20 Jan The next week of your cycle: Bracing for it or embracing it?
This morning, thanks to my handy (and, hellooo, free!) Hormone Horoscope menstrual cycle tracking app (:::cough available at the App Store & GooglePlay cough:::), I see I will be entering my premenstrual Week 4 in a few days.
Immediately, of course, my mind goes to all the hormonal challenges that entering this new week will bring: A probable migraine. The difficulty getting deep, quality sleep. The irritability. The irritability. The irritability. And I start to brace myself, thinking “I wish I could stay in my Week 3 a little longer.”
However, I quickly catch myself and realize that’s not only an unhealthy mindset that can actually worsen hormonal challenges in my premenstrual Week 4. It also stops me from making the most of the many hormonal benefits that come with this week of my cycle: These include the ability to see through a fast-talking salesperson’s shenanigans, a sharper sense of intuition and more creative writing abilities. Not to mention a complete sense of entitlement over the TV remote without feeling an ounce of guilt, plus a free pass to finally eat the chocolate brownie ice cream I’d been saving in the freezer for three whole weeks in preparation for a special premenstrual treat.
And with this realization, I now look forward to Week 4 and embrace this transition.
So, today I’d like to ask you to do a bit of homework:
The next time you feel yourself bracing for the week ahead–for instance, maybe you dread transitioning to your Week 1 because of your period or Week 2 because you get antsy or Week 3 because you get tired–write a list of at least three benefits you can enjoy about that week of your cycle.
(If you’re one of the many new Hormonology fans, you can visit this Overview of the Female Hormone Cycle, which gives you a brief overview about the benefits and challenges you can expect from each week of your cycle.)
Once you remind yourself about all the positive aspects of the week to come–say, a keener memory, more energy, happier mood, sharper intuition or simply the freedom to indulge in the treat you’ve been saving for this specific week–you’ll be less likely to brace for it and more likely to embrace it. And that will help you enjoy it far more.
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