Menstrual Cycle Phases: How to Go With the Flow

Have you ever thought about using your menstrual cycle phases as a guideline to live up to your full potential? Women have approximately 450 menstrual cycles in their lifetime. Unfortunately, they often view their cycles as a burden, and in some cultures, menstruation is sometimes regarded as being some kind of a curse. But can we turn this around? Let’s start using our most obvious clock, “the menstrual cycle”, as a calendar that tells us exactly when we are naturally good at doing something.

Watch my video below to find out how or listen to the audio podcast here.

I am referring to Miranda Grey “The optimized Woman” – Using your menstrual cycle phases to achieve success and fulfillment. She writes: “Within the menstrual cycle we have a natural process of life-coaching.” Wow, isn’t that wonderful?

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Note: The average menstrual cycle is around 28 days, counting from the first day of your menstruation till the day just before your next period starts. It can be a little more or a little less.

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Menstrual Cycle Phase 1: Dynamic Phase

(Pre-ovulatory or follicular phase)

Around days 7 – 13 of your cycle.
Additionally, estrogen and testosterone start to rise during this phase.

  • This is the optimum time for logical thinking, mental focus, planning, structure, physical stamina, multi-tasking and independence.
  • It’s a good time to start new projects, make big changes and get things done.
  • Things that might not work so well in the Dynamic Phase are going with the flow, abstract thinking, empathy.

Menstrual Cycle Phase 2: Expressive Phase

(Around ovulation)

Around days 14 – 20 of your cycle.
Estrogen and testosterone rise to peak levels.

  • This is the optimum time for empathy, relating to others, communication and teamwork.
  • It’s a good time to work with others, talk about relationships, support projects, make connections and be generous.
  • What might not work so well in the Expressive Phase is analyzing detail, logical thinking, working alone.

Creative Phase

(Post-ovulatory or luteal phase)

Around days 21- 28 of your cycle.
That changes when estrogen and testosterone decline and your body starts producing progesterone.

  • Optimum time for unbridled creativity, intuition, cleaning, organizing, identifying problems, throwing things away.
  • It’s a great time to write, paint, dance, anything that gives your creative energy an outlet. Giant leaps in understanding and brilliant insights often happen in the Creative phase.
  • It’s probably not the best time for logical thinking, planning, sticking to a plan, positive affirmations, or working on your relationships.

Reflective Phase

(Menstruation)

Around days 1 – 6 of your cycle.
The hormone progesterone is at its peak.

  • The optimum time to give yourself a break!
  • Take naps, and other restorative actions, good time for inner processing, visioning and reflection, accepting, going with the flow, enjoying simplicity.
  • Not a great time for starting new projects, detail-oriented work, structure, exercise, or planning.
    As Eve Ensler, who is the founder of Vagina Monologues said: “We need a context of other vaginas– a community, a culture of vaginas.”
[toggle title=”Click here for the video transcript”]

Hi, welcome. I am Mariah Freya and this is the Orgasmic Discourses video. Today I want to talk about a beautiful topic, it’s actually about how to use your menstrual cycle and to live at your full potential. What does that mean? I mean, did you ever think about using your menstrual cycle as something that guides you through your daily life, that gives you certain signs when are you exactly good at something? I realized once I started reading a book which I’m referring to Miranda Gray, the Optimized Woman, that this is so true and we just don’t know it yet.

Most women approximately menstruate 450 times in their whole life. This is actually quite a lot. Unfortunately, we often see our menstruation as a burden or almost like a curse. Actually, it’s something that is really guiding us through it. Once we acknowledge and become aware about the whole cycle, we realize that there are certain times when we are exactly good at something. It’s our natural clock, our natural calendar within us showing us exactly where to go. Miranda writes in her book that “within the menstrual cycle, we have a natural process of life coaching.” How wonderful is that?

What does that mean, our menstrual cycle? It’s actually around 28 days generally, some women have it less, some women more, and you start counting from day one of your menstruation. This is really a basic rule. You count until the last day just before your menstruation, and this in between is exactly how long your menstrual cycle is. When I’m now looking into Miranda Gray’s idea of the Optimized Woman, she explains that there are four phases within our menstrual cycle.

The first phase is the dynamic phase, and it’s actually the pre-ovulatory phase. It’s from day seventh to day thirteenth, around that. Of course, women have always a bit of a different cycle so you’ll figure it out, but generally around seventh to thirteenth. What happens within our body in this time that our estrogen and testosterone start rising, so we start to feel really energized. This is the time after our menstruation where we get to go out, where we really want to manifest things, where we start new projects and start new ideas. Where we also are really in multitasking, doing things simultaneously, mental focus, planning, structuring, all that which is very rational and very fiery down to earth. It’s also especially a good time for starting projects as I said, but not so good to kind of go with the flow, or be creative, or have this days where you just want to paint things. It’s not such a good time, there is another phase really good for that. Really, really understand the dynamic phase as like your starter kit, your startup kit, it’s the perfect time to do that.

The next phase is the expressive phase. It’s actually a great time, so Miranda says, for connecting with other people. If we look into the hormonal level, you are at your peak of your estrogen and testosterone, that means you are sparkling from within your body, looks beautiful, you are totally at your peak of your beauty. This is seriously common sense, you should go to a photo shooting, go out with friends or even on a date, as you are full of energy and enthusiasm.

I really enjoy this phase as it gives me that really great time to connect with people but also to work on your relationships, going deeper with your relationships. Have great talks to your partners, sit down together for five minutes and share how you feel about your relationship right now. It’s definitely also a time for really working on your self-love, on your self-worth as well as you will feel just great in your body.

The next phase is the creative phase. Miranda explains it as a phase where you already start connecting with your intuition. It’s actually where estrogen and testosterone start declining, and your progesterone level are starting rising. This is the hormone responsible, that later on with the next phase, you are releasing your ovaries. What does this progesterone do? It’s actually responsible for going inwards. You will realize that you will be great at creative things, painting, starting to write a book or continue writing a book or a story.

Being really creative, making videos. I, for example, I am now in my creative phase so it’s the perfect time for me to shoot this movie. What’s not so great actually is logical thinking, or planning a lot, or sticking to a plan as well because you’re kind of more in the flow, so you’re kind of not as precise with timing maybe or with delivering certain documents to your boss in case you are in a project that has a deadline. Just be aware that in case you need to deliver certain things in this time, just know that it’s there and there might be some challenges around it.

Also positive affirmations are not working that great in those times. I’m not saying you should stop, just know that they’re often have a bouncing effect so that you don’t really fully trust them or it’s not as effective as normally. Of course, working on your relationship should be also better done in the phase before in the expressive phase. Keeping that in mind, you will be good with all the creative things.

The next phase and the final phase, it’s actually from the first to sixth day of your cycle, it’s your menstruation. It’s actually one of my favorites because you are super intuitive. This is the time where you can easily connect to yourself. To yourself, to your soul, to your inner longing, to your inner voice that tells you what you do in the future, what your plan in this life is. Especially visioning is great for this time. As progesterone, the hormone I talked about before, is again at its peak.

You’re releasing ovaries and you are simply in phase of letting go, but also opening up, and opening up in a way of being able to know your next steps, being able to plan maybe the next goals for the next months or maybe next years. It’s great for really knowing what you really want. I can highly recommend you to slow down in your menstruation as you won’t be at your peak of your physical strengths, so better avoiding crazy exercises, but just have more naps and take it easy, take a bath maybe. Just feel comfortable and a little bit more slow.

I know everyone would like to be in the dynamic phase, and it’s lovely to have a lot of energy, but also the menstruation, the reflective phase is great for acknowledgement of your body, for connecting with yourself, with your soul, and especially to connect with your visions, knowing where to go. +To sum all the four phases by Miranda Gray, we have the dynamic phase, great for starting new projects. Then we have the expressive phase where you’re wonderful at connecting with other people or going on dates. The third phase is the creative phase which is wonderful to simply be creative and let it flow. The last and fourth phase is the reflective phase where you’ll just have enough time, enough space to going inward and connect with your visions.

What can we learn out of this? How can we integrate it in our daily life because this is always the most challenging part, right? I, for myself, I use an app which is called Clue and it helps me tracking my whole menstrual cycle. It shows me exactly in which week I am, and so I know, “Ah, okay. I am right now in my creative phase because I’m in the third week of my menstrual cycle.” This gives me that knowledge, and that awareness, and also that acknowledgement of using this time at its full potential, so I know it exactly in this time I’m really good at shooting videos for example.

You can of course also put it in your schedule, try to schedule things around. If you know, “Well, I have this photo shooting and it’s exactly in the time of menstruation. Great.” Maybe you can reschedule and do it in your third phase where you are in your expressive phase … No, sorry, the second phase where you are in your expressive phase and have a lot of energy and a lot of spark in you. I hope this was helpful for you, and thank you so much for listening. You can hop on my site, orgasmicdiscourses.com where you find all the resources I mentioned in this video. Looking forward to hearing from you. Bye.[/toggle]

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About the author

Mariah Freya

Mariah Freya, the founder of Beducated and a TEDx speaker, is dedicated to empowering individuals through sexual education. As a Sexual Empowerment Coach, she offers transformative techniques to help others unlock their full potential as extraordinary lovers. Mariah's mission is to liberate sexuality and promote personal growth through pleasure and deep connections. Through her work at Beducated and her engaging content, she is making a global impact on the way we perceive and embrace our sexual selves. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.