Luteal Phase Reflections: Honoring Your Inner Autumn
Written by: Staff Therapist Amerah Muhammad, MHC-LP
Much is commented on regarding women’s menstrual cycles. It has often been the butt of misogynistic jokes, but also the focal point for many girls' suffering and complaints. We are often ridiculed and rarely taught to understand ourselves in relation to our four cycles or internal seasons. As a clinician, my hope is to increasingly integrate this holistic biological knowledge into therapeutic spaces. To truly understand how we process emotions, how we react to stressors, and how we show up in the world, we must understand the cyclical rhythm of the body. For this piece, I want to hone in on the phase that often catches us most off guard: the luteal phase. Much of the irritability and fatigue discourse is surrounded by when we bleed. However, the longest phase in our cycle is often the luteal phase, or what's referred to as our inner autumn/fall. This occurs directly after ovulation where things start to slow down, leaving our capacity to be lower, cravings to be stronger, and the body to feel sleepier. During this luteal phase, our internal chemistry undergoes a massive shift that directly impacts our processing and reactions. First, high-energy estrogen drops significantly, causing our focus and social bandwidth to plummet. In its place, progesterone takes over. This is our natural calming hormone that biologically signals our system to slow down and turn inward. However, as the phase moves toward its end, progesterone drastically decreases too. This is the turning point before menstruation, or before our inner winter begins. When both hormones crash, you feel a sudden switch in your emotional baseline overnight, there is a biological reason for it. Please be gentle with yourself and remember that you are not crazy, and you are not being or feeling “too much.” Everything is as it should be. You are simply having a physiological human experience that can be easier to navigate through self-compassion and holistic acceptance.
Because your system is navigating this chemical withdrawal and lower capacity, it is recommended that exercise be tailored to slow strength training, but also be on a more grounding mode like going for a walk, restorative yoga, or even relishing in a body massage or sauna treatment. When the emotional weight feels heavy, don’t forget that you can self-soothe by laying hands on yourself, tapping along any stress points in your body to relieve trapped energy and tension. When you are operating with less bandwidth, look at your surroundings. How can you physically alter your environment to make things easier for you to manage? Think meal prep, but luteal or pre-hibernation prep. It’s about setting up your physical space to give support to yourself before your inner winter arises. Bringing awareness to impulsivity or rumination during this time can help propel you forward in your healing journey. Through positive confrontation rather than avoidance and stagnation, it is no longer easy to gaslight your own emotions and sit in complacency. Thank you cycle! Let’s start with exploring some of the journal prompts below.
Reflection Prompts
With each prompt, it may help to close your eyes after reading and truly connect with yourself in stillness, allowing whatever it is that needs to come up… then write.
Name the things that might be bothering you and on your mind during this time and why?
You might be feeling irritable, sad, or straight up disconnected. Reflect upon some triggers and behaviors during this period that align with these inner states.
Where do you find joy in slowing down and how can you integrate this into your phase?
Where did I say "yes" over the last two weeks when my body really wanted to say "no"? Where am I feeling resentment right now, and what boundary is that resentment trying to protect?
Where might you be unconsciously bracing for impact in your life? What caused this tension to build and why does it feel safe to return back to this state of being?
Walk at a slower than normal pace today. What came up differently in your awareness today in comparison to your default stride?
Look at your current obligations or perceived expectations. What can realistically be paused, delegated, or dropped entirely until your inner spring returns? What feels urgent but is actually optional?
What endings can be celebrated in your life? Is there any part of you that can feel into gratitude for these pauses or endings and why?
~ Amerah