You can improve your love life, career and everything, simply by tuning in to the rhythms of your menstrual cycle; or your partner’s. Here’s how you can harness that power:
1. Start by banishing negative associations of the term ‘menstrual cycle’
Ask people what the menstrual cycle means to most women and men. You’ll inevitably be met with groans and disparaging remarks about ‘the curse’, ‘the wrong time of the month’, and so on. So, create a mental list of all of the positive aspects that you can think of such as going to bed early with a good book during menstruation. Try it and surprise yourself at the length of that list.
2. Write a diary where you chart your personal highs and lows throughout each month
Write about your health, powers of concentration, energy levels, sociability, patience levels, and creativity. Also, include your sexuality, emotional frame of mind, and how much and what you eat. Women often crave chocolate in the days leading up to ovulation. So, within a couple of months, you’ll see a pattern emerging.
3. Link your personal pattern to the different phases of your menstrual cycle
Each of the phases – ‘Pre-ovulation’, ‘ovulation’, ‘pre-menstrual’ and ‘menstrual’ brings different highs and lows.
- Preovulation brings positivity, creativity and mental agility.
- Ovulation comes with drive, confidence and increased sexual desire.
- Pre-menstrual brings mood and energy swings, frustration, cravings.
- Menstruation brings a sense of calm, a desire to withdraw.
4. Understand your hormones or your partner’s
Day 1 (of the period): Oestrogen levels are at their lowest. Day 5 onwards: Oestrogen levels rise and are released into the bloodstream as period comes to an end. Your mood begins to lift. Furthermore, you feel less stressed. Day 14 (at ovulation): Oestrogen levels peak; you feel high and your short term memory and mental agility are both excellent.
In addition, testosterone levels also peak with ovulation; and sexual drive may become aggressive – it’s nature’s last chance to get you pregnant this month. Day 22: Oestrogen levels fall, progesterone – a natural depressant – begins to rise and the lining of the uterus begins to thicken. What’s more, emotional swings start to occur. Day 25: Progesterone peaks and oestrogen falls rapidly; bringing low energy levels. Day 28: Oestrogen and progesterone levels reach their lowest levels, the uterus lining is shed, and menstruation is ready to begin over again.
5. Mark ‘day 14’ on your calendar; and work in your important personal, career and business plans around it
Recent South African and US studies have both shown that women peak at their midgocycle point. They score higher marks in written examinations and achievement tests at that time. Furthermore, they turn in top performances in athletic competitions. And lastly, they experience significant rises in libido, energy, confidence and ambition during the middle of their menstrual cycle.
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