Why women are exhausted and burned out

When was the last time you felt overwhelmed or completely burned out?

Massive brain fog, trouble sleeping, fatigue, relying on coffee to get through the day – sounds familiar?

These are problems too many women are struggling with. But what if I told you that you have a built-in superpower that you can start leveraging right away? Your menstrual cycle!

One of the reason women are burning out is because their bodies are not supported properly. The female biology is set to the pace of the ovarian hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These two key hormones fluctuate, ebb and flow significantly throughout the course of the month. Our needs, appetite, mood and energy levels will be different at any given time of the month, and adapting our lifestyle to these fluctuations, helps us to thrive.

On the other hand, if you don’t follow your body’s own biorhythm, then everything you do will require extra energy from your body. As a result, you will start experiencing symptoms of burn out, fatigue or insomnia to name a few.

In ancient cultures women would typically sync up with the moon. Traditional Chinese

Medicine, which is one of the world’s oldest medical systems, views the internal workings of the body as innately connected to its natural environment. Learning how to live in sync with our physiological cycle in the same way we modify our lives in accordance to the seasons of the Earth, can have profound effect on your health and well-being. You wouldn’t sunbathe in a bikini in the depths of winter, right?

Planning our lives in accordance with the variations of our inner seasons keeps us feeling balanced and healthy.

For example, during your menstruation your estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest levels. This phase of your cycle is considered the inner winter in Chinese medicine and our physiological changes perfectly mirror that. Our cells generate less ATP during this time, we have less energy, we have a lower metabolic function; our biology basically slows down. Your body is saying, slow down and go inward so you can listen to your intuitive insight. This is the time for reflection and analysis.

Your exercise pattern should also be less vigorous, in fact gentle stretching, light walks or just stillness is the perfect activity at this time. Other low energy activities you might consider are meditation, journalling, or reading. Best foods to include during menstruation are warm, well cooked and easily digestible foods. If you do the opposite, and you drink extra cups of coffee to push through your day, or doing high intensity exercises during this phase, then you are working against your natural physiological rhythm.

I get that this might seem a little daunting at first – so I’d like to invite you to just notice how you feel during different parts of your cycle. Getting in tune with your body and recognizing the inner seasons is a great place to start. After all, our own bodies are our best teachers.

If you’re interested in diving deeper into this subject, there is a book I can highly recommend for you to read – “Wild Power” by Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer & Alexandra Pope.

Much Love,

Andrea