Wondering what the Ovulation stage is? At The Agenda, when we first put together the planner, we realized the power syncing your cycle with your business could have. People don’t often realize that you can also sync your life to your cycle. Think of your work and your life as a Venn Diagram; both impact your mood, time, energy, and your activities.
Do you ever pack your schedule full and then get to the end of the day realizing you’ve only crossed a few things off your list but are thoroughly exhausted (plus a little resentful at the world)? Then a few days later, you get your period; you see the still mounting pile of work ahead of you and just want to cry?
We so hear you.
The Agenda app is made to understand what your body needs, what’s going on, and how you can utilize your flow, not in a boss-babe-your-life-and-squeeze-out-every-inch-of-productivity kind of way but a follow-the-breadcrumbs-and-progress-not-perfection type of way.
Studies show we get more work done when we are in a state of joy and contentment:
- Life is more manageable.
- Choices are more straightforward.
- We show up in more alignment and integrity.
It’s an easy link to see that when we go with our natural rhythm, it can influence our choices and life.
So, this is part two of a new blog series called “Living in the flow of your cycle.” We’ll go through each of the four stages and touch on working with that stage through an everyday life lens. For that stage, we will also have a different blog post through a work lens. Remember the Venn Diagram? We’re here to give you tools you’ll use to help you show up in the ways you want.
What the Ovulation stage is:
For this explanation, I’m sharing a snippet from Red Thread: Weaving an Embodied Life of Joy by Aj Smit. She calls the Ovulation stage the Full Moon phase. As the moon cycle also has four phases at 28 days it’s a good reflection of the average person’s cycle.
During the Full Moon stage of your cycle, you may feel nurturing, sexy, or even on top of the world. Your Estrogen is at its peak, creating a high fertility window, and releases an egg. Be careful if you don’t want to get pregnant.
To understand your high fertility window, you can check your cervical fluid, which at this time is a white discharge with a stretchy, almost egg-white feel. You can also use ovulation strips. An egg’s life is about 24 hours. Many women believe the egg releases on day 14, but everybody is different. Your egg could release on day ten or day seventeen. Your cycle length can vary depending on sleep, stress, food, alcohol, medication, and the like. Checking your cervical fluid will help you know whether you ovulate on day ten or day seventeen.
The Full Moon stage is also known as your Mother or Creatrix stage.
In this 3-5 day window of your cycle, you can feel loving and want to have everyone over for dinner or write notes to your family on handmade paper. Let your creativity flow and see what is ‘created,’ whether it’s a baby or a new idea. Cramps can occur as your ovaries take turns releasing an egg each cycle. You may feel untouchable or crave attention. Be aware, if you are crossed, nurturing Mommy Dearest can turn into a raging Momma Bear, so be sure to tend yourself in this and all stages, so you don’t burn out from over-promising and feeling over-extended.
If you feel led to reach out or make amends, now is the perfect time to do it because you have the extra capacity to hold space for hard conversations. Don’t put it off. It is alluring to front-load during this time, but be careful not to do too much, as you are about to switch over into your Waning Moon stage, where your energy can start to become more frantic.
Tips for tending yourself
A word of wisdom from Alexandra and Sjanie, the founders of Red School, which empowers women to harness their cyclical nature to the fullest potential, “Particularly watch out for superwoman around ovulation. She reckons you can do it all regardless and is blissfully unaware of what lies ahead.”
Things to do
*Catch up with friends
*Reset the house, and clean the things you’ve put off.
*Host a party
*Write letters with fun stationery
*Create and schedule your action plan for any goals
*Try new recipes or practice a skill or talent.
*Push yourself more than you usually do in your workouts.
Questions to ask yourself during Ovulation
*What does nurturing or self-mothering look like for me this week?
*How would I like to use this nurturing energy for others?
*What hard conversations can I have this week that I’ve been putting off?
*Are there any get-togethers or chats I can be a part of this week while I’m in this ovulation stage?
Curious about what stage you are in? Download the Agenda App to track your cycle and sync your life and work to your body’s flow! Find it on Apple HERE, or Google Play HERE.
Pope, A., & Hugo, S. (2017). The Inner Seasons. In Wild power: discover the magic of your menstrual cycle and awaken the feminine path to power (p. 186). England: Hay House.