Living in sync with our cycles, rather than against them
This week I wanted to speak about something that has completely changed my life: that women’s energy cycles are around 28 days. What does this mean? That our energy levels and feels vary depending on where we are in our cycle - we simply don’t feel the same every day of the month. On a general level it looks like this:
Days 1-14 follicular phase: High energy, get shit done mode, doing more than thinking and feeling, body feels strong.
Days 15 - 22 luteal phase: Lower energy, highly intuitive, thinking and feeling more than doing, body feels more tender.
Days 23 - 28 period: Lowest energy, fully inward, all about rest and relaxation.
The thing is… men aren’t like this. The energy cycle of men is 24 hours, which means that they basically have a reset after each day. AND… the working culture is built for men. At work, we’re expected to be able to perform at the same level, doing similar tasks every day - the differences of men and women are not taken into consideration. Ever thought about why a task feels so easy one day and completely impossible another? This could be the reason.
Sounds like bad news for women, right? It doesn’t have to be, if we work with our cycle and embrace it, rather than go against it. How? For work & working out it could look something like this:
Beginning of the month: Focus on launching projects, building new systems, networking with people, meetings - anything that requires execution and action. The focus is more external and on doing. In terms of exercise, this is the time to go heavy - weight lifting, running, HIIT etc.
Mid-month: Our focus starts turning inward, so work wise it’s a great time to do future planning, ideation & brainstorms. Less emphasis on socialising, and more alone time, journaling, healing work. The body starts feeling more tender and not as strong, so exercise needs to slow down as well - bodyweight exercises, slow running, flow yoga, walks.
Period: Further focus inward and on rest, relaxation, journaling & reading. If you can slow down at work as well, this is the week to do more admin-y tasks that don’t require much effort & continued focus on ideation and brainstorms. Exercise wise gentle is the keyword - long walks, yin yoga, stretching.
Our cyclical nature is such a gift - men don’t have this at all, but the way society works and our lack of awareness around this often doesn’t allow us to embrace it. By understanding how the cycle works and adapting our lives based on this as much as possible, we can begin to change the way we approach and our attitude towards our low energy weeks. Let’s not let society brainwash us to think that something that’s such a huge part of being a woman is a curse when it’s a blessing.
xx P
