What Was Your Mom’s Period Like?

Have you ever asked your mom what her periods are (or were) like?

What about the other women in your family? Have you ever asked them what symptoms they experience, if any? What do they do for self-care?

How about your friends? Do periods and cycle care make it to the group chat? 📲

Connecting with other women about our cycles is a beautiful way to experience-share, support each other, and create safe, intimate bonds with people we love 💜. More than that, we can learn so much about symptoms that run in our family (and why they do) from how our mothers and caregivers cared for themselves.

Let’s say, for example, that your mom suffered from intense cramping when she was in her reproductive years. Now you experience the same symptom. While some may chalk this up to coincidence or some unfortunate byproduct of genetics, I would argue there’s something deeper here. What exactly led to mom’s intense cramping in the first place? What kinds of stress (physical, mental, emotional, etc.) led or contributed to this very pointed signal every cycle?

More than that, what repeated patterns made this symptom worse? For example, perhaps your mom consistently ignored the guidance of her body by over-stressing, over-working, and under-nourishing herself each month. Perhaps in the environment she grew up in and raised children in, it wasn’t safe for her to rest and consider her needs. Maybe she powered through a lot of emotional, mental, and physical stress.

Now let’s consider how this relates to you and the seemingly-genetic symptom you experience. While you may have a predisposition to this symptom because of your mom’s exposure, how does your lifestyle contribute to the pain you experience? How, in your own way, have you repeated patterns of over-stressing, over-working, under-nourishing, and putting yourself last in your life?

“We tend to inherit so much more from our family and community than we may consciously realize.”

We tend to inherit so much more from our family and community than we may consciously realize. We can inherit behaviors around how we manage our stress, how we take care of ourselves, and what we tolerate. Even our daily choices (e.g., what we eat) can sync up with our environment and the routine we fall into.

While the generations of women before us are always incredible sources of wisdom, strength, and love, we must choose to flow in sync with the life we want to live. This may require making changes that feel like complete generational shifts in your family. At the same time, perhaps there are some habits and behaviors from your community that you would love to keep in your life because they nourish you in the best of ways!

Compassionately talking to the women in our lives about their well-being helps us all reflect on how we can embody more ease. When we talk about menstrual cycles, we speak about so much more than just periods, PMS, and having children. We speak about the cycles of life. We reflect on our intuitive guidance. We share about where we are in relationship to coming home to ourselves.

🔥 Challenge For You 🔥

Talk to at least one woman you love about your cycles this weekend. Here are some questions you could ask and answer:

🧠 When you think of your period, what comes to mind?

🌱 Tell me about when you first got your period. Did anyone explain to you what was happening? Do you remember how you felt?

🌹 What self-care practices do you use to take care of yourself while bleeding? What self-care practices are essential for you throughout your entire cycle?

💔 Do you carry any shame about having a period? If so, why do you think that is?

🖊 What advice would you give to a young girl who has just started having menstrual cycles of her own?

🤔 Do you listen to yourself and your body’s guidance? If so, what does that look like? If not, what blocks you from making this a priority in your life?

Bonus: Did you know there’s more to your cycle than just having a period? Have you heard of Flow in Sync before?