Period Power
“What’s the worst that could happen to me if I tell this truth?”
Periods, hormones, cycles, oh the endless conversations with girlfriends, sisters, my Mum, even my gran, harping on about how as women, our hormones govern and dominate our lives. From premenstrual headaches and heavy, painful periods, to feelings of low mood, anxiety, and those random body pains that you just can't put down to anything specific ... enter hormones.
Over the past five or so years I've been paying a lot more attention to how my body works, what my cycle looks and feels like, and how it affects me - having battled severe anxiety and depression since my late teens it was, in fact, my husband who felt that my hormones (and contraceptive pill) may have had a part to play - and whilst the jury is still out on exactly how much it has affected it, it's been through Maisie and her marvelous menstrual-awareness magic that has really given such a compelling insight into our seasons, cycle, and exactly what our hormones are doing to our body (and brain) at any given moment.
From charting your cycle each month (and not just in terms of when your period starts, how long it is, and how intense - endless and fucking intense at times, right?!) but really getting to the nitty-gritty of how you're emotionally and mentally feeling throughout each cycle, to highlighting the highs and lows of specific hormones, and the irregularities that our bodies can experience, was mind-blowing and bloody enlightening, to say the least!
This book is the permission you need to take the time to delve deep into what wires us and to really tune in to your very own body. What works for one is no roadmap for another of us gals and it's so important that we're talking and sharing... and Maisie has taken that conversation to a whole other level. It's like the big, older, and wiser sister (I didn't have) telling it to you straight.
Knowledge really is power and with this newfound insight, it's definitely enabling me to figure out what my body needs, helping to give myself permission to just be and rest when I'm not feeling in the most productive or abundant part of my cycle, and allowing me to let go of this constant need to be 'on it' all the time. For the very first time in my life I've finally understood why I have peaks of productivity, energy, and complete drops where I want to shut the world out - and at the grand old age of 34 am totally OK with going with it and even indulging it at times without apology. I only wish this book had been about when I was a teen, or even in my 20's, but I'm thankful for Maisie's knowledge and insight.
There is SO much more to us than the mere moody hormonal bitches we so often get portrayed to be, and there is endless power in us that is entirely unique to each and every one of us - so do yourself a favour and let Maisie educate you so you can harness your very own period power!
