Do you ever feel like your energy is all over the place?
One day you’re flying high, ready to conquer the world! A few days later you’re ready to conquer the couch with a bowl of ice cream…
It can all be very confusing. Until you understand how your energy flows in a cyclical way.
I received a question recently from Suri, talking about the downshift in energy that occurs for her every month a week before her period. She wanted to know how she could have sustained energy all month long, instead of feeling so out of control of her energy and emotions.
Before I share some insights on this, I feel it’s super important for me to address the nature of this question.
As I’ve mentioned before, the structure of our days has run according to the 24 hour clock for centuries. While each day is marked by the rising and setting of the sun, operating in the world as a woman with only this in mind isn’t enough. Since women experience 4 distinct phases of a 28 day cycle, each with a different energy focus, there’s another layer to consider.
The question I like to guide women to ask instead is: “How do I best approach each day through the lens of the various phases of my cycle?”
The reality is that you may not have the ability to orchestrate your life around how you’re feeling each day. Instead, what if you could prepare yourself mentally, emotionally and physically for each day based on your cyclical rhythms?
Now to address Suri’s question about why she feels so low energy a week prior to her menstrual phase. This is the second half of her luteal phase, where hormones fall to their lowest levels. It’s often when PMS can show up as a result of too much estrogen production.
PMS doesn’t have to be the norm though. It can be a thing of the past when you optimally care for your body during the other hormonal phases each month. This involves eating the proper foods and supplements and doing beneficial exercise and focus work at optimal times.
Each week of your month will have a different feel and focus. When you begin to arrange your life around each cycle phase, you’ll begin to feel more nourished, rested and in sync with your true self. This will make for less dramatic shifts from phase to phase and more sustained energy. Finding perfect balance shouldn’t be the goal anyway. Just like the seasons, each cycle phase has a different focus and something to look forward to.
I go into great detail and walk you through how to set your life up to thrive through all your cycle phases in my Balance Your Hormones program. Get on the waitlist for it here.
Bring order to the chaos.
How do you begin to make the shift? Here are a few scenarios: During the luteal phase, could you set aside household tasks or errands that aren’t time sensitive so that you could go to bed earlier or do some other form of self-care?
If you need to travel or have a full calendar during a lower energy time in your cycle, could you build in more breaks and time to decompress?
Could you delegate tasks that aren’t top priority for you to do so you can create some breathing space?
Life will never slow down and there will always be more work to do.
Rest doesn’t receive much praise in our society. It’s up to you to create space in your weeks so you can function at your best. The truth is there is no “key” to balancing your energy. There is only a way of flowing with your energy and embracing the way you were designed. Looking at each week and asking yourself how you can build in times of rest, reflection and rituals that nourish you will fill your energy reserves.
Trying to fit everything into each day can feel futile when your energy is working against you. Tapping into your inner world will guide you to what’s important. Practically speaking, you can start now by deciding what it is you want your life to look like in all areas. Until you decide what you want your life to be like, nothing will change. That responsibility is in your hands.
One of the coolest benefits I’ve found from nurturing myself through every phase of my cycle, is that I am restored and refreshed. I’m more capable of celebrating the people in my life and more appreciative of the beautiful contrasts of male vs. female.
When you do the work of letting go of perfection, of stopping the rush, of asking for help, and begin to look at rest as medicine, your example can change the world.
If you want to free yourself from what you used to think was a burden in your life, your menstrual cycle, get on the waitlist for the opening of my Balance Your Hormones online program. In it, I take you on a journey of self discovery as you learn how to live, move and eat in the best way for your feminine design.
Now I’d love to hear from you:
Do you find it hard to accept yourself when your energy isn’t what you want to be? Do you find yourself compelled to push through at all costs when your body is wanting to do the opposite? Do you feel like it is weakness to admit when you’re tired?
Please share in the comments so you can lift another sister up!
Many Blessings,
Sheila
