Women are born with the miraculous ability to create life. Just as the moon waxes and wanes, the fine-tuned physiology of women ebbs and flows monthly.
Just how does society 'honor' this miraculously fine-tuned cycle? "She must be on her period." "Give it a week and she'll be back to normal." "She’s acting crazy." "Crimson-tide is coming." "I know why she is acting like this..."
This demeaning commentary has become so commonplace that even women perpetuate this pattern by negatively blaming their mood and energy shifts on their female cycle or menopause. Why do we do this? To feel accepted and 'normal'? We are simply existing! Just like every other inequity, the gender disparity will continue until we honor the physiological blueprint of women.
By subtly shaming women for their ability to adapt every 21-28 days (or during menopause), we might as well shame men for being boring. The graph below depicts the hormone fluctuations women experience every month.
Women's' hormones dance high and low monthly in order to sustain human life. Humans have not evolved beyond this; people would not be here if we had! What if we start honoring the female cycle and the associated shifts in energy that go along with it?
Hormone fluctuations are women's superpowers
While men experience marginal peaks and dips in testosterone throughout the course of a day, a woman's hormone cocktail changes quite dramatically on the daily, weekly, and monthly as shown above. The uterus is not the only tissue affected by these hormone shifts. The whole body, mind, and energy flows with these changes.
I'm not sure what kind of feminist I am, but I must be one considering what I'm about to say. What if women do not have as many hormonal mood disorders as western medicine suggests? What if women's hormone shifts carry wisdom needed for social advancement? Yep. I knew I would be stretching it with this statement, but hear me out.
During women's hormone shifts, women reflect, feel, react, intuit, and respond to their internal and external environments. The waves women make are part of nature just like any other life-cycle. The earth renews itself with the oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus cycles. Leaves fall, seasons change, caterpillars transform into butterflies. A woman's order and balance is renewed and restored monthly. This includes cleansing their energy, and moving through their emotions as part of the process.
What if women were encouraged to lean into their waves of raw intuition? What if the "crazy" is actually women channeling spirit's truth and wisdom, catalyzing change within the confines of their personal environment? Women GET to feel more dramatically as part of their monthly cycles. This is our magic, and it should be celebrated.
There were four women in my house growing up. My dad brought stability, the women brought the spirit.
We all know that friend who reveals some truth once "liquid courage" is involved. I absolutely do not condone drinking alcohol as a way to express ones truth, but it does illustrate the point that when human's physiology is altered, people feel less inhibited in sharing their reality. Chemical shifts in the body move energy. Hormones are chemicals, and emotion is energy.
There is something bigger at play underneath the irritability that gets labeled as "crazy." Leaning into the messy feelings and unpacking women's reflections, emotions, and intuitions brings insight to humanity. Men (in general) do not bring their insight to the world in the same way... they are wired differently by nature. We must listen and sift through what erupts. Love shines when a partner holds space for a woman's emotional expression and remains curious instead of shutting the woman out.
I know some of you may be thinking... "there is no wisdom in my girlfriend picking a fight." "Women actually do go crazy." "My wife yells at me every month over the laundry." Trust me, I do not condone hurtful behavior. YES, there is hurtful behavior and mood-swings can be cutting. It goes like this: A woman feels overwhelmed with emotion and instead of taking the time to unpack their reflections and feelings, she responds with control, insults, or destructive behavior. Without a doubt women (and men) need to continue refining the art of communication.
When women feel safe to express the waves, the tsunamis do not brew. Pearls of truth and wisdom present themselves, and opportunities for deeper connection on a higher plane occur in this non-linear, feminine fashion... I can attest to it.
Calling all Women- What you can do you?
If you resonate with any of this, sit with this perspective a bit. Shifting the gender disparity starts here:
Stop making light of women's so-called "moodiness" as a negative.
Honor and celebrate your cycle as nature's divinity.
Try to flow with the hormone fluctuations, moods, and states of energy you experience.
Notice themes that present themselves over the months. Truth often shows itself consistently overtime.
Become curious of your feelings. What is under the hood?
Practice communicating any authentic truths in a non-reactive and constructive manner.
Know that you are not TOO sensitive. You are moving your energy. Express yourself.
Recognize if you need help navigating your feelings. Reach out to a trained therapist for guidance if need help expressing yourself.
"Messy" feelings are not crazy. The drive to control and "fix" women is what's crazy. The more women are encouraged to authentically embrace themselves exactly as they are, the more they step into their personal power. Perhaps society is afraid of what that looks like.
In love,
Gina
*I respect gender fluidity. Spectrums exist and need to be honored. No one is above another.