Listen to your body. By recognizing the phases of the cycle you will change your life, for the better!
Although the media speak freely about everything that has to do with sex and relationships, too little has been said about the importance of knowing and living in harmony with one's body.
Parents, teachers, psychologists and even doctors seem to consider the menstrual cycle topic still a taboo, underestimating its effects on our psyche and on our body. The general tendency is to forcefully trace the problems to different causes, which very often they do nothing but disorient us.
Faced with a problem, everyone seems to forget that: every woman has a period once a month and, being a phenomenon with which she lives regularly, it is unthinkable to ignore it.
The cup, however, can be a good solution to worry less about it ...
Phases and symptoms of the menstrual cycle
From the moment in which guides on the subject are scarce, we immediately clarify that the menstrual cycle is made up of phases and that - a reality that is even less known - each phase has specific consequences on our body, our mood and our behaviors.
Often it is only talked about in relation to pregnancy or the desire to get pregnant; but women also have periods in the other phases of life, so why not learn to live with it to the fullest?
Unfortunately, most of us, accustomed to the general reluctance towards the subject of menstruation, focus exclusively on practical problems: choosing between sanitary napkin and cup, techniques to relieve pain, suitable clothing ... in short, survival.
The most common mistake is not to consider the omnipresence of the cycle in our lives, during the offending week but also before and after.
You may not believe it, but the cycle contributes to the feminine charm and has a close connection with our multifaceted and mysterious nature.
It is therefore important to give due importance to this aspect of our femininity. The only effort required is to give yourself some attention and focus on your feelings.
See also
The menstrual cycle develops in 4 phases:
- preovulatory; during which the follicles (cells containing eggs) mature and produce estrogen
- ovulatory; a follicle ruptures releasing a mature egg - around day 14/15 -
- premenstrual; the follicle, which has become corpus luteum, degenerates and begins the last phase
- menstrual; the inner lining of the uterus disintegrates causing blood loss
Some of the physical symptoms typical of the last two phases and known to more or less all are: pain in the pelvic area, swollen breasts, nervous hunger (and craving for sweets!), Back pain, headache.
Some may have also noticed changes in body weight, water retention, a lowering of the pain threshold, unusual vaginal discharge, cramps and abdominal swelling.
But that is not all; in addition to our body, our state of mind also changes and no one has ever really explained this to us.
Since we were little girls they teach us to hide sanitary pads, to resist the pangs and never to be too explicit when someone asks us. "what's going on with you? You're not OK?"; just think that until 2017, menstruation was a different color in commercials!
On the other hand, few have talked about the relationship between cycle and mood changes, including the "author of the book" Luna Rossa ": "Every month a woman's body undergoes a series of changes, many of which occur without her being aware of them." Miranda Gray associates the menstrual phases with the lunar ones, inviting us to welcome the cycle as a manifestation of universal harmony.
The effects of the menstrual cycle on our mood
Why is it important to recognize the phase we are going through? Because each phase gives us a different spirit and energies, which could be exploited in a conscious way.
The premenstrual phase corresponds to a moment of great physical and mental exhaustion and often this involves a lack of stimuli and ideas. What's the smartest way to deal with it? If possible, postpone the most important projects to the preovulatory and ovulatory phases, where we are much more energetic and proactive.
In the premenstrual phase we are extremely sensitive and dreamers, but with little strength. Knowing that we are not very productive due to natural causes will avoid unnecessary paranoia and will spare us from negative feelings, such as frustration and inadequacy. Instead of scrambling for inspiration, we will keep calm waiting for better days and,
if we should feel excessive tiredness or discomfort, we will not be devoured by anxiety just because we do not understand the source. Take advantage of this moment to tidy up, inside and out. It may seem very difficult but tidying up the house or wardrobe, talking to a friend you haven't seen for a long time, doing a sports session that puts you at peace with the world, are of great help to better overcome this phase, not to mention that science comes to our rescue and we can use supplements that thanks to the presence of ingredients such as vitamin B6 or magnesium, both very useful for a good functioning of psychological functions, help us to feel less tired, tired and negative.
Have you ever felt suddenly unsatisfied for no reason? Until yesterday at home and at work everything was fine, while today it all seems a disaster; question everything, from the most important choices - professional or sentimental - to the silliest ones, like the skirt bought over the weekend. Have you got everything wrong in life? No, you probably only have your period. During the menstrual phase it seems that everyone has it with us, that they make fun of us or that they plot something towards us. This is because we are particularly touchy and irritable and knowing this can help us not to react in the wrong way! when you feel more fragile and vulnerable, it is advisable to take some time to be alone, meditate, pamper yourself and recover your strength.Menstrual days are the most introspective ones, which serve to purify the body and mind.
In the pre-ovulatory phase, however, we return to being positive, dynamic and determined. We are able to concentrate and we want to make plans (it is the ideal time!), We feel stronger and more independent and we are well-disposed towards others.
These feelings reach a stability during the ovulatory phase, in which the spirit of initiative awakens, we are very creative and we reveal ourselves to be particularly sweet and affectionate.
Throughout history, the unstable attitudes typical of the pre-cycle have been interpreted in the most absurd ways; they called us witches, crazy, hysterical and dangerous. All this because there has always been silence and we have not been given the tools to know each other and to manage our instincts, but fortunately all this, today, is no longer considered "witchcraft", rather it is part of everyday life, yet we it took years to have this awareness.
The symptoms we listed above are not indications of a disease, it is simply our body signaling that our hormonal system is functioning regularly.
Man has always been afraid of the cyclical nature of women, which is why society has always preferred to hide the cycle, which is the most evident manifestation of female duality.
Sweet and caring companions, daughters and mothers, but also free and restless spirits. Both personalities coexist in our essence and we are the first to have to take note. It is essential that women and men have equal rights and opportunities, but our nature is different and must be respected.
