The 24-hour day might be perfectly synced to men’s hormonal cycle – but the menstrual cycle takes a longer view …
O
nce a month without fail I decide to give up on all my goals and ambitions. “There’s just no point,” I sigh to my mother, who smiles and asks what day of my cycle I’m on. I grumble back, insisting it has nothing to do with my period, I just happen to have lost all motivation and inspiration. “What’s the point anyway,” I add, “when we’re watching the world burn?”
Nine times out of 10 my period shows up shortly afterwards and, a few days later, my creativity, motivation and drive all come flooding back. You’d think that growing up with a menstrual educator for a mother – and having a fairly solid knowledge of the cycle myself – I’d remember this each month when feelings of disillusionment and apathy creep in. But deep in the slump it’s hard to convince myself that it’s my hormones playing tricks on me again.
While I had a fairly good understanding of the monthly cycle as a kid and teen, I thought I was too cool to have in-depth discussions with Mum about the changing dynamics that come with it. I didn’t want to hear about taking advantage of high energy levels during my follicular and ovulatory phases and I didn’t want to acknowledge that I might need more rest during my luteal and menstrual phases. Pah! Too woo-woo!
