Believe it or not, menses is a magical time. Like so many, I too used to believe it was “the worst” but honestly, I look forward to having my period - especially compared to the tension and the bloating the few days before it.
Mensis is not a curse. Its another phase of the natural part of life and growth. It is a drak and healing time to be honored and enjoyed. While the enjoyment we get from it is not the same as a good party or snuggling with out partner, it can be a time of bliss and profound presence;a time of release, forgiveness and healing.
If you ever felt you just needed a break for a day or two, you period is here to tell you exactly when you would most benefit from it. When I am in my premenstrual phase, I go extra hard to the end because I know I am going to largely kick back soon.
Let’s go over the common mistakes made while cycle syncing during the menstruation phase
Eating salads
I get it, you want to eat healthy - but clod and wet foods are not the move right now. We still have too many women who think the only way to health healthy is to drown themselves in green smoothies and salads every day. Not only is the not the only way to eat healthy, it will also make you miserable in the long run.
During menses and pre menstruation phases, our bodies crave comfort and warmth. This is the best time for soft, nourishing and rich foods. Soups and stew are great right now as are foods that are rich in colors of blacks, purples and reds. My favorite food to make right before my period is any kind of black bean stew. I put meant and vegetables in it and sometimes some cacao powder to give it a deeper and richer taste. When served over rice, my tummy and mood and happy buddies.
Rethink how you approach your diet around your period. Don't eat the same thing everyday and be mindful of this vulnerable and withdrawn time. Skip the fresh stuff and to straight for the warm and comforting food. This isn’t permission to eat whatever you want, but it is a prompt to be gentle with yourself and this includes your food choices.
Not honoring the first full day of your period
I see this time and time again. People want t o get the benefits of cycles syncing but don't want t to do the real dirty work and make the effort to pull back. So few women want to do this part - the part where you do nothing. They think they have to go go go forward at all tie - but this attitude is what left you tired and cranky in the first place.
You must honor the first day of your period. If you have to go back to forward progress the very next day, do so but at half mast. If you are not a doctor and saving lives, the hard fact is the most of the emails you get sent can wait one day. Most emails will suffice with you sending a response of, “Message received! I will get back to you with a more through answer within 48 hours. Thank you!”
And the fact is, most projects would benefit from this time off too. Taking a break does not mean doing nothing. It means pulling back as much as possible and allowing space in your day to do what you want to do for yourself. Allowing space in your brain and heart usually allows us to come back to our projects with more energy and creative power.
This is where tracking your period comes in so handy. If you know your period is coming, you can prep for a couple of days off: do some cooking, tidy the house a bit, wrap up some loose ends or prep your colleagues to give you some space (“I’ll have an answer by the end of the week, thanks”).
ALWAYS honor the first day of your period. There is a lot going on in your body this day. Just give yourself a break from expectations and live in the moment.
Attempting forward progress
Some time we try to be sneaky and get some work done during our period and tell yourself, “but this NEEDS to be done,” or “I’ll just review what we have so far.” DON’T do it!
The review process should have been done right before you period so that your relaxed and subconscious brain could do the problem solving and heavy lifting for you. Right nowe you job is to pay attention to being in the moment for yourself. Reflect on your own performance and relationships with yourself. Think about what you want to accomplish in the next coming weeks.
Don't fall down to far into the rabbit hole of thinking about goals and dreams, just set a small intention to focus on during your next cycle and go onto thinking about other thing or doing things that make you feel in a state of presence.
The purpose during this time is to get away from pushing forward and to just shed what is behind us. Even thinking ahead and setting goals is still putting internal pressure on our systems. Learn to relax with yourself and trust yourself that you do have the ability to get all of your important taste done.
Skipping recovery work
Our bodies needs to recover and menses is the best time for it. Menses is a good time for bathe, massage, bodywork of all kinds and gentle yoga. I just recently went a few cycles without focusing on my recovery and an old injury flared up.
The best thing you can do is leas some self massage techniques. Using a tennis ball, softball and or foam roller to massage out your spine and large muscle groups is the way to go during this time. I like to plop in front of the TV with my yoga mat and balls and just stretch and massage myself for an hour.
This is also a great time to sleep. Naps, going to bed early and allowing yourself to sleep in late is a choice move right now.You will be so thankful you decided to sleep during this time. As you know, the next week will move at a much faster pace in the pre ovulation stage so getting rest to recover is your best use of time.