How I sync my business with my period cycle
My period and I: the early years
My relationship with my period has been a love/hate relationship for many years. My period began when I was 12, I was only the third or fourth person in my grade to get my period. I remember it so clearly. One of the girls at school got her period a few weeks earlier and her Mum took her out to dinner to celebrate. The day I got my period, I was so surprised. I had no warning signs, it was just there when I went to the toilet in the morning. My Mum asked if I wanted to do the same and celebrate and I remember scoffing and thinking there wasn’t anything to celebrate.
From there, my period was very regular. It arrived on time every 28 days. As I got older, I did get cramps and the odd pimple with my period. But it was never too intense. It was always an inconvenience though. I went to dance classes 5 or 6 days a week, and wearing a leotard and tights when you had your period was never easy.
Going on the pill
When I was about 15 or 16, I went on the pill because I was considering having sex but also because I wanted a way to control it and shut it off when I needed to.
Over the course of 9 years, I think I tried about eight different pills. None of them felt right for me.
But I just didn’t consider any other option. I could skip my period when I wanted to, have unprotected sex with my partner at the time, and just turn off that side of me.
Coming off the pill
I fell ill with a virus almost two years ago now. I was hospitalised and pumped full of every drug under the sun, because they didn’t know what was wrong with me. I just had this instinctive feeling that I wanted to get all the drugs out of my body. So I stopped taking the pill.
After I got out of hospital, it took me a really long time to recover. And looking back now, I think some part of that was also recovering from being off the pill. My gut was playing up constantly, I had terrible mood swings and PMS, I broke out in pimples across my back and my energy levels were so up and down. It took me a really long time to feel normal again.
Accepting my period
And once I started feeling well again, I began a journey to actually accept my period and live in flow. I started hearing about the idea of using your period to cycle to help you in your business. I then listened to a podcast with Juliet Allen and Claire Baker on the Authentic Sex Podcast a couple of months ago. She introduced me to the idea of living our period cycles as seasons. I was fascinated. I’ve been experimenting with this for the last few months and then on the weekend I attended the Adore Your Cycle workshop with Claire Baker where I learnt SO much more.
I also met the lovely Rachael Condon, a period consultant, at the workshop who will share more later in the post.
Adoring my period
Now that I’ve reached a place where I see my period as my superpower, I wanted to be able to share with you all how I got here. It feels amazing to be able to work with my period, rather against it. I feel in control, rather than feeling like a crazy woman blaming everything on my hormones.
And can you believe that I actually look forward to bleeding? I’m now coming to you from Day 31 of my cycle. My period is just a little bit later than usual and I’m actually excited for the introverted time.
And also I’m so much more aware of my body and its changes throughout my cycle. Once upon a time I would just focus on ‘that time of the month’ but now I know every moment through my cycle has a purpose.
Also considering I’m not really interested in having children, I always found it difficult to accept my period because it wasn’t going to deliver me a baby, so what was the point of it then? But now I feel as though my period is a big part of my womanhood and my feminine power.
I think this concept is becoming more and more popular and I love seeing women own their power. If I can help you guys to do the same, I will be a happy woman!
How the seasons work and how I work them into my life and business
Claire breaks up an average 28 day cycle into four seasons (a normal cycle can vary though).
Please note that I’m taking Claire’s information and showing how I use it. I’m not an expert or a doctor, just want to clarify that!
Winter (Days 1 - 6)
We begin with winter as the start of the new cycle. The first day of full red blood flow is Day 1 of your cycle. If you are just spotting, that doesn’t count.
During this season, the main task is to surrender. Take time out where you can and be with the people you love. This is the time where the outer lights dim down and your inner lights shine. It’s a time for clarity, insight, replenishment and renewal. It’s where we plug in and charge up. It’s also the death of who we were in the last cycle and the birth of your new cycle.
I try to take the first day of my period off and rest as much as possible. Or I at least work from bed and take a nap where I can. I know if I don’t do this, the rest of my cycle feels quite off. If it isn’t possible to take the first day off, try to just take as much time for yourself as you can, or expend your energy slowly and evenly.
I try to move my body gently as I potter around the house. I maybe go for a walk or do some gentle yoga.
A couple of days into winter, I start to feel a spark of energy but I need to remind myself that I’m still in my winter until around day 6. Especially because I only bleed for two or three days. I still need to rest and treat my body with care and gentle movement.
Towards the end of winter, this is the time of anchoring into your purpose. I find the first two days or so of winter, I’m pretty wiped. But after that, I’m ready to do some planning in my business and reconnect with my direction, releasing what no longer serves me and focusing on what I need to do.
Spring (Days 7 - 13)
Spring is a transition season as we move into ovulation. Our task here is to work less and play more. We have to be careful not to come out guns blazing and treat ourselves like cherished rosebuds opening up. Take it slowly, feel the momentum and feel the rise. I find this is a good time create in my business. Perhaps I focus on my brand design projects in the initial concept stages or those in the rollout stage where I’m creating patterns and social media tiles. Or I work on some personal projects and maybe even get out the paints. I also find it’s a good time to get out and find creative inspiration at art galleries, op shops and antique stores. It’s a good way to get out into the world more while still taking it slowly.
Summer (Days 14 - 21)
Hellllllloooo sunshine, summer is here. Summer is a place of arrival where your estrogen has peaked. This is fertile ground, your body is literally telling you to fall pregnant. So you are going to feel social, flirty and like you want to be seen. This is a time for manifesting and delivering. While during the other phases of your cycle, you really need to tend to your own needs, this is the time where your needs aren’t calling for as much attention and you can give more to others. If you aren’t trying for a baby, perhaps this might be time to use that energy to create something else. I use this time in my business to network and get out and about. I go hard at the gym and treat myself to getting my hair or nails done.
While being seen can be amazing, it can also be quite scary, especially if you are naturally introverted like myself. Sometimes this version of myself actually overwhelms me! Allow yourself to go with it. Don’t over extend yourself but enjoy it while it lasts as it will come to an end.
Autumn (Days 22 - 28)
Autumn is often the least favourite part of the cycle, but I’ve learnt to really enjoy it. Your estrogen has dropped and progesterone has increased. Progesterone is a hormone that wants us to stay safe and protect the potential baby we’ve just made. So naturally we want to withdraw.
The task for autumn is to come back to you. Create space for yourself. I find I become more grounded during this time, more productive and more likely able to do admin tasks and write blog posts. I often feel more truthful. I’m less patient but I can channel this now into a healthy place (most of the time). I find this is a really good time as well to celebrate everything I’ve achieved and acknowledge how the spring and summer stages went. Often our inner critic comes out during this time and recognising my achievements helps to keep her at bay.
This is also the feedback phase. If we went too hard in Spring, we’ll probably feel it here.
As Day 1 of the new cycle approaches, I then enter the ‘void’ around Day 27 or Day 28 and try to seperate myself from people as much as possible, and just spend time with myself.
Throughout the cycle
It’s important to remember that if you don’t respect and honour a particular time during your cycle, especially the transitions between seasons, you will probably feel it elsewhere in your cycle, usually at the opposite side of the circle.
I noticed that I wasn’t resting at the end of my winter and was prematurely jumping into spring. Therefore I noticed a really difficult transition between summer and autumn on the opposite side of the circle. I had been having a massive mood drop. So for this cycle, I’m going to try my best to rest during the end of winter and see if that makes a difference around day 21.
Advice from a period consultant
As I mentioned before, I met the lovely Rachael at the workshop and later after Instagram stalking her, I discovered she is a wealth of knowledge on all things periods. Rachael is a period consultant, trained teacher in natural fertility education & a qualified nutritionist. What an awesome job by the way!
I asked her a few questions because I wanted professional advice to include in this post. And also so that if you are having any issues yourself, you know who to turn to.
How can I optimise my hormones and cycles through nutrition?
“I love this question so much because what we are eating plays a huge role in how well our body is functioning. If we just strip it back to the basic notion that ‘you are what you eat’, then you can see just how powerful food is. Like literally, what you eat is building your body! The proteins, fats and carbohydrates that go into your mouth are broken down into building block during digestion and then inside our body they are repurposed to build & fuel our body.
What a lot of women aren’t aware of is that cholesterol and other healthy fats are building blocks for our hormones! So any women on a low fat diet needs to seriously reconsider this way of eating. The best fats to add are things like avocado, olives, coconut products, pastured whole eggs, butter & ghee (if you tolerate dairy which a lot of women don’t) and the fat from grass fed or wild caught animals – particularly fatty fish which are high in omega 3’s. Seed oils like canola, soy and sunflower are highly inflammatory and unstable so I recommend avoiding them entirely!
Another problem I see a lot of at the moment is women who aren’t eating enough carbohydrates. This sends a signal to the body that there isn’t enough to eat and so it will shut down our fertility. I know low carb and keto are super popular at the moment but a woman’s body reacts very differently to carb restrictions that a man’s body does.
Some other important things to keep in mind are that it’s almost impossible to have balanced hormones if your blood sugar levels are all over the place so definitely take a look at this. Veggies, veggies and more veggies! These help our body to detoxify excess and used estrogen. Gluten and alcohol will cause your gut to be ‘leaky’ so avoiding these as much as possible is a really healthy choice.”
What’s your advice for anyone thinking of coming off the pill?
“Well I’m silently cheering you on for starters because the pill causes all kinds of mayhem for our bodies and as far as your health goes, you’ll be way better off without it!
But there’s two areas I would focus on, replenishing lost nutrients and second is detoxifying.
So one of the many downsides to hormonal birth control is that it depletes our vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. And as you would know, most women aren’t on the pill just for a few months! We are usually talking about years of depletion (which was the case for both yourself and me). Focus on the B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, selenium and zinc.”
Side note from Heidi: “I was really zinc deficient when I came off the pill and had to take daily tablets. I didn’t know that could be the cause until now!”
“Second tip is to give your body what it needs to really detoxify. The pill puts a lot of stress on our liver and over time the synthetic estrogen can build up in our body. It’s the liver’s job to convert estrogen into a metabolites ready for excretion from the body. To do this it needs cruciferous vegetables! You can also supplement with DIM, resveratrol, quercetin and glutathione to really support this process. But the important thing to know here is that it’s not just the liver that helps us detox – our gut and kidneys are responsible for actually moving these metabolites out of the body. If your digestion isn’t working then these metabolites go back into circulation and PMS goes through the roof! So you need to love your liver and heal your gut.”
What advice do you have for women trying to get their period back? Or getting their period to be regular?
“I know what it’s like to wait for a period that doesn’t come. I personally didn’t get a period for 12 very long months after I stopped the pill. It’s confusing, frustrating and really scary. The main thing I want women to know or to hear is a message of empowerment because you absolutely can heal your body. This is the main focus of my work now because I’m so passionate about helping women reclaim their feminine vitality after birth control.
So 3 points of advice here:
You aren’t broken. You really need to know that and believe it.
Follow the advice above regarding micronutrients and detoxifying.
If you need help, take that action today because when it comes to fertility and your menstrual cycle, it’s about way more than just getting a period. Ovulation is the only way we make estradiol (estrogen) & progesterone - hormones that are essential for mood, energy, libido, insulin response & thyroid health. Not only that, but a regular menstrual cycle helps protect you from osteoporosis, cancer, and cardiovascular disease later in life.”
Do you have any suggestions for charting your cycle?
“I love charting! It’s incredibly powerful. There are a number of different ways to go about this. You could download an app called Clue which makes it super easy to track how you feel and what’s going on with your body, energy, skin etc each day throughout your cycle. You could journal which the lovely Claire Baker goes into or you could use the fertility awareness method which is what I’m trained in. I have a free video series to teach this which anyone can join and work through at their own pace. Link - bit.ly/ChartingWithRach. If you aren’t familiar with this then it will probably blow your mind how amazing your body is! By tracking temperature and cervical fluids us women can tell exactly when we are fertile on a day to day basis!”
How do you suggest talking about your cycle with others and communicating that you might retreat during certain phases?
“I remember trying to explain this to my husband! Because men are more practical and think a lot more laterally than us ladies, I found it useful to start by showing him this simple chart of what my hormones do each cycle.
I showed him how when I’m bleeding my hormones have flat lined, which helped him understand why I’m low in energy and less enthusiastic at that time! I refer to it as my ‘period cave’ and I just let him know when I’m going there so he doesn’t take things personally.
I also explained briefly that ovulation is when I’m most keen for some lovin’ and that I feel really good in my body at this time because estrogen is high.
After that hormone talk and when he could see for himself what was happening each cycle, I explained the 4 seasons to him and opened the conversation by telling him that he should ask me as often as he likes ‘hey babe, which season are you in?’ because this basically gives him superpowers as a man to read me! I gave him a little cheat sheet which was as simple as a few dot points under each cycle to summarise for him what’s happening.
For example:
Winter:
I’ll have my period and might be tender.
Low energy, hard to concentrate, not social, going slow, happy to be alone
Love me by: Giving me cuddles, cooking dinner, letting me choose the movies, giving me space, not expecting things from me.”
What is the role of a period consultant?
“Basically, I work with women to help them get their periods back, fix their hormone issues and have a cycle they can love. It’s very much a partnership and my role in that is to guide her – she is the one that does the healing, and that’s really powerful in itself. But basically, I’ll get a good understanding of her circumstances and what’s going on for her. Then we can come up with a clear plan which always includes diet and lifestyle points for attention, because ultimately, menstrual cycle problems are due to a mismatch between what her body needs and what it’s getting. I provide the tools and resources she needs to make the journey as easy as possible and the support and guidance she needs along the way.
And you know what, I think I have the best job in the world because every single time I get that text or email that says “my period came back”, I get goosebumps. I feel the pure relief and joy and excitement as if it was me getting my period back again. It’s the absolute best!”
Where can people go if they want to learn more?
“My website is rachaelcondon.com and I’m pretty active over on Instagram @rachael.condon and Facebook @RachaelCondonOnline”
So there we go friends!
I really really hope this has helped you in some way. I’d love to hear from you if you’ve been practicing this already or if this is the first time you’re hearing about it all and are blown away.
Happy cycling!
While you’re here, if you’d like some inspiration in your life to help you get through any difficult cycle days, please download my free inspirational quote cards.