When you’re working, it can make a real difference what stage you are at in your menstrual cycle, from just before ovulation or before your period.
“Our cycle can boost our work.
“It shows us what superpowers we have in each phase and what we need to work healthily and consciously,” says Mandy Jochmann, a German coach and author of a book on menstrual cycle-oriented work.
The first step is self-awareness.
“Cycle-oriented working means asking yourself: What do I need today? And what comes particularly easily to me today?” she says.
In order to figure that out, Jochmann suggests you keep a diary of your cycle for a while.
Ask yourself: Where am I in my cycle? How do I feel today? How much energy do I have?
Experience shows that you have more energy in the first half of your cycle and tend to be more strategic.
“This phase is a good time to start new projects, and it’s often easier to appear confident in meetings,” she says.
This phase most closely corresponds to the ideal of our performance-oriented society.
But Jochmann also emphasises the energy in the second half of the cycle.
“A great deal of performance capacity arises, but it is simply polarised differently,” she says.
Creativity and intuition are very important.
“This can be used for free brainstorming,” she says.
“The progesterone that is then effective is also described as the nest-building hormone.
“We can use this to tidy up and create clearer structures.”
Visionary thinking, on the other hand, has a good place in the menstrual phase.
“But so does everything to do with letting go,” says Jochmann.
“This time gives us the clarity to look at projects more objectively and make courageous decisions.”
However, it is often not possible to decide at work what will be done on a particular day.
In this case, it is a matter of making small adjustments, such as allowing enough time for a task or keeping an eye on the whole day.
“If a task requires a lot of energy, it is helpful to consciously plan some rest time afterwards,” says Jochmann.
How you communicate this to your boss depends on your personality type.
“We don’t have to talk directly about the period, although I would welcome more openness,” she says.
“It’s often enough to talk about energy and say, ‘This task is more suitable today than another.’”
However you express it, the most important thing is to stand up for yourself and set clear boundaries. – dpa
