel you need more sleep during this time. Honour this rest to be able to come back fully recharged in the next seasons — think about it like when in Winter you slow down, stay in and do more stuff for yourself. Your body is going through a lot.
Inner Winter is a good moment to rest and release, to let go and prepare for the energising seasons ahead. It is a moment of awareness — treasure it, even if it might feel challenging at times. After all, Spring will come.
Inner Spring — Follicular Phase
Similar to nature, this is when you start blooming. Once you stop menstruating and roughly until day 12 of your cycle, this is where estrogen raises, your uterus thickens and follicles are created in order to develop an egg, stimulated by Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). This is when you are starting to experience a surge in energy and motivation.
You are more social, especially towards the end of this season (reaching into summer!). The same way in Spring days become longer and daylight more abundant, your own day might seem longer and you feel you can achieve much more with the same time.
This is a moment to pursue new habits and go back to doing more vigorous activities — now you can more easily get to that PR. It is a time for exploration, for trying that new thing that you could not get started before.
Inner Summer — Ovulation
Ovulation feels like that European summer where everybody is out and about, and you find yourself out of the house for the whole day and night. It lasts roughly from day 13 to day 17 in your cycle.
This is when you are feeling on top of your game — mainly due to the high estrogen levels. Nothing can stop you. You are feeling full of confidence. You do not pay attention to external comments and it is quite likely you’re levitating a bit as you walk.
You feel at the peak of your productivity — this is the time to push harder in every aspect. You are at your most social. The task that was a nightmare to do before? You probably can conquer it easily now. Everything feels a bit easier. It is a great time to take on new challenges. It is also the best moment to spark new connections, or reconnect with older ones.
Inner Autumn — Luteal Phase
Sadly, Summer cannot last forever. As your ovulation gets to its end, between days 18 to 28 of your cycle, progesterone rises to prepare your uterus for pregnancy. If that does not happen, progesterone and estrogen will start lowering gain and this will cause the shedding of your uterus — leading you back to Winter (or Menstruation).
This hormonal change begins to slowly drain your energy again. Whilst you might still experience the spurs of energy from your Inner Summer at the beginning of this period, you will slowly start experiencing the drag in energy. This is the time where you might also start experiencing PMS symptoms.
This is a good moment to look inwards. You might feel especially reflective during this time — you can use this energy to review work, reflect and plan forward. Whilst you probably can still push hard during exercise at the beginning of this season, you might want to slow down and do gentler routines towards the end. Your moment of quiet starts here.
I only stumbled upon this concept recently, but I think it is a very beautiful and illustrative way to show how you feel during your cycle. By knowing and honouring these seasons, you can make space for the feelings that arise during them. The same way that we wear a thick coat in winter and stay more at home, we might want to reduce social interactions during our Inner Winter.
These are not hard rules or recommendations — you might feel super social whilst you are in your Inner Winter, or want to retreat some days of your Inner Summer. Nobody needs to adhere to any hard norm. The idea is that this information will provide a framework to understand certain moods you might experience and help you honour your feelings.
We are cyclical beings and we cannot expect to show up exactly the same every day.
Understanding your cycle will help you unleash your potential, by connecting you back to your body.
Disclaimer: This article is only for informational purposes and it is not aimed to give professional advice. If you are experiencing any health issues, you should seek help from a medical professional.
hormonal stories is a publication born to give a voice to all menstruating folks and break the silence on period pain. We want to rewrite old narratives and visibilise hidden struggles. Join the conversation! Write for us (link) #hormonalstories
