Ladies, Use Your Period as Your Superpower.

Many women dread that time of the month.

Many women constantly complain about cramps and pains.

Many women curse elaborately.

I used to be that woman.

Until the moment when I have experienced severe acne, hair loss, to eventually say goodbye to the bloody days for a year.

Until I understood that my body communicates with me through physical symptoms, letting me know my lifestyle needs drastic changes.

Whenever you miss your period, it’s your body’s way of telling you that something is off.

Lack of period mirrored the level of my health and happiness.

After cutting out alcohol, heavy partying, staying up till dawn every other day, I took myself seriously.

I have decided to take a closer look at my relationships, choices of food I got to make daily, how I chose to spend my free time, how my job influenced my mood, how motivated I was to jump out of bed. After taking it all under a magnifying glass, I came to the conclusion that I am not happy at all.

I was able to joke around, laugh at parties, get myself lost in the business of a hectic lifestyle, fancied shopping and outings with friends, but I was not permanently happy. I would rather jump into those activities to mute the awareness of being unhappy. Does it make sense?

After making mindful changes in my physical and spiritual dimensions, my period came back. I have never been happier with any visit so far.

Period is a woman’s superpower.

It is called a menstrual cycle for a reason. We have been gifted with four unique hormonal phases.

— Lucy Peach, author and period preacher

Peach illustrates four stages of the feminine cycle which we can coin into our strength if cared for a little guidance:

1. Winter. On the first day that you bleed, you enter the phase of resting and letting go. You nurture yourself for the month ahead. Ask yourself What is it that I want to grow and give life for this month ahead? The more you can tap into the slowness of this moment, the more energy you get to restore for later on.

2. Spring. When you finish bleeding, you energetically march into the season of acting and doing. This is your power week: your estrogen is rising. You have got the shot of testosterone. Prepare yourself to plant seeds into the ground and get your hands in the clay. You may wake up earlier, feel the urge to organize, climb that mountain and take over the world. Use this time wisely to act on your impulses.

3. Summer. Your estrogen peaks. Ovulation occurs. Around day 14 of your cycle, you feel like saying yes to everything. Jump on new projects. It is the period of giving, becoming more sociable. However, remain mindful to not give everything away, especially your boundaries. When you rush into your next phase empty-handed, you can feel depleted.

4. Autumn. Around day 21, your hormones are plummeting as you get ready to let go again. You may feel pressured to keep up with your hustle and generosity. If you fail to keep the balance, you may feel irritated. You can utilize this time to go inward. Create. Write. Paint. In other words, do something you truly feel passionate about. Not for other people. Not according to societal expectations and standards. But because it makes you feel good and soothing.

There you go. You can tap into your unlimited potential by working with your body and hormones, not against them. Start by organizing your schedule according to your natural system, so you can reap all the benefits. Instead of becoming a victim to the hormonal ebbs and flows, incorporate them into your daily routine. It requires a mindset switch. When we change how we look at things, they follow suit.

Further blessings of the menstrual cycle:

It keeps you young.

Menstruation slows down ageing by causing iron deficiency, claims Dr. Tomas Perls, and iron is critical to the production of free radicals, which increase your chances of developing age-related diseases. Therefore, our period serves as a tool for a monthly cleanse. Our bodies are clearly self-sufficient geniuses.

It is a reminder of self-care.

As we approach the last phase of the menstrual cycle, it encourages us to put our needs above anything else. No. It is not egoistic. It is healthy and responsible. Once you take care of yourself, you can serve others as well, but only if you invest in your strength, stamina, and mental balance first.

It makes you glow.

Haven’t you noticed that a few days after your period arrives, your skin looks radiant, your mood hits differently? That is because your estrogen levels go higher, releasing endorphins. It suppresses your stress hormones, since estrogen influences how your brain controls emotions.

What if you struggle with an imbalanced period or lack thereof?

Stress can cause irregular periods.

Ask yourself what lifestyle changes, situations might have caused the change?

When you are under a lot of stress, it’s like a signal telling your body: it is unsafe. You go into fight-or-flight mode: blood pressure rises, your heart rate picks up, and you’re ready to drop everything and run for dear life. The last thing your body cares about is reproducing.

The answer: invest in ‘me’ time. Meditate. Start regular breathwork, at least three times a day in the beginning. It takes your mind off worry and stress, dissolves negative thoughts, and calms your nervous system. I also encourage you to give cold showers a go. Regular cold showers impose a small amount of stress on your body. It means that your nervous system gradually gets used to handling moderate levels of stress.

Watch out for your diet.

Balancing hormones and restoring your menstrual cycle can be affected by what goes on at the end of your fork. What makes you reach out for that sweet or savory comfort food? Is it boredom, lack of passionate interests, or lack of safety and stability?

• Pump up on avocado. I swear by it. Healthy fats are your best buddies, not enemies. You can incorporate it in almost anything (salads, smoothies, eggs, a side dish to your sweet potato chips). It gives a twist to every meal you devour in and keeps your belly satisfied for a long time. Not only are avocados full of fiber, potassium, and magnesium, they’re a B vitamin feast.
• Incorporate greens into your every diet. Steamed broccoli sprinkled with pumpkin or sunflowers seeds are a great way to amplify your B vitamin intake. Ever heard of seed cycling? Sneak spinach into your smoothies every morning.
• Load up on omega-3s. Eating fatty foods such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, walnuts, and hemp seeds, almonds, pecans extra-virgin olive oil (good quality) provides you with anti-inflammatory support that can improve your mood while reducing period cramps.

These fatty acids play critical roles in cognitive development and learning, visual development, immune strength, inflammatory function, pregnancy, brain health, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and so much more. They affect every one of your hundred trillion cell membranes.

— Dr. Mark Hyman, MBG Article

Take care of your body.

Be mindful of what type of activity you engage in. There are periods of slowing down. There is also a perfect time to hit the gym or your cardio workout. Nonetheless, since I incorporated my yoga practice daily, my stress levels went down. My adrenals recovered. I no longer fight against my body, we cooperate together, as I have learned to listen to its signals.

After including the above-mentioned habits, my cramps are no longer painful. I experience far fewer mood swings, irritation, and food cravings. I believe that my mental switch ultimately influenced physical ailments.

I encourage you to develop a healthy relationship with your cycle.

I could live with cramps and pains. I could live with being bloated every month. What I cannot compromise is my health. If I were ever to neglect my body again, I know I would miss my period broken-heartedly.

I promise you this magnificent body of mine: I will never again give up on you, starve you or experiment on you in any way. I will never turn back on my bleeding days ever again, as they are my superpower. It is magic and runs in my blood.

The bottom line remains, you are going to face enthusiastic days and less passionate ones, perhaps more stay-all-day-in-bed days. Neither of those are futile, and all of them are necessary.

Period is a magnificent decoding tool. It is our women’s grounding force and the navigational system, just like our emotions. When something is off, tune into your body and intuition. Go with the flow, not against it. Period.