Welcome to week 4 - Also known as Inner Autumn. This is your pre-menstrual week and one that so many of us dread. Since I started practicing menstrual cycle awareness I have come to realize that my hatred of week 4 wasn’t because of the challenges it brings but because I was living so out of sync with my cycle, once I started to work with my cycle and not against it I actually began to enjoy this week! 

Inner Autumn is the time of the wild woman, she is fierce and free, intuitive, discerning and she ain’t no people pleaser. In all honesty, she is kind of my idol. Like all of the Archetypes she has her downside, if we presented as her all of the time we might struggle to make grounded decisions but she is a brilliant person to channel as you prepare to bleed as she encourages you to be focused on you- your needs and to let whatever you have been holding in come to the surface. 

This is our intuitive week, it’s when Estrogen has its second dip, and with this comes a rise in progesterone. Because of that drop in Estrogen, you’ll likely find that you are less concerned with how you appeal to the outside world and more connected to yourself. As much as week 4 can be a challenge it’s a brilliant week for discernment - a time when you are less likely to gloss over the details in an attempt to make everything feel sunny and connected and more likely to be truly authentic. 

This week you might feel the need to nest or clear out - this is your body preparing for inner winter! 

My new love for Inner Autumn has taught me a few lessons on how to navigate my pre-menstrual week and I’d love to share them with you: 

Nutrition 

As Progesterone rises you might find you crave foods that are higher in fat, listen to your body and go with that.  If you struggle with self limiting beliefs from diet culture around how and what you eat  then try reminding yourself that your body is super smart and it isn’t going to carve things that you don’t need. Not eating enough of what your body needs can mean even bigger mood swings and a more turbulent hormone cycle so it’s a good time to listen in and try to negate that. 

Sex drive 

At this time your Sex drive will likely be lower but you might find you feel more emotionally connected to your partner or yourself, it’s ok for your sex drive to fluctuate throughout your cycle. This maybe isn’t the time to have lots of sex but to listen to your body’s signals as to when you are in the mood, you are likely to crave more connected sexual experiences at this time, whether that’s with yourself or with partner(s) and listening into what you want rather than what you feel you should do will likely mean more meaningful and enjoyable sexual experiences. In my personal experience, I’ve found that a deeper connection with this season of my cycle led to a rise in libido, I want to signpost this here as there is absolutely no shame in feeling turned on and in the mood in your pre-bleed and bleed week. Many menstruating people find this a really powerful and satisfying time to have sex and if that’s you- listen to your body’s signals and do what feels good! 

Exercise 

This is definitely a time for gearing down, start to do less exercise, and up the self-care. Autumn is the traditional time for harvesting in nature, a time to gather, collect and prepare for the impending winter. It’s the same in your cycle- you know inner winter and that big energy output of your bleed is coming and so starting to wind down and conserve energy is a smart plan. Upping your self-care will mean that you have the resources and resilience you need to surrender to your inner winter and whatever it brings.

Journalling 

Week 4 is an excellent time to journal as it[‘s a time when you’re more focused on your own energies. You might find that you start to question your life and how it is set up. Whilst some of that can be stress, hormones, and how the rest of your cycle has gone, it’s still important to recognize it as if you start to see patterns coming up every month then that is s a sure-fire sign that there are parts of your life you aren’t happy with, recognizing those patterns gives you a chance to dive deeper into those feelings and do something about them. 

Take what you will from those tips and see if it helps you navigate what can feel like a really challenging week, I’d love to know what you learn <3