Ep 4. The Rollercoaster of a Woman’s Four Seasons
Learning to Work With Your Body, Not Against It
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you feel like you’re on top of the world?
You wake up with energy. Your to-do list doesn’t seem overwhelming. You’re patient with your children, focused at work, motivated to exercise, and full of ideas. You feel like the best version of yourself.
Then, a week later, it’s as though someone has quietly swapped you with a completely different person.
You’re tired before the day has even begun.
The smallest decision feels exhausting.
Your emotions seem closer to the surface.
Your patience wears thin, and you find yourself wondering, “What’s wrong with me?”
If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, I want you to know something.
There is a good chance that nothing is wrong with you at all.
You might simply be experiencing what every woman experiences a body that moves through seasons.
We’ve Been Taught About Periods, But Not About Cycles
Growing up, most of us learned the basics.
We learned what a period was.
We learned about sanitary products.
We learned how pregnancy happens.
But somewhere along the way, we missed one of the most important conversations a woman could ever have.
Nobody really taught us how our hormones influence the way we move through life.
Nobody explained why one week we feel energetic and confident, while another week we crave quiet and rest.
Nobody told us that our emotions, creativity, motivation, patience and energy naturally ebb and flow.
Instead, we were handed an expectation that we should be the same person every single day.
Always productive.
Always patient.
Always motivated.
Always available.
And when we couldn’t maintain that impossible standard, we assumed we were failing.
The truth is, women were never designed to function like machines.
We were designed with rhythm.
My Own Journey Changed Everything
In February 2024, I made the decision to have a hysterectomy after many years of ongoing medical issues.
Although it brought relief in many ways, it also brought something I wasn’t expecting.
Confusion.
Before my surgery, my menstrual cycle acted like a monthly reminder of where I was hormonally.
Once that disappeared, I suddenly felt disconnected from my body.
Some weeks I felt incredibly emotional.
Other weeks I had endless energy.
Then I’d feel flat again.
Without a physical cycle to point me in the right direction, I began questioning myself.
I wondered whether I was imagining things.
Whether something else was wrong.
But over time I realised something beautiful.
My body had never stopped communicating with me.
I simply had to learn a new language.
Instead of relying on a calendar, I started paying attention to myself.
My energy.
My sleep.
My emotions.
My motivation.
My patience.
The more I listened, the more I realised that even without a period, my body was still moving through patterns.
It was still asking for different things during different times.
The Four Seasons of Womanhood
One of the simplest ways to understand the female body is to picture it as the four seasons.
Nature doesn’t apologise for changing.
Winter never tries to become summer.
Spring doesn’t rush into autumn.
Each season has its own purpose.
Our bodies are no different.
Winter: The Season of Rest
Winter is often associated with menstruation, or for women who no longer have periods, it may simply be the phase where your energy naturally dips.
This is the season where your body whispers,
“Slow down.”
Not because you’re lazy.
Not because you’re weak.
But because restoration is just as important as productivity.
Think about nature for a moment.
Nothing blooms during winter.
Trees aren’t failing because they’re bare.
They’re conserving energy.
Preparing for what’s next.
Perhaps we need to offer ourselves that same grace.
Spring: Everything Begins Again
After winter comes spring.
This is when your energy begins returning.
You feel lighter.
Ideas start flowing.
You become curious again.
This is often the season where many women feel inspired to learn something new, start organising, make plans or tackle projects they’ve been putting off.
Spring reminds us that rest always has a purpose.
Summer: Confidence in Full Bloom
Summer is often the season we enjoy the most.
Our confidence grows.
We feel capable.
Social.
Focused.
We’re more likely to say yes to opportunities and connect with the people around us.
It’s easy to believe this version of ourselves is the woman we’re meant to be all the time.
But she isn’t.
She’s simply one beautiful part of the cycle.
Autumn: The Honest Season
Autumn often gets a bad reputation.
It’s the season where emotions become louder.
Patience can feel shorter.
Things you’ve been ignoring suddenly become impossible to overlook.
But maybe autumn isn’t trying to make life harder.
Maybe it’s trying to make life clearer.
Your emotions aren’t always problems to solve.
Sometimes they’re messages asking to be heard.
Your Thoughts Change Too
One thing I wish more women understood is that hormones don’t just influence the body.
They influence the mind.
Have you ever noticed that during certain weeks you’re far more critical of yourself?
You start thinking…
“I’m not doing enough.”
“I’m failing.”
“I’m a terrible mother.”
“I’m falling behind.”
Those thoughts feel incredibly convincing.
But here’s something worth remembering.
Not every thought deserves your trust.
Sometimes your thoughts are simply reflecting the season your body is in.
One mindset shift has completely changed the way I approach those moments.
Instead of saying,
“I am failing.”
I now ask,
“I’m noticing I feel like I’m failing today. I wonder why?”
That tiny change creates distance.
It reminds us that feelings aren’t always facts.
They’re information.
Learning to Listen Instead of Push
We’re incredibly good at pushing ourselves.
Push through the exhaustion.
Push through the emotions.
Push through the stress.
Push through the headaches.
Push through the overwhelm.
But what if the answer isn’t to push harder?
What if it’s to listen more carefully?
One of the simplest habits I’ve introduced into my own life is taking a minute each day to check in with myself.
Not with judgment.
With curiosity.
Ask yourself:
How is my energy today?
How is my mood today?
How is my patience today?
How is my body feeling?
What do I need today?
That’s it.
No complicated tracking systems.
No pressure.
Just awareness.
Write down a few words each day.
Over time, you’ll start recognising patterns.
You’ll begin understanding yourself instead of constantly questioning yourself.
And that understanding changes everything.
Your Body Carries More Than Hormones
Hormones don’t exist in isolation.
They influence our nervous system.
They influence the way we carry stress.
How often do we hold tension in our shoulders without noticing?
Or clench our jaw?
Or tighten our stomach?
Sometimes what our body needs isn’t another coffee.
It needs release.
A walk.
A stretch.
Dhikr.
Deep breathing.
Sitting outside in the sunshine.
A warm shower.
Five quiet minutes without your phone.
These moments don’t seem significant.
But over time, they tell your nervous system that it’s safe.
And a safe body responds differently than a stressed one.
Stop Fighting the Season You’re In
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is this:
Life becomes easier when we stop trying to force summer during winter.
Some days you’re meant to achieve.
Other days you’re meant to recover.
Both are productive.
Both are valuable.
Both are necessary.
The season itself isn’t the problem.
Our resistance to it often is.
A Conversation Every Young Girl Deserves
As I finished recording this podcast episode, I kept thinking about the next generation of girls.
Imagine if they grew up understanding this.
Imagine if a thirteen-year-old girl didn’t believe she was “too emotional.”
Imagine if she understood that her body wasn’t working against her.
Imagine if she learned to honour her cycle instead of fighting it.
How much kinder would she be to herself?
How much more confident would she become?
As women, we have the opportunity to change that conversation.
Share these discussions with your daughters.
Your nieces.
Your younger sisters.
Your friends.
Because knowledge doesn’t just change us.
It changes the women who come after us.
Understanding Creates Compassion
We spend so much of our lives trying to fix ourselves.
Trying to become more productive.
More disciplined.
More motivated.
But perhaps what we really need isn’t fixing.
Perhaps we simply need understanding.
When you understand your body, you become more patient with yourself.
When you become more patient with yourself, you stop seeing your changing seasons as flaws.
Instead, you begin recognising them for what they really are.
Part of the incredible design of being a woman.
So the next time you catch yourself wondering,
“Why am I like this?”
Pause for a moment.
Take a breath.
And ask yourself a different question.
What season am I in today, and what is my body trying to tell me?
You may discover that your body has been speaking to you all along.
You just needed to learn how to listen.
