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1. Cycle 101! - Beginners Journey to learning MMH (Menstrual Mental Health)
Example of some cycle thoughts from FB
Follicular:
Did you do your schoolwork? If not, get it done, let's stay on track please bud.
Is your room clean?
Why aren't your shoes on yet?
Let's go do..
Want to go to the Y? Want to stay all day there?
Oh, I have an idea! My brain is so braining!
I really haven't walked the dog lately, maybe I should do more with him... chooses some ideas.
Man these people are slow.
How did I get so behind on tidying? Welp let's get started ...
Why do I want all these things done and everyone is in their own world? -I can just do it all. -I can delegate. I can get bitchy, bossy.
OMG I'm so excited, I just started __________ (a business, working out, --- sometimes times 10 lol.
Jeez I have anxiety, my brain is racing/ my body wants to do things, but ...I'm just not sure what to do .. I'm not able to do what I want ..I'm stuck in fawn.
Follicular has opportunities for confidence, fun, innovation and action, but also for being overly independent, feeling bossy, egotistical, and/or stifled, handwringingly anxious and/or unsure what to do with any of the energy or thoughts coming in.
Luteal: (Same stimuli)
Really?! Commonnn, is your schoolwork really not done? I mean how behind do you want to get? Do I really have to remind you allll the time? Then ruminate on it allllll lol.
Do you not know to clean your room? Do I not ask you on a regular enough basis for you to know to do it? -or- Can you clean your room? - kid takes time/doesn't do it- I swear I talk to no-one, like why even bother? I'm invisible - Your grounded!
So you didn't know we were leaving? or like how to get ready? - (Inside- MAD I'm so tired of this crap- SELF DEPRECIATING -What have I done wrong that my kid doesn't do ________, am I even a good mom?
Let go do .... nothing? Why do I want to do like nothing. Am I a loser who just wants to do nothing? Am I couch rotting? Am I even good company today?
OMG, whyyyy did I promise the Y all day todayyyy? I barely want to move!
I can't even think, brain not braining, more like fogging.
My poor dog, he's like 4, and I haven't even taken him enough places, like I should. What if he's sad. What if I'm not a good enough dog mom? Like will I ever even do the things I was thinking of or just continue to suck at this.
Man I'm so slow today. -Man these people are slow, I actually finally got up to do something and now I just don't even want to bother.
Fuck the laundry today. (I'm the only one that does anything around here anyway. -I just caaant. - I completely forgot and now it smells.)
Everyone is in their own world, do they even care? Do I? I swear I just feel so lonely. Is ______ cheating? I hate my clothes. I hate myself in my clothes. Maybe I should ask how I look? Why did I ask, no one wants to tell you the truth anyway.
Who did I think I was to start anything? I'm scared... I screwed up already... I can't do this ... Do I really have no help? Can no one see? I just can't do the things .. I just don't feel like it today .. *stares at project or thinks about project longer than it would take to do project.
Watches train wreck of self, falling off the track again and again.
Luteal brings us our own emotional road maps and deep feelings that we can use to channel for us and others or against us and others.
Now imagine, for just the last example, if we felt like starting a business in follicular one too many times, then felt like a failure in luteal one too many times, maybe one of these days we are going to start to ignore or desire to start anything, and that lack of self belief could cause more depreciation both to ourselves and others in luteal. It turns into complete cycle failure.
The cycle feels like a roller coaster of just not feeling right.
Or extreme highs and lows.
Now times that by all the scenarios up there and more. Then add traumatic events, which can affect it all more severely.
We can burn bridges or build them depending on how much we know ourselves and how we may react to life and stimuli during each phase.
More self understanding and grace or more hating the skin we're in.
More arguing or less.
We can have more cycle homeostasis as life goes on, or less.
If this sounds or feels like it’s coming from your head, join in to learn so much more about it and how to begin changing it all.