How to Work with Your Menstrual Cycle, Not Against It

The first time I got my period, I nearly bled out.

That was my initiation into womanhood. Not the dreamy start many would hope for, but one that shaped me deeply. Medicine saved me, but my relationship with my period was saved by something else.

I was lucky. My mother never taught me that periods were dirty or shameful. And my godmother turned my first bleeding into a celebration. She spent the whole day with me, showing me ways to honour my body and gifted me the book Drachenzeit (Dragon Time). That book became a seed that grew into a lifelong view of menstruation as something powerful, not something to hide.

Later, my mother taught me how to track my temperature and cervical mucus. As a natural contraception, but also as a way of knowing exactly when ovulation had taken place. This gave me a sense of connection to my body.

Still, it wasn’t until much later through my passion for holistic health that I understood just how much the cycle shapes us. Books like In the Flo, Wild Power, and Period Power showed me that menstruation is just one small part of a much bigger picture. Our cycle is an inner rhythm. It influences our productivity, sociability, libido, need for rest, emotions, energy levels, and even our creativity.

As I began to understand the different phases, I learned to adjust my daily routine accordingly, and to be more caring toward myself instead of working against my body.

• I now know when I can push and when my body naturally craves rest.
• I adjust my food and exercise to support each phase.
• Around ovulation, I use that creative energy to brainstorm and write down new ideas.
• In lower-energy phases, I turn inward with journaling, reflecting, and setting strategy.
• I honour my changing libido without guilt.
• I no longer shame myself for wanting rest, time alone, or support.

My life flows with more ease and most importantly: More self-compassion.

But here’s the thing: As a woman with PCOS, my cycle isn’t always predictable. Stress can lengthen it, sometimes significantly. And while I can’t exactly postpone a catering event because my body feels tired, I can create space after the event to rest.

The real problem is that society expects women to show up every day as if we were the same, as if we were men in a constant rhythm and that most of us were never taught how to work WITH our body.

Learning how food, herbs, movement, rest, and even the way we structure our work could change a lot.
Instead, we fight ourselves.
We push harder when our body whispers for rest.
We blame ourselves for being “lazy,” “moody,” or “unfocused,” when in reality, we’re simply moving through a rhythm as old as humanity itself.

And when we ignore that rhythm, we disconnect. Not just from our bodies, but from our wombs, our creativity, and even our relationships.

What if instead, we embraced it?

Our cycle is not an obstacle, but a resource. Each phase carries its own gifts.
Bleeding teaches us release.
Ovulation brings creativity and connection.
The luteal phase invites us to refine, reflect, and prepare.

When we honour these shifts, we stop being at war with ourselves. We reclaim the wisdom that has always been there.

And we live more gently, more honestly, with more compassion.

Because when a woman honours her cycle, she doesn’t just heal herself. She helps the world remember what it means to live in rhythm.

How to harness your Cycle Power