top of page
Search

🌿 Owning Your Cycle: Hormones, Mental Health, and Empowerment

Empowerment is Owning your cycle

Empowerment is Owning Your Cycle...

“How many times have you heard the phrase: ‘What, are you on your period?’ 🙄Usually it’s tossed out as a joke or a dismissal, as if women’s emotions, stress, or overwhelm aren’t real.

But here’s the truth: your cycle is powerful. Hormonal shifts aren’t a weakness. They’re natural rhythms that influence mood, focus, and how your nervous system responds to the world around you.


The Four Phases of Your Cycle

Your menstrual cycle isn’t just about your period. It moves through four distinct phases, each with its own hormonal shifts that can shape your energy, mood, and mental health.

🌑 Menstrual Phase (Days 1–5)

  • Estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest.

  • Energy dips and your body naturally asks for rest.

  • Self-care ideas: Rest as much as possible, journal for reflection, nourish with warm foods, and use gentle grounding practices.

🌱 Follicular Phase (Days 6–13)

  • Estrogen begins to rise, often bringing more motivation and focus.

  • Creativity and problem-solving may feel easier.

  • Self-care ideas: Try new routines, set goals, engage in movement that feels energizing, and brainstorm creative projects.

🌸 Ovulatory Phase (Days 14–16)

  • Estrogen peaks and confidence, energy, and social connection are at their highest.

  • This is the “flat ground” part of the journey — stress feels lighter and you have more bandwidth.

  • Self-care ideas: Connect with friends, plan collaborative projects, have important conversations, and engage in higher-intensity exercise if it feels good.

🍂 Luteal Phase (Days 17–28)

  • Estrogen drops while progesterone rises.

  • Mood changes, irritability, and sensitivity to stress may show up.

  • This can feel like hiking uphill with a heavy backpack — the same tasks that felt easy before now take more effort.

  • Self-care ideas: Prioritize sleep, practice breathwork or meditation, say “no” to extra commitments, and focus on calming, restorative movement.


Drive vs. Stress: Listening to Your Nervous System

In the “flat ground” phases (follicular and ovulatory), your nervous system has more capacity. Stress feels manageable and resilience comes easier.

In the “uphill” phases (luteal and menstrual), your nervous system may tip into fight, flight, or freeze more quickly. Small stressors feel bigger, and you may notice more tension, worry, or fatigue.

Neither is wrong. They’re simply different terrains your body travels each month. The key is noticing the shift so you can respond with awareness.


Why Tracking Matters

I often encourage women to track their cycles as a form of empowerment. When you know what phase you’re in, you can match your expectations to your capacity instead of pushing yourself to meet the same standard every day.

Think of it as gathering data:

  • Schedule rest or lighter tasks in your luteal or menstrual phase.

  • Lean into creativity and collaboration during follicular and ovulatory phases.

  • Use nervous system resets (breathing, grounding, gentle movement) when you notice stress feels heavier.

Tracking isn’t about control — it’s about compassion. It helps you see your cycle not as a problem to be solved, but as a rhythm to work with.


Empowerment Through Awareness

Empowerment is not about pushing through every hill with gritted teeth. It’s about knowing yourself — your body, your rhythms, your needs — and responding with wisdom instead of judgment.

Some weeks you sprint. Some weeks you hike. Both are strong. 💚


Final Thought

Your cycle isn’t a punchline — it’s a map. When you understand it, you can navigate the ups and downs with more clarity, compassion, and confidence. That’s real empowerment. 🌿


🌿 Want More Support?

At Oak Counseling & Consulting, we specialize in helping women connect the dots between their cycle, their nervous system, and their mental health.

Whether you’re navigating hormone-related mood changes, stress and anxiety, or the challenges of balancing parenting, identity, and life transitions — you don’t have to do it alone.

💚 1:1 therapy can give you the tools and support you need to move through every phase of life with steadiness and self-compassion.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page