Go menstrual this Christmas!

Create the best ever Xmas using your menstrual cycle's Optimum Times
to stay positive and stress-free and to create the Christmas experience you want.

Well we are now into December and Christmas is coming up fast. We have the Christmas cards and presents to organise, the food to plan, and The Day to sort out. There are last overseas posting dates, the works ‘do’, the trip to Granny, and the girls’ party to add to the diary. But are your cycle phase dates in your diary? Have you ever given any thought to how your phase will effect your Christmas?

What phase are you going to be in on Christmas Day? > FREE Menstrual Cycle Christmas Planner

Our cycle can have a huge effect on how we feel about the run up to Christmas and Christmas Day:

Action phase (pre-ovulation) Christmas: You have the energy to stay up late, the extrovert energies to party, the mind to multi-task and the urge to get things done. You will easily be able to juggle the kids waking up early, your partner’s hangover, your bossy mother-in-law, your partner’s sister and her new ‘wonderful’ boyfriend, Aunt Ellie ringing from Australia, the neighbours popping their heads round the door for a drink, and still cook the Christmas turkey to perfection. You can handle it all, the bigger the better, with style and military precision. Your need for perfection will mean that you need control and things done your way.

Warning: Empathy is not your strong point this Christmas. The week before Christmas you will be menstrual with your lowest physical, emotional and mental energies, so get all your shopping and preparation work done at least a week before Christmas Day.

Heart phase (ovulation) Christmas: Being at your most loving, Christmas will be a joy when spent with other people. You’ll be happy to be flexible, go along with the crowd, and simply enjoy chatting to friends and family who you haven’t seen for a while. You may not get the turkey to the table on time but it doesn’t matter and you are happy to have everyone muck in and help, even that cousin no one likes!

Warning: With all that oozing good will, you may find yourself in the kitchen doing all the washing up. Remember not to take on too many New Year responsibilities as you are likely to be on your energy decline next week.

Subconscious phase (Pre-menstrual) Christmas: Fortunately the week before Christmas had you full of productive energy so you’ll have managed everything relatively easily. However The Day can be a real challenge if you don’t look after yourself. Don’t expect or plan to do everything yourself. Get your diary out now and plan early, buy early and delegate! But don’t let your partner cook the Christmas lunch and don’t have relatives or friends you can’t stand over – you could be a fault-finding bomb waiting to explode! Do less this year, keep things simple, only do the priorities and allow yourself time to relax. Don’t plan to be sociable and wanting to go out, plan a sleep in front of the TV and a box of chocs.

Warning: You may find yourself very emotionally sensitive so take time out away from people to nurture yourself even if it is only 5 minutes of quiet with a glass of fizz.

Soul phase (Menstrual phase) Christmas: The run up to Christmas Day is probably the most challenging. The week before you will have been highly strung with frantic activity, decreasing physical and mental energy, and swinging moods. The list of tasks has seemed endless and everyone and everything has depleted your already declining energies. Nearly everything you wanted done will have been completed by Christmas Day, low energy levels will have eventually made you drop your expectations, but family and partner tensions may be running high. Now you have calmed, but you are more likely to be less engaged in the whole Christmas idea. Gifts or family traditions won’t feel important, so let someone who will care run the day. Get someone else to cook the meal; the chances are you won’t feel motivated to do much at all. Don’t plan a big family ‘do’, you’ll feel too withdrawn to be sociable, unless you can curl up by the fire under a blanket like Granny and let everyone else do their ‘thing’!

Warning: Let close family members know that you are okay, it’ll stop them from either trying to cheer you up or from worrying that something is wrong. Don’t feel guilty about sitting and doing nothing, or about letting everyone else do the washing up! Oh and don’t forget to plan a really big New Year celebration, you’ll be well up for it!

Finally, keeping all this in mind, check your diary dates for the run up to Christmas and allocate appropriate tasks to your phases.

> FREE Menstrual Cycle Christmas Planner

Here are a few ideas:

• Action phase: Writing Christmas cards, finding addresses, organising posting for overseas, planning the food, organising and planning parties, going shopping for the party frock, going to parties, battling the late night crowds to buy presents, and organising more relaxation time for your menstrual and pre-menstrual phases.
• Heart phase: Writing the family newsletter, deciding on presents for people, decorating the home and tree, baking the Christmas Cake and making treats as gifts, making homemade Christmas cards and tags with the children, going to children’s school plays, charity carolling and visiting relatives.
• Subconscious phase: Major tidying and cleaning in preparation, inspired gift ideas, solving problems like the shortage of chairs, working out the table colour scheme and the menu, and knowing why things won’t work (a turkey that big won’t fit in the oven) and how to make them work (we’ll get a turkey crown without the legs).
• Soul phase: Really knowing what you’d like for Christmas (your presents, who you want to be with, and what happens on the day), understanding and knowing how to meet other people’s needs, reflecting on past Christmases for what you enjoyed, and touching base with the true spirit of Christmas.

Plan to use your Optimum Times this month not just to create a wonderful Christmas Day but also a whole month of seasonal happiness, relaxation, contentment and love.

Happy Christmas!