🌸 Cyclical Living Changed My Perspective on the Seasons
Spring showers bring summer... ovulation? If you read this week's article, you'll understand what that means.
Spring is here! 🌸
Spring has historically been one of my least favorite seasons. If you’ve read these posts for a while, you’ll know I also disliked the fall season. I disliked them for different reasons; fall, because I had to go back to school and it meant less sunshine and, because I lived in the snow capital of Pennsylvania (Erie), it meant cold days ahead (and probably snow on Halloween); spring, because it just always felt anticlimactic. Snow still graced us with its presence (seriously, Erie is made up of 50% snow, 35% rain, and 15% sunshine), and it was still so gloomy. However, I enjoyed taking walks without a jacket again and, like a true Earth Girl, watching my favorite trees return to life.
Side note: if you’ve never had a favorite tree before, we are not the same type of weird.
Spring just never cut it for me, that is, until I changed my relationship with my period.
Yes, I meant for that sentence to end that way, and that was not my ADHD getting the best of me.
Cyclical living has been a game-changer for me regarding my hormones, how I understand and love my body, and, conversely, how I understand and love the seasons of our earth.
“Cyclical living” means living with the natural cycles like the seasons, the Moon cycle, and your menstrual cycle. It is living in attunement with your body instead of societal standards of how one should operate. As women who bleed, we are told to "push through” our cycles, even when our bodies tell us it’s time to shut down. We have a 28-day hormonal cycle on average, meaning no two days will look the same.
We are not meant to operate the same as men, who have a cycle of only 24 HOURS. Every societal standard is structured around the male cycle. When we “push through,” we stress our resilient, beautiful bodies more than it needs. Often this stress looks like extreme fatigue, low concentration, crazy highs and lows, and crampy, painful periods. This is why there has been an uptick in “menstrual leave” in more progressive office cultures.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Cyclical living can be as disciplined as the food you eat during your cycle, when you work out, and even when you should have sex. I can go deep into Moon phases and archetypes, too, but I believe the first step into cyclical living is to look at and honor your cycle like you would the seasons - winter, spring, summer, and autumn.
WINTER // MENSTRUAL PHASE - YOUR PERIOD (DAYS 1–5)
The winter is a time to slow down and go inward (that is if you’re not stressing over the holiday season). The physical season is about reflecting and restoring, but what’s happening in our body can make sitting still hard. The menstrual phase can be exhausting and sometimes debilitating. Your body is putting in a lot of work during this time as it sheds the inner layer of your uterus, plus the dips in your estrogen and progesterone can make you feel restless. No one ever said this phase was easy, but it’s an amazing time to attune to your body. You have permission to make this season all about you. Say “no” to things that don’t feel like “yes.” Understand that this season will have you in your feels, so creating space to be in them is okay.
Right now, both parts of your brain are communicating in overdrive with each other. I would suggest journaling any thoughts that come up during your period. Evaluate what is happening around you and jot down what’s no longer serving you and what you’d like to call forward. You could be daydreaming hard right now, so allow yourself to record these ideas without doing the work. You will have plenty of time to get it started in the next seasons.
My suggestions based on research and personal experience: take a few baths this season as hot water will stimulate blood flow and can reduce painful cramping, reduce caffeine and alcohol intake, which can add to bloating and inflammatory pain; and keep recipes simple - I always make a lot of soups or roasted vegetables that take longer to cook but require less work from me. There is also a lot of talk about why we may feel sad during our period, with some speculation being that our body is mourning not carrying an egg to new life. Whether you are trying to have a baby or not, this is the female body’s most natural role, so it makes sense that the body may be experiencing some grief. Truly use this time to be gentle with yourself.
SPRING // FOLLICULAR PHASE (DAYS 6-12)
Like how I used to view spring - not insignificant, but nothing to write home about - our follicular phase is the most looked over of our cycle. Women who bleed talk about their period, ovulation, and their premenstrual phase, just as they talk about the winter season, summertime, and fall (basic fall girlies, y’all!), respectively. But this phase is actually an exciting one. We are getting ready for ovulation inside our body, so we are naturally increasing energy and spring cleaning preparing for a healthy, strong, viable egg. Once again, I should note that this is our body’s natural process, regardless of whether we are trying to have a baby. I just want to paint a clearer picture of what our beautiful bodies are intuitively doing for us.
I sometimes wake up the day after my period ends thinking, “I’m alive!” I feel like a new person who wants to push open the windows, breathe in the fresh air, and wave to everyone on the street. Spring is here.
Your brain is about to get really active. The estrogen increase will make you feel more creative, expressive, focused, and outgoing. Everything you were daydreaming about during your inner winter is top of mind. Your brain will be asking, “Ok, how will I put these plans into action?” You’ll want to use this time to dig deep into juicy thoughts and embrace the grooviness of the season. See? Spring is kind of a big deal around here.
My suggestions based on research and personal experience: Get that journal out and prepare for a massive brain dump! Write down everything you’ve been daydreaming about and how you will do it. Spoil yourself. This is when I take myself out for coffee or a dinner date. Go on a first date, even! Or schedule something with your love. You can also use this time to organize and book the appointments you’ve been putting off. You’re in the groove this season, ready to come out of winter hibernation, so get to planting your metaphorical seeds. Your body will be detoxing excess estrogen, so make sure you eat foods that support a healthy microbiome, including sprouted foods, fermented foods, and prebiotics.
SUMMER // OVULATORY PHASE (DAYS 13-18)
There’s a reason they call it “Hot Girl Summer.” What’s happening inside your body is the main event, what your body has been preparing for, the release of an egg (the star of the show!) Even if you are not trying to get pregnant, you should know how to take care of your body during this phase because this phase is miraculous.
The ovulatory phase is my favorite because it is when I have more energy than I know what to do with. I also feel sexy and confident as hell when I’m ovulating, which will result in me acting out on my sexual desires (partnered or solo, I’ll take it all). This, of course, is when people try to get pregnant because not only does that natural spike in testosterone have them feeling gooooood, it is the most fertile time of the month.
I always know when I’m in my ovulatory phase because my skin feels warmer, I’m less peckish when it comes to my regular eating schedule, I perform full-blown concerts in my living room, I post a lot more on social media, and I am actually committed to my plans. I also enjoy being chatty and making new friends during this season.
My suggestions based on research and personal experience: Do those plans you made in spring because you’ll have the energy to get shit done. If you’re into working out, do your HIIT or most adventurous workouts this week. Think about meals you’d eat in the summer - fill up on fresh fruits and raw veggies right now because your body needs fiber and vitamin C. You don’t have to have sex to give in to your sexual desires; embrace sensuality - move with ease and confidence, go dancing in your favorite outfit, send a flirty text, or simply talk about sex with your friends (shit, that can be so fulfilling). Seek adventure during this season. If you create content, this is the time to batch it and get it all done because you’re about to slow down.
AUTUMN // LUTEAL PHASE (DAYS 19-28)
The days of summer are gone. After ovulation, your estrogen decreases while progesterone, which has a calming effect, rises. In the luteal phase, our mind slows down, and blood sugar stabilizes as we lean into the “fall season.” Here’s what happens whether or not you’re trying to get pregnant: the mature follicle has been released from the egg and transforms into a tiny hormone-producing structure called the corpus luteum. If the egg has been fertilized (you know what I’m talking about here), the corpus luteum remains intact and continues producing progesterone for most of your first trimester. If the egg has not been fertilized, the corpus luteum survives for about two weeks before it begins to decline and is reabsorbed back into the body. So your body right now is like the sweetest fall setting ever. It’s still vibrant and alive, but it’s beginning to prepare for autumn.
You are feeling a sense of what no longer feels at home inside of you. It’s normal to fluctuate feelings of discomfort right now! Your body is asking you to shed some layers to feel more grounded. You will need more sleep right now and might require more snacking than you did during your previous phase.
My suggestions based on research and personal experience: I always start to notice that I feel slightly sad during this phase, mostly because I know my energy is tapering off. If that feels like you, too, embrace that. You might still want to give into the adventurous side remaining from the ovulation phase, so embrace that, too. I spend half this season with the desire to be around people, just in a calmer setting. You may also want more physical touch this season. Cuddling and hand-holding can help you feel really good. If you experience any PMS during this phase, give yourself some grace. PMS symptoms may actually start to reduce when you start cyclical living. Understand that no two days will feel the same right now. Give into the emotions, baby! Eat yummy, hearty foods like sweet potatoes, apples, and leafy greens.
So that’s cyclical living!
Hopefully, this gave you better insight into your body and also made you want to embrace all seasons a bit more. I know that this changed how I viewed everything happening inside and outside of my body, and it made me love my period. I’m not obsessed with it (calm down), but I do love the work my body puts in for me every day. It’s fucking magical.
Also, please know that you may feel differently each menstrual phase depending on how you honor yourself during your body’s other seasons. My last luteal phase was extremely moody, leading me into a nasty menstrual phase that resulted in me choking back tears over the idea of ordering Chick-Fil-A for lunch. I spent that entire cycle pushing myself at the gym, taking on too much responsibility at my new job, saying “yes” to big “no’s,” and giving away a lot of energy to people and things that don’t deserve me. My body was so tired. I also wound up with COVID for the first time, and it made everything feel way too much, but I embraced it all, and I understand what I need to do intuitively to get my cycle back on track.