When I was 10 years old my Hebrew School teacher taught my class about scribes, men who write Torahs. I raised my hand and asked her why women could not become scribes. She told me she’d talk to me after class.
This is the thing about being a young feminist—your curiosity appears to get you in trouble.
After class my teacher explained that scribes are men because women menstruate. Menstruation makes a woman unclean and unable to handle the holy text, she said.
Heh?! There’s a lot to unpack there but I’m skipping over the cleanliness factor because frankly, it’s just too obvious to spend time talking about.
The main point is that menstruation has been used by people who do not experience it to draw limitations around what’s possible for women for centuries. And even in 2019, I’m wondering if this topic is too much. Why is it still radical to be talking about periods publicly? Half of the world’s population will begin, is or was recently menstruating. It’s just not that big of a deal. What is a big deal is the silence around this common experience and our shared lack of ability to use our cycles to improve our lives and the work we produce.
The decades that women menstruate closely overlap with the decades that we contribute meaningfully to the workforce. That’s why I think there’s something to gain by becoming self aware about our hormones. I don’t know about you but I’ve tried to counter the narrative that women have a bitchy week every month by simply masking my PMS symptoms at work.
About a year ago a friend shared this article with me that expanded the way I’ve considered how my cycle affects my ability to be creative, be open to new things, and more. I read it on my commute and was so engrossed that I missed my stop. Right away I started tracking my own symptoms—beyond the usual ones—around my cycle and noticed new patterns.
I tend to be more tired but patient with myself during the first week.
I am super productive and easily maintain a creative, can-do attitude during the second and third weeks.
I have exactly 24 hours where I blame others for my problems and catastrophize during the final days.
Wow. So interesting. What does this mean? If I’m at work during all of these moments, of course these tendencies are going to impact my focus, productivity, response to emails, etc. We don’t have to pretend that they won’t. This stuff is real. And I think you should really feel it, and work with yourself to make the most of your self awareness.
For me, I’m using my natural rhythms to make better experiences for myself at work. Here’s what it looks like:
Someone says something in a meeting that really bothers me and I’m more irritated than usual. I now think about where I am in my cycle. If I’m in the last week, I’ll remind myself that I have a hormonal tendency to feel easily bruised by others. It’s not that the comment is acceptable, it’s that my reaction is probably more heightened than is typical for my disposition. This will slow my impulse to get defensive.
or
I’m highly productive for 2 weeks, getting stuff done and coming up with strategies that move my projects from A to B. The following week my productivity slows and I get easily overwhelmed by what’s on my plate. I usually think, “what’s wrong with me?” but now I remember, that this time will pass. In fact, I’ll be getting a burst of self reassurance in a few days. So I go easy on myself. I break my tasks into small chunks that feel more manageable and I get through it.
Knowing more about your cycle means considering how it positively affects your:
thought patterns
ability to focus
creativity
patience
stamina
big picture thinking
When you know yourself—your body and mind—you can apply that wisdom for good. You can schedule your assignments that require intense focus during the weeks of the month when that comes easy. You can take yourself to lunch during the day(s) when everything feels impossible. You can schmooze with colleagues and do relationship building when you feel social, and then can choose to be more independent with your tasks and time when you’re easily bothered by others. You may not be able to fully control every minute of your professional time but if you start to think about the flexibility you do have to plan out some tasks and self care, you can start to make use of your cycle to be smarter about your professional life. Menstruation doesn’t have to be holding us back—it can be our tool for maximizing ourselves and our contributions in the world.