Menstrual Magic: Cycle Syncing, what's all the fuss about?

I feel like the term 'menstrual cycle syncing' has been tossed around and not been given the full recognition it deserves. Since working with my cycle 18 months ago, it has quickly gone from 'cycle syncing' to absolute 'menstrual magic' and turned into a much deeper journey into my womb.

Trigger warning: there's talk of self-harm, suicide, and eating disorders:

Since my first period, I had suffered from PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder). Giving it that name and diagnosis quickly removes the humanity from my real lived experience, so here I am, blogging about it because many women deserve to know more about it and what could possibly be done to improve their lives around their periods.

I've had PMDD since I was 14, which was also when I started to self-harm and wanted to take my own life. A year after becoming a maiden, I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety. Two years after turning into a maiden, I was put on fluoxetine (an SSRI or antidepressant medication). I stayed on that medication for the best part of 8 years and was then put on sertraline for two.

While on the medication, I continued to hate myself, hate my body, binge eat out of control, and had no self-worth. After scraping my way through college, I quickly ended up in an abusive relationship where the lack of self-worth was cemented.

Now, from a healthier viewpoint, I (and my mum, after many conversations) can see how every time I was due to bleed in 10 days (always 10 days exactly), I'd try to harm myself, end my life, or have some sort of crisis. My world would fall apart; it's when I despised my body the most, and it's when the overwhelm of sadness was so much that I'd want to leave this life.

That hasn't changed. Well, it has, but always 10 days leading up to my bleed is when I have the need to feel sadness and go inward, if not depression.

But now, I know it's coming. I know what I'll be feeling, when I'll like to socialize, when I should take on big projects, when to go harder on exercise, or when to do some yoga. I know that 10 days leading up to bleeding, I should plan to journal, go into ceremony, and I always arrange to have therapy that week. Now, it's one of my favorite parts of my cycle.

Not only because I've turned it around and I know what to expect and when, but I can actually harness that day. That day that is so full of whoa, is the day that my emotion floods out, and is the best day for me to do the inner work. The 10 days leading up to my cycle is when some of my best shadow work has taken place. It's when I have the biggest emotional releases. It's when breakthroughs happen!

Don't get me wrong, it's been really hard work, commitment, and determination. As well as surrender and allowing, but now the luteal or autumn phase is one of the times I sit in ceremony and feel what the sacred feminine really is.

The luteal phase has gone from a time of misery and some of the worst times of my life to transformation and rebirths.

Now, my cycle is full of sacred ceremony, healthy living, and a deep inner knowing and connection with my womb space.

If you want to learn how to harness your period and realize your menstrual cycle magic, then get in touch. I work intuitively, 1-1 with women virtually and in person on their cycles. Together we'll realize your strengths that your cycle brings and create a new way of being during your bleed. I also have a new event coming up, all around our sacred moon cycles, you can get tickets here:

https://www.theforestdoula.com/event-details/menstrual-magic-mastering-your-inner-seasons