Hello you!
My period is imminent. All the signs are there. I want to spend money and buy pretty things, organise everything, my body feels hot, I can’t seem to sleep well, my skin looks dull and I’m tired. Do you know this feeling too?
It’s all well and good but I’m in Paris and I only have a few days left before I go home. The last thing I want to do right now is rest. I want to make the most of every minute I have here. I’m a natural cycle kind of girl but I don’t mind telling you if I could have skipped my period in Paris I would have.
It slows me down, reduces my motivation, inspiration and I don’t feel my best. Why would I want this? Maybe it’s not a case of wanting but a case of needing. Maybe this is all part of the experience of life. Just like trees can’t burst into visions of pink blossom without first shedding all their leaves and lying dormant for a few months, we can’t make our own blossoming last forever either.
A past me would’ve carried on regardless, fought against every urge to slow down and seen surrender as a weakness. Now I know better. I know I don’t have to listen to my body but I accept that it knows best. If I did carry on at the same pace I’ve been going I would dilute the experience because I couldn’t fully give myself. It makes sense then to slow down, do less, make life easier in any way I can.
There’s a time to feel inspired, a time to work hard, a time to take risks, a time to feel heartbroken, a time to rest and a time to be open to new things. There’s a time for everything.
Whatever season of your life (or cycle) you’re in right now I hope you’re embracing it before the wind changes and the next season arrives. Each season has something unique to offer us if we listen and lean into it. It all adds up to something in the end, even if it doesn’t feel that way. The greatest novels that were written wouldn’t exist without the writer first feeling the pain of heartbreak to write about.
Which season are you in right now? This doesn’t only have to apply to your menstrual cycle. What time is it for you in your life? Are you listening? Are you embracing?
I’ll leave you with those questions to ponder.
Lots of love
Jessica xxx
There’s a time for everything
Take the pill continuously to not be bothered by your menstruation on your vacation ...
Organize to have your period the week to be able to make love during the weekend ...
Ask your friends to look at your buttocks to be sure that nothing had overflowed in your jeans ...
Being ashamed to feel sexual desire during your menstruation because "it is really disgusting" ...
If you recognize yourself in these claims, you are not alone ;)
For so many years, I was angry with my menstrual cycle which was a weight, an burden, an obstacle to my life. For a long time, I wanted to erase all traces of my menstruation.
And I ended up understanding. I changed my vision, I welcomed all the knowledge that my cycle had to teach me. I'm a cycle being and decided to follow the nature's rhythm :)
I have learnt to listen to my body and what it needs each day. This has taken me a long time to learn and I'm so much happier. I've given up the high paying fast moving,demanding job for a slower pace where I'm my own boss and a lovely part time job to top up my "social" needs. No more rushing everywhere with no time to think or listen to my body. During my period I just see what my body needs and if that means slowing right down I do. I'm also learning I'm a homebody who loves being at home surrounded by peace and calm. Life is so much calmer now x