The Menstrual Cycle: Hormones, Mood Swings & Self-Care

Women know. We’ve been doing the hormone tango, riding the dragon since forever. We understand how it feels to not know this person yelling at someone we love for a conclusion about them we’ve conveniently made around 3 AM, or crying in your pasta because the beginning of “Up” is the most devastating thing in animation history, worse than Mufasa’s death. We know how it feels to have our bodies hijacked by “someone else” each month, unsure of what the next move of this odd stranger living in our skin is going to be. Mars might as well attack, what do we care? Tell them to bring ice cream. 

Understanding the hormone dance, mood swings, merry-go-rounds, and our body’s capabilities during the menstrual cycle can help us navigate the ups and downs more easily. This guide discusses the phases of the menstrual cycle, the hormones and mood swings that inevitably occur, and practical tips (not the delulu go-meditate-on-a-cloud-and-take-a-week-long-solitary-vacation-at-Fiji unattainable nonsense of posh-pushers) to help you cope with these shifts and to feel more comfortable.

The Menstrual Cycle: An Overview
 

The menstrual cycle typically lasts about 28 days, although cycles ranging from 21 to 40 days are considered normal. It consists of four main phases: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. Each phase brings distinct hormonal changes that can affect your mood, energy levels, overall well-being, and sanity.

Menstruation

The first day of your period marks the beginning of your menstrual cycle. During menstruation, estrogen and progesterone levels are at their lowest, which often results in fatigue and menstrual cramps. It's important to listen to your body, allow yourself to rest, and take it easy.

During this menstrual phase, some of coping-with-life tips may include: 

Gentle Exercise

Engaging in activities like walking or yoga can improve circulation, which helps with menstrual cramps. Walking in nature can also calm and reduce stress. These low-impact activities allow you to stay active without pushing yourself too hard, offering a way to maintain your fitness and well-being during your period.
 

Period Stretches

Adding simple stretches into your routine can target the lower back and abdomen, providing much-needed relief from period discomfort. Try reaching for your toes to stretch your hamstrings and lower back, performing a gentle twist to relieve tension in your spine, or leaning against a wall for a supportive back and hip stretch. These movements not only ease physical pain but also help you feel more relaxed.

Rest and Relaxation

It's important to give our body what it needs and to remember that menstrual cycles are individual so what works for one person might not work as well for another.

If your body needs it, allow yourself to take it easy, giving yourself and your body the time and rest. Prioritizing self-care during this time might include taking warm baths, reading a good book, or simply lying down and existing without plans and endless to-do lists. Embracing rest and relaxation can improve your overall sense of well-being during your period.

Follicular Phase

Following menstruation is the follicular phase, during which estrogen levels begin to rise, leading to a boost in energy and motivation. This makes the follicular phase a great time to engage in activities that you enjoy and that challenge you physically, whether it's strength training, running, or yoga. 

Strength Training

The mentioned rise in estrogen levels can make you feel stronger and more energetic, so you can focus on strength training and building muscle. Incorporating weight lifting or resistance exercises into your routine can help you take full advantage of your body's natural hormonal boost. You'll likely find that you can lift heavier weights or do more repetitions, making this a phase for making significant gains in muscle strength and endurance.

Active Pursuits

This phase is also a great time to enjoy activities like running, cycling, or any other physical exercise you enjoy. Your increased energy levels mean you can push yourself a bit more, whether it's running an extra mile or trying a new, challenging cycling route. But as always, we suggest listening to your body and adjusting your workouts accordingly. Pay attention to how you feel during and after exercise, don't push past the breaking point, and be prepared to modify your activity if necessary to avoid injuries.

Ovulation

Around mid-cycle, the third phase, known as ovulation, occurs. During this phase, your body releases an egg, energy levels tend to peak, and emotions start to get more intense.

This is the most Googled and confusing phase for women, with questions like “Does ovulation make you emotional?” " Why am I so emotional during ovulation?” “Mood changes and swings during ovulation.” and “How to control mood swings during ovulation.” The common theme is obvious: This is a very moody time, pulling you up one minute only to drag you through the depths of despair due to a phone company ad on TV a minute later.

Hormonal fluctuations during the ovulation phase affect our emotions the most! Common ovulation symptoms related to mood include heightened sensitivity, irritability, and sudden mood swings. These emotional changes are driven by the hormonal spike of estrogen and luteinizing hormone (LH) that occurs just before the egg is released. 

Controlling mood swings is not always easy. However, it can be helpful to practice self-care, such as regular exercise, maintaining a balanced diet (seriously, don’t ride the blood sugar ride with tons of sweets; this is not your friend), ensuring adequate sleep, and, if necessary, taking some alone time if people get too people-y. 

Still, during this phase, energy levels tend to peak, making it an ideal time for high-intensity exercises, so these are great coping tips: 

High-Intensity Workouts

When you're experiencing peak energy levels, it's a great time to engage in high-intensity workouts like high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or swimming. These activities not only maximize your physical energy but also offer a good way to release energy and reduce stress through movement.

Mood Awareness

Be mindful of any mood swings you may experience during this time. If you notice yourself feeling more emotional or experiencing shifts in mood, gentle activities or doing whatever the hell you want for a moment, can help manage stress and stabilize your mood. 

Additionally, if you're into journaling, keeping a journal to track your emotions can help you cope better with these changes. Writing stuff out is generally beneficial in all phases and a healthy, therapeutic practice for emotional health.

Last but not least, research shows that during the ovulation phase, heterosexual women have reported a greater sexual attraction to men. Biology made it so. Sex is a form of exercise too. Sooooo…..

Luteal Phase

The luteal phase follows ovulation and is the last phase in the cycle. It is characterized by a fall in estrogen levels, which can lead to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and symptoms such as fatigue, mood swings, and bloating. You may also feel tired or, on the contrary, experience energy bursts.

During this phase, it is recommended to tone down exercises. If you still need or want to work out, low-impact ones can do the trick and reduce stress and PMS symptoms. Research shows that menstruating women fatigue faster from intense workouts in the later part of their cycle, meaning it is best not to push your body to extremes here. Keep it for the happy-go-lucky follicular phase.

Good coping tips for this stage include:

Low-Impact Exercises

Wall pilates, light jogging, or gentle stretching can provide significant benefits. These low-intensity workouts can improve circulation and flexibility and relieve discomfort associated with the pending doom.

Yoga and Tai Chi

Practices like yoga and Tai Chi are particularly effective in reducing tension and addressing mood swings, which is quite usual during PMS. 

The gentle movements and focus on breathing in yoga, as well as the flowing, meditative nature of Tai Chi, create a sense of calm and balance. Including these practices in your routine can help stabilize emotions and benefit your overall well-being.

Self-Care

No matter what we tell you, what any other blog, advice page, or guru pushes - the only truth is: There are tendencies but we are all different, so listen to your body. If you're feeling fatigued, or sad, feel like crying at random insignificant things, get a manic moment, are achy or are experiencing symptoms of PMS, it's important to prioritize self-care. Allow yourself the time and space to rest when needed, to sleep when you feel the need, to have that chocolate when you crave it, or to have a skincare evening. 

This may involve taking breaks throughout the day, practicing relaxation techniques, ensuring you get enough sleep, or going into your gal cave to brood, but follow your body's signals and take care of yourself.

Managing Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal imbalance is something that around 80% of women will experience or are living with now, and some don't even realize it. Many of us heard of it, but what it is, and is there a way how to regulate the hormones?

Simply explained, hormonal imbalance occurs when there's an irregularity in the levels of hormones circulating in the body. This can lead to various health issues and comes with symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, irregular periods, weight gain or loss, and changes in appetite. So next time you think of Googling “why am I always in a bad mood” or “sudden depression” it could be the best to test for hormone imbalance. Understanding and addressing hormonal imbalances can significantly improve overall well-being and quality of life.

Factors such as stress, diet, medications, and underlying health conditions can contribute to hormonal imbalance as well.

Here are some coping tips for hormonal imbalance:

Balanced Diet

What we do every day matters way more than the occasional aspirational tokens of desiring a better life quality. Food is a daily necessity and a way to deliver the building block for new tissues and regeneration, as well as being a large mood stabilizer due to the gut-brain connection. So if life is busy and hectic, as it sometimes gets, and you have no available RAM for good advice, take just one. Focus on good quality, nutritious, and delicious food. Whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins such as chicken, fish, or tofu, and healthy fats like avocados or nuts are the foods you want to add to your meals since they provide essential nutrients that help stabilize hormone levels and promote overall well-being.

This will help you cope and stabilize your mood so much more than anything else.

Regular Exercise

By now, we all understand the importance of regular physical activities, but did you know they also play a crucial role in hormone regulation and maintaining good health? Whether it's walking, cycling, or yoga, exercise helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol while increasing endorphins, which promote a sense of well-being. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise, 2-3 days a week. We can all do this, it doesn’t need to be par kur or HIIT. Get your trainers on and go for a brisk walk around the block.

Stress Management

Stress is not necessarily bad. Occasional stress keeps things interesting and keeps you sharp. Stress response was designed as a temporary condition to help you be better, faster, stronger, more focused, and capable when for example running from a a wild beast or hurting to build a shelter before the storm, It’s an evolutionary adaptation that benefits us and its bio-physiological profile is quite similar to excitement. They are the same thing - a body ready to go-go. And once you’ve escaped that lion the stress hormones go down. A zebra will not obsess over what a lioness will do after she tries to eat her or the moral justification the lioness has to hunt her to feed her young. The zebra will graze peacefully until the next crisis.

Temporary stress is a burst of energy that should soon return to baseline, and this is beneficial. Chronic stress is the problem and can negatively impact hormonal balance and overall health. Thankfully there are effective stress management techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and appropriate sleep that help reduce stress levels and support hormone regulation. Most of the lions you worry about are not real. Be a zebra, and graze.

Additionally, incorporating relaxation techniques into your daily routine, such as listening to calming music or taking warm baths, can further help you manage stress and hormones and enhance the general feeling of well-being.

The hormonal shifts throughout your menstrual cycle can have a significant role in impacting your mood, energy levels, and overall well-being. Understanding these fluctuations can help you navigate your cycle more comfortably. It's essential to listen to your body, prioritize self-care, and seek professional guidance if needed. Remember, experiencing occasional bad moods is a normal part of being human—it's unrealistic to feel great every day, and whoever says they do is lying, so stop hanging out with them and let them lie to their social media following. Moods are a palette of life. Choosing the color may not always be in your control, but you can do choose the brush stroke you’ll do with it. Embrace all moments as they come, give it your best, don’t expect perfection, take time to relax, and approach each new day with a fresh and positive perspective… or cry it out and reassemble, whichever comes first.