Yea. I said it. Think I’m crazy? Think again. It’s now time to change the narrative of what we think about our monthly cycles. Don’t fall into the lies and woes that hormones try to convince us of. You be the boss of your hormones, and not the other way around! It’s possible ladies.

So let’s start with the main culprits of our cycle symptoms: good ‘ole miss estrogen and miss progesterone. They each have their own responsibilities. Both are produced by the ovaries in preparation for egg release and possible fertilization. Basically, our cycle is purposed around this potential ovulation phase.

Let’s talk about the process in simple terms. Both are produced from the same source, but they tend to teeter totter opposite of one another. The reason being, estrogen increases as the follicles in the ovary are prepping and growing so it can release the egg. Another hormone, the luteinizing hormone, is then released to decrease the estrogen for the infamous egg drop to take place. When this happens, the follicles produce progesterone to prepare for the potential egg attachment along the uterine wall. Basically, as estrogen drops progesterone spikes.

Now that we’ve established the simple function, let’s talk about the symptoms we may experience from all this hormone talk.

Progesterone: A spike in this can cause a sedative effect on the brain (it’s been compared to a barbiturate-like effect!). Because of this sedative effect, we can feel less cognitively alert and more fatigued. A rapid drop in serotonin levels also takes place which can cause us to be more irritable. This could explain why a lot of women crave chocolate at this time because chocolate tends to elevate serotonin levels. Crazy huh?! When there is a rapid change of any hormone (switch and/or peak), we can be our moodiest at this time. This tends to happen around day 21 (somewhere within the week before our next period begins). Day 21ish for me is evil. I’m more sensitive to sound and touch and can get over stimulated easily. I try to be more mindful of that and give my hubs and kids a fair warning lol.

The week before our period, up until the day it starts, we need to allow more grace for ourselves. I find myself losing more focus and tend to question everything I may have worked on and created the days prior that lead to this point. DON’T GIVE INTO THE HORMONE LIES! Just tell yourself you’ll feel better in a few days. You can get back to work on those things then. Use this time to rest and reflect!

Aunt Flo comes to visit. Day 1 of our cycle. Ahhhhh, good ole Flo. So, both estrogen and progesterone at day 1-3 are at their lowest. This could explain why we feel blehhhh. We tend to just coast on these days. My first two days are pretty mellow and chill (mostly because I’m trying to ignore first day cramping issues).

Once the first few days are over, estrogen starts to make a slight climb…slightly. Days 3-7 for me are a time for organization and planning out my month. I get more in tune to my vision and goals. I have more connection to my inner self (if that makes sense lol).

Estrogen (peaks from days 8-12). This climb gives us all the good feeling vibes. Serotonin is released and gets us on a high. We tend to want to be more social around these times, so utilize these days to hang out with friends! This is also a time for me when I feel my most creative. No joke. I logged on days 8-9 “Ideas are flying everywhere. I’m creating new plans, budgeting, coming up with new recipes, etc.”

*Side note: LOG YOUR CYCLE AND HOW YOU’RE FEELING. Make yourself aware. Doing this will help you to learn your cycle response and really be in tune with your body.

After day 12ish just before ovulation (around day 14), estrogen starts to decline once again. You start to come down off of the high you were feeling and start to stabilize in mood. Don’t relax too much just yet, because come around day 21ish, progesterone peaks yet again. This could explain the sudden onset of fatigue. Around days 23-27 for me, I feel drugged. Like slurring words drugged. It’s weird. I also CRAVE me some chocolate. Give me my serotonin back!

The cycle then makes full circle yet once again. Basically, our bodies recharge every 30 days ladies. For the men, it takes 24 hours. Yeah, not fair.

Don’t fret, making yourself more aware of all of these changes gives you back the feeling of being in control again. You have more patience when you need it. You can increase productivity in the times when you get that high again. It doesn’t mean you can’t push through during the low times, but just allow for more grace during those times.

Ladies, sweet friends, we’re the boss of our hormones…of our life. Tell them what to do and when to do it. If you’re feeling really off and you still can’t maintain the feeling of being in control, make a visit to your sweet gynecologist and get your levels tested. This will give you a better game plan of what you have to do to regain that control back. Girl, YOU GOT THIS! YOU ARE A WARRIOR!

Now that you know all of this, how are you going to utilize your time? Comment below!

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