Menstrual cycle awareness: Winter

Using the seasons of the year, this blog series explores what’s going on at each stage of the menstrual cycle and how we can use this information to support our wellbeing.

This framework is based on the average length of a menstrual cycle, however every woman’s cycle is unique.

Your cycle may be shorter or longer than 28 days and you may stay in a particular season longer than the others. Tracking your cycle is the most valuable way to tune into your body’s wisdom.

Winter is the first phase of the cycle, the time of menstruation – approximately day 1 to day 6 of the cycle.

Winter brings release

The arrival of your period marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.

In the final days of the previous cycle, oestrogen and progesterone drop to their lowest levels, triggering the womb to shed its lining and bleeding to begin.

If you had a tough time in Autumn (the pre-menstrual season) then getting your period may feel like a huge relief.

If you haven’t been tracking your cycles or your periods are a bit irregular, you may not even have realised you were pre-menstrual – but the mood swings and food cravings of the past week might now make perfect sense :-)

Any tension you felt drains away with your hormones, and symptoms such as bloating and breast tenderness usually disappear.

There’s a sense of letting go, like a bubble has burst. What follows from this release might not always be a relief though.

How we feel during our period looks different for each of us – commonly women can experience any of the following:

A huge drop in energy levels – you feel exhausted all of a sudden
A strong desire to hibernate and retreat from the world - whatever you had planned now seems unappealing and unmanageable
Feeling emotionally vulnerable – fragile and tearful
If you’re trying to get pregnant, getting your period can be devastating
Bleeding might trigger grief about previous miscarriages or procedures
You might feel floored and debilitated by period pain or heavy bleeding
Migraines – the drop in hormones can trigger headaches and migraines either before or during your period
A resistance to cooking, cleaning or being responsible for anyone or anything!

A chance to rest

In every season of our menstrual cycle we’re likely to have a better experience if we can tune into and honour what our bodies are telling us.

In all cycles there’s a time to be productive and a time to rest – and in the menstrual cycle Winter is the time for rest.

Bleeding takes a huge amount of effort from our bodies, so getting enough rest is an important part of the process.

As Sanjie Hugo Wurlitzer puts it, menstruation is like a ‘pit stop’ for us to refill our tank.

For some of us that will be irritating and stressful either because there’s so much we want to do or so much we feel we have to do.

So many of us push through our periods as we would any other week of the month because we fear being seen as less capable or even lazy if we don’t.

Slowing down and taking time to replenish yourself during your period is a sign of strength though, not weakness.

Alexandra Pope says that how we bleed sets the tone for the rest of our cycle. If we rest and take time out for ourselves, we’ll have more energy during Spring and Summer – the more productive times of the cycle.

Is the idea of resting or relaxing during your period new to you?

Obviously there are responsibilities we can’t just drop at a moment’s notice, but perhaps there are some tasks on your list that aren’t really urgent and could wait a bit longer...

If you find yourself feeling guilty about resting and taking time off, ask yourself whether you’d criticise a friend for doing the same?

Your period can be a fresh start

We’ve all heard periods referred to as “the curse”. If yours are painful or heavy, it’s understandable you might struggle to see this time of your cycle as anything other than a huge challenge.

But what if we were able to reframe menstruation as an opportunity rather than a curse? See it as a chance to wipe the slate clean and do things differently.

Doesn’t that instantly feel more empowering?

As your womb sheds its lining from the previous cycle, maybe there are things in your life you can let go of too.

Perhaps there’s a habit you’ve been trying to knock on the head, or something you’ve wanted to make more time for but haven’t managed it yet.

The ‘pit stop’ that is your period is a golden opportunity to re-set your intentions – each and every month.

How do you want the next cycle to look for you, is there anything you want to change?

When we’re menstruating, our gut instincts are often strong and clear. It’s a good time to listen to ourselves and trust that intuition.

Slowing down and resting more really helps with this.

Here are 5 questions you could ask yourself:

What’s really bothering me right now?
What can I let go of?
What do I want more of?
What do I want to give more focus and energy to?
What can I put in place to help me during my period next month?

Journalling is a great way to release all the thoughts in your head and to capture what you truly want.

You might find when you slow down and reflect, that you get a different perspective on things.

Creating space can allow ideas to settle and problems to be solved when you’re not battling to find an answer.

Whatever insights occur to you during your period, try to wite write them down somewhere so you can remind yourself of your intentions during the rest of your cycle.

How to help yourself in Winter

Winter is not a time to give to others, but to ourselves. Here are 10 tips to help you do that:

Think about what tasks you could drop or responsibilities you could delegate temporarily – what are the basic essentials you need to cover?
Experiment with doing absolutely nothing – this might be hard at first, but start with 5 minutes and build up from there
Consider having a break from one or more ‘stimulants’ in your life – caffeine, sugar, alcohol, social media, stressful people!
Rest more than usual – whatever that means to you
Create a period self-care box for yourself – including bath salts perhaps, your favourite chocolate, a hot water bottle, a blanket or cosy socks, your favourite magazine or book
Add Epsom salts to a bath and light some candles
Buy yourself flowers
Do some gentle exercise – walking, yoga or stretching
Prioritise sleep
Say ‘yes’ to yourself – what does that mean for you?

Period problems like pain and heavy bleeding are common, but it’s not normal for your periods to interfere with your life.

There are many factors that influence your experience of your menstrual cycle. I can help you get to the bottom of what might be causing your symptoms.

Get in touch if you’d like to find out how homeopathy could help improve your period health. You can send me an email or book a free call with me:

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Please note: Heavy or painful periods can be indicative of an underlying medical condition such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids or pelvic inflammatory disease. If you think you may have symptoms of these conditions, please contact your GP.

Winter brings release

A chance to rest

Your period can be a fresh start

How to help yourself in Winter

Further reading

Menstrual cycle awareness: Spring

Remedies for winter self-care