17 Mar Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Find out what your luck will be like today based on where you are in your monthly cycle
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Whether or not you’ve got Irish ancestry, you may hope that a bit of the “luck o’ the Irish” shines on you today.
But, truth is, your feelings of luck can change week to week due to hormone fluctuations in your monthly cycle.
Here’s how it breaks down:
Week 1: Slow start, lucky finish
Day 1 (first day of period) to Day 7
During the first couple of days of Week 1, you may feel your luck is on the low side as pain and/or fatigue from menstruation coupled with low estrogen weigh down your mood. As a result, you may avoid taking risks because you worry that the outcome wouldn’t be in your favor. But, once you reach the middle of your Week 1, things take a turn: A higher level of estrogen coupled with a petering-off period boosts your mood and optimism, making you feel that you have a good chance at winning. So, you may play the lottery, buy a raffle ticket or take another small risk that could possibly pay off.
Week 2: You’ve got the luck of the Irish shining on you
Day 8 to ovulation (which is Day 14 in a 28-day cycle)
By Week 2, your estrogen and testosterone are climbing toward their cycle-long peaks. And they’re making your mood and optimism climb along with them. The result: You’re feeling luckier now than during any other time of your cycle! As a result, you’re more apt to splurge on high-risk ventures, like a trip to the casino, investing in a new business or buying stocks or real estate. You may also take risks with your health and well-being–for instance, driving over the speed limit, drinking alcohol in excess or ordering a triple-sized cheese fries to go along with your double-thick milkshake–since you’re sure that with your run of good luck nothing bad could possibly come of it.
Week 3: Your luck starts to take a turn
Begins the day after ovulation and lasts 8 days (which is Day 15 to Day 22 in a 28-day cycle)
You’re prone to seeing your luck in a more realistic light during your Week 3 thanks to a combination of lower levels of estrogen and testosterone coupled with rising progesterone–a hormone that pushes you to play it safe. This means that when a risky opportunity comes your way–like someone asking you to invest in their product–you’re apt to carefully weigh the pros and cons over and over, acknowledging that you could end up losing and the odds of winning aren’t as glowing as others would try to make them seem.
Week 4: Your luck is running out
Final 6 days of your cycle
You’re likely considering yourself a bad luck magnet today. The problem is that plunging estrogen is dragging down your mood and putting you in a more pessimistic mindset, so every little setback–like having to wait for a table at a restaurant or someone stealing your parking space–feels like the universe is somehow out to get you. As a result, you’re far less likely to throw caution to the wind and risk your money, time or health when you’re pretty sure the outcome can only be negative.
No matter where you are in your cycle today, I hope you have a fun–and lucky–St. Patty’s Day!
May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
-Irish Blessing
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