I'm REALLY excited to share details about our first VIRTUAL workshop coming up, but first, a little nugget of wisdom from my practice of menstrual cycle awareness that's bringing me comfort...
Let me set the scene for you a bit first.
2023 was my daughter's first year of pre-school, and first school years always bring a lot of illnesses since little kids haven't been exposed to a lot of germs, yet, right?
Pre-2023 we were blissfully un-sick for most of my daughter's life since we were really conscious of avoiding illness for not only her sake, but mine--I have Crohn's disease, an auto-immune inflammatory bowel disease, and I take a strong immunosuppressant so my immune system is compromised.
So between embracing sociality again after the pandemic and my kid starting school, we have been sick SO MUCH the past year. I swear: between 1/2 and 2/3 of the year someone in our family had something.
The past month we've all had a bad upper respiratory virus, then right as we recovered from that, this weekend I got very sick with what I thought was food poisoning, but now, since it's lingering, I'm thinking it might be Norovirus.
I literally had one day of feeling pretty good between the two.
Here's that beautiful golden nugget of wisdom I've gained from menstrual cycle awareness that's been so comforting to me, and something I hope can help you, too, next time you need it.
As I was violently ill for most of Friday night, I thought,
This is never going to end.
And as it's lingered in my stomach for the past three days, I've found myself thinking,
I'm never going to feel better.
That thought felt familiar. It's been a repeating thought I've had when things have been rough in my life--
(And I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking it!)
When it took years and years to get my Crohn's diagnosis and journey through years of pain, illness, failed medications, months of being bedridden, multiple surgeries...
Until I found the right gastroenterologist and the right combination of medications that finally put my Crohn's into remission.
I found myself thinking This is never going to end when every single 6-month dermatology appointment resulted in a surgery to remove yet another skin cancer.
But then I had to go to a specialty clinic for a MOHS surgery and the dermatologist there pointed out that one of my Crohn's medications was linked to skin cancers.
So I got off that medication and I haven't had another skin cancer since. (Nor has my Crohn's flared!)
I thought to myself all the time I am never going to feel like myself again after having a Grand Mal seizure in 2016 and not being able to drive for a year, being told I could never swim or even take baths again, and (the worst) being prescribed a medication that altered my mood and my energy for the two years I was on it.
And then I found a different neurologist, a different medication, and woke up one day and said, I feel like myself again!
Of course there have been many other circumstances, relationships, feelings, etc. where I have echoed this desperate refrain to myself: This is never going to get better.
Including my previously debilitating periods.
And, you know, you would think that all the evidence would point to me realizing that things do in fact get better, I do come around to feeling good again, every time.
I mean, now I'm not on any anti-seizure medication. I'm only on one Crohn's medication. I've had no additional seizures or Crohn's flares or skin cancers.
But these BIG things didn't teach me that lesson--that lesson that I do always come back to feeling good eventually.
The lesson that no matter how bad it feels in the moment, things always change.
The beautiful concept that everything has an ending.
No, these major health hurdles and recoveries didn't teach me that.
Can you guess what did?
That's right:
The small, daily habit of tracking my menstrual cycle.
Because the big hurdles are few and far-between.
But the daily journey, the monthly cycle, the increasingly apparent patterns in how I feel, how I react, what I need every single cycle--
These comparatively "small" things--the things we often overlook and undervalue!--these teach me this beautiful lesson again and again and again and again.
This continuous practice of tracking my cyclical patterns is creating a well-worn path that is always teaching me:
How I feel today will likely change tomorrow.
The things that feel too big to handle in this phase of my cycle will be a breeze in another phase.
I don't have to act out of the feelings I'm experiencing right now. I can wait for a new perspective.
Everything ends.
So the next time you find yourself thinking,
This is never going to change.
I am never going to feel better.
I hope you can take a second to pause and gently push back on that thought with so much self-compassion and think next,
Maybe so. But maybe not.
That's been such a gracious shift for me, and I hope it is for you, too.
And I definitely hope this inspires you to jump into tracking your menstrual cycle if you haven't yet!
Which brings me to my exciting announcement:
I'm offering The Four Seasons of Your Menstrual Cycle as a VIRTUAL workshop on June 27!
This workshop is not only full of incredible information about how to gain these incredible insights through your own cycle, it will also teach you how to track your menstrual cycle.
And so much more!
You also have the option of purchasing an event ticket AND a menstrual cycle tracker so you can put this into practice immediately.
Keri attended this workshop when I hosted it in-person in Lehi, Utah a while ago and this is what she had to say about it:
"I really loved this workshop. Elizabeth was super informed and shared information in a way that felt backed by science and relevant to my everyday life. The four seasons metaphor really stuck in my mind and feels like an easy way to remember the flow and ebb of my hormones. I loved the practical application at the end of how to apply these insights into my life and schedule. I loved Elizabeth’s enthusiasm and knowledge. Her enthusiasm transferred to me, and I really feel like I can make changes in the way I live based on the workshop."
Honestly, this content is so incredible and I'm so thrilled to offer it to every one of you, far and wide!
It absolutely has the power to change your life.
I hope you'll join us!