Discovering how to live in harmony with your menstrual cycle, rather than working against it, unlocks a world of emotional and relational benefits. By aligning with the natural rhythms of your cycle, you can nurture your emotional health and build deeper connections in your relationships.
Fertility awareness offers a powerful, natural way to tap into these benefits. By understanding the phases of your cycle and the hormonal changes influencing your body, you'll gain valuable insights into your emotions and energy levels. This deeper connection with your body empowers you to embrace each phase of your cycle with clarity and confidence, improving both your mental well-being and your overall quality of life.
The Hormonal Phases of the Menstrual Cycle
There are two main sex hormones that are at play each cycle, and these hormones influence your emotions, motivation, creativity, libido and more.
- Menstruation is characterized by low hormones. It's a great time to spend introspectively and decreasing your responsibilities if possible.
- The follicular phase before ovulation is dominated by estrogen, which binds with serotonin receptors and makes you feel alive - this is a good time to schedule your more intensive activities. Estrogen also helps to build muscle, so this is a great time to have more intensive workouts if that's a goal of yours.
- Ovulation a very short 1-2 day period where your estrogen is high and you'll likely feel the most outgoing. It's a high push before you settle into your luteal phase, so take advantage of the energy and make some preparations if you have the time - meal prepping, larger home tasks, etc.
- The luteal phase after ovulation is dominated by progesterone becomes the dominant hormone. Progesterone helps to calm cells and nervous system, and encourages rest. Some women also find that they feel less social and more introspective - for your mental and emotional well-being take advantage of this.
And there we have it! The whistle-stop tour through the phases of the menstrual cycle.
The interplay of these hormones has a huge impact on how we feel, and when we become aware of their expression at different phases of our cycle, we can live in line with them rather than fighting against them.
Taking some time each day of the cycle to pay attention to how you feel will give you a sense for how these phases play out for you personally. You may not align exactly with the four phases - we're all individuals after all - but understanding how you personally feel during each phase of the cycle will help you connect to your emotions and plan your activities around them.
