Why do so many of us feel so angry in the premenstrual phase of the cycle, and throughout the menopause journey? In today’s article we explore the great undoing of the inner autumn, and the menopause initiation, as well as how to honour your rage as sacred; as the revelation of necessary tenderness and truth.
In the first half of the cycle we are immersed in a ‘yes’ energy — an expansion out beyond ourselves — where we tend to have more capacity. By the time we get to ovulation, we can be the least connected to ourselves, and our needs.
The second half of the cycle is a great dismantling and undoing. Our capacity increasingly diminishes but it has a vital purpose. It exposes us to our vulnerabilities, to our shadow side, to the parts of us that we've overridden in the first half of the cycle, in order that we might care for them.
In the premenstrual phase, and in menopause and the years running up to it, the lid gets lifted on all the things we've been pushing down or ignoring in our lives. When we recognise these boundary violations, the unmet needs, the dishonouring experience, we feel a kind of indignation of soul.
We can also start to feel the challenges of the world more keenly and, understandably, this can provoke even more outrage.
This can culminate in a moment of losing it just before you bleed. Especially if you've experienced trauma, which can make the complexity of feeling here utterly overwhelming.
Here are some approaches to help you honour your rage as sacred.
One: Remember that anger is natural
Rage can be a healthy response to the violation of your rights, to the violation of human rights, to the destruction of the natural world, and all the other toxic behaviours happening today. In many cases it is good and true to rage against the structures of oppression, particularly as a woman or anyone who has an identity that is marginalised. We need safe spaces to be able to lose it — to vent, to lose our minds, to lose control.
Two: You are being opened to your vulnerability The inner autumn, and the fire of menopause open us up to our vulnerability, our humanity, and our capacity for empathy. And the more capacity we have to feel safe within our own vulnerability, the less we will safeguard ourselves with aggressive reactivity, or turn it towards ourselves as self rage.
Three: Menstrual Cycle Awareness
Yes, it’s right, this truly is our answer to everything! Keep tracking your cycle, your feelings of anger, your boundaries and your needs especially in the premenstrual phase. Use your cycle awareness practice as a way to cultivate a relationship with the vulnerable parts of you that are rising to the surface through your sacred rage.
