Page 107 - Natural Health (February 2020)

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SPECIAL• SPECIAL• SPECIAL•
and working with what you’ve got. You can they helping or hindering you?
keep track of the physical side of things by • How do you feel about your relationship
noting the following: with yourself and others in this phase?
• Energy levels • How do the people around you react to
• Trouble sleeping you when you’re in this phase, and how do
• Libido their reactions feel to you?
• Appetite • What challenges are you facing, how can
• Digestive upsets you support yourself and how can you ask
• Breast tenderness for support?
• Headaches • What are your natural talents in each
• Backache or other body pain phase, and how can you elevate them or
• Menstrual cycle pain make them seen/heard by others?
• Basal body temperature • What support can you give yourself or ask
• Cervical luid of others in each phase?

You also need to note how you’re feeling PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
emotionally. The ability to recognise the At the end of each cycle, take some time to
emotions that we feel varies from person recap your experience of charting and of
to person. It took me a long time and a what you’ve tracked. What intention or plan
whole heap of therapy to be able to name did you set for this cycle and did it happen?
what was going on inside me, so in case you What enabled that or got in the way? What
struggle to do so too, or need help on some insights have you gained and how can you
days of your cycle, here’s a quick list for you practically apply them to future cycles?
to refer to: How can you love yourself more? If you’re
• At peace using the menstrual dial or a diary then you
• Scattered can assess where each season began and
• Hyper ended by colour coding each day. By doing
• Grounded this you’ll see how predictable your cycle is.
• Restless
• Anxious PLAN IT OUT
• Depressed If you realise that there are days which are
• Resilient consistently tricky for you, write warnings
about them in your calendar. I’m a fan of
You can also identify your needs for: sticking ‘slow down’ as an all-day event on
• Food days 1, 2, 6, and 20, days when I can feel
• Hydration slightly depleted, and ‘be alone’ on days
• Sleep 21 and 24 when I really crave solitude and
• Company and conversation silence. Cycle tracking helps you to plan
• Space and quiet when to work hard, when to rest, when to
• Activity hit the gym, when to be social, and when
• Intimacy and sex to take some time for yourself. Most of us
• Arts and culture are unable to live a life that’s 100 percent in
rate each item out of 10 when they • Time to do what’s important to you tune with our cycle, so it’s about bringing in
apply. When you keep track like this, • A hot bath awareness to those times where life doesn’t
I recommend including space for your • Help sync up with the phase that we’re in.
non-ratable musings because there are
bound to be some! For the days when you want to explore
your mood and experiences more deeply, BOOKshelf
KEEPING TRACK here are some questions to relect on. It’s Extracted from Maisie
This daily practice will make you stronger – okay to answer one or all of them: Hill’s bestselling
and I don’t mean improving things so that • What feels easy today? What feels hard? book Period Power:
your mood and energy never dips, because • What needs do you have, emotionally, Harness Your
newslash, you’re human. Sure, strength physically, spiritually, and practically? How Hormones and get
is about your physical capabilities, but can you tend to them in this cycle and in Your Cycle Working
there’s also strength in being vulnerable, future cycles? for You (Published by
in softening and easing up on yourself, in • What parts of your personality are in play Bloomsbury, £12.99)
recognising and respecting where you’re at, during this phase of your cycle? How are

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