Managing the Weather of the Female Form

Everywhere you go, there is weather.  It varies from arid desert regions to the snowy reaches of Alaska.   From the tropical rain forests, to the “Four Seasons in One Day” of Australia’s city of Melbourne.  And wherever humans stake out a spot, they learn to deal with it.

Dealing with weather

In Samoa the climate is warm so the traditional housing, the fale, has no need of insulation.  In fact does not even have walls, although coconut leaf blinds can be used for privacy.  High domed thatched roofs keep the sun off heads, and the rain off bodies, while allowing free air conditioning.

In Japan a futon covered heated table called a Kotatsu is an important part of winter life.  Traditionally an earthen pot with burning charcoal was placed underneath the table.  The household would sit with their legs under the tablecloth of the futon.  Now, of course, electricity means electric elements can be directly attached to the underside of the Kotatsu.

And rainy English culture is full of umbrellas and other waterproof items.  I recall a favorite poem as a child: “John had Great Big Waterproof Boots on; John had a Great Big Waterproof Hat; John had a Great Big Waterproof Mackintosh — And that (Said John) Is That”

Some places have only a couple of seasons, a wet and a dry season.  Some have the traditional British and US four seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter.  But where ever you go, there will be changes in the seasons as well as in the daily weather and we need to dress differently, eat differently, and adjust our lives to deal with these things, or life becomes miserable and unhealthy.

For instance from the 1960’s on, New Zealand has seen an annual arrival of thousands of new immigrants from their tropical island homes, drawn by the promise of money and a supposedly happier western life style. In the tropics the children never need thermal underwear or woolen cardigans, jerseys or overcoats.  They can play in the rain, and continue their day without needing to dry off or a change of clothes.  However in the colder weather of New Zealand cities this can be a recipe for serious ill health.  I recall my mother lamenting the plight of children whose families had not yet realized this.

Weather of the female form

Similarly, if we don’t learn to deal with the weather of our bodies and unpredictable minds, we can suffer unnecessarily.  The body and the mind also have their climate, their seasons and their daily variations.  This change is true for everyone, but particularly obvious to those of us with female bodies.  The advantage of our situation as women is that the cycle is so clear, which makes it easier to step back and observe the weather, and deal with it.  However, speaking for myself, one may have an intellectual understanding of this, but yet fail to use this information to plan out a response, to have an economical heating system in place, the umbrellas ready and the warm clothes clean and dry.

Make a plan

In terms of the external weather, I have always had my plans. I’m a frugal girl, and not even having known of a Kotatsu had developed my own style, using a small oil filled column heater under my desk, or next to my seat with a blanket over it and my knees. This is a dangerous practice, according to my mother, but having read up on the Kotatsu I feel validated!  Currently I have found a more portable version, a fluffy electric blanket designed to be used in the living area rather than on the bed.  It is wrapped around my legs as I type.

But sadly I have been less practical about preparing for my internal weather changes.  I spent years being blindsided by cravings for fatty sweet food before I realized it happened regularly just before my period was due.  Part of the difficulty is that I began with a very irregular cycle, not knowing where or when my “friend” would arrive, and that continued for years before settling in to a more regular pattern.  But my impracticality remained and I really only began to monitor things when I became more interested in terms of knowing when I was fertile.  And now I’m moving into irregularities for other reasons.

Planning for the rainy day

But, despite not being a great example, I have learned some things, whether by doing them, or learning when I failed to do them!  So here are some tips:

• Regularly record your days of menstruation, marking the likely next visit on your calendar.
• Take note of what cravings, behaviors and emotions cycle in sync with that physical change.  And ‘take note’ means actually record it.  Either use a large calendar with space enough to enter the information, or use codes such as G for grumpy, OE for overeating, SB for Sweet binge, D for depressed, C for clumsy etc.  You will begin to see a pattern.
• Check your calendar often enough so that you know when PMS will likely hit you.  Expecting to experience particular weather makes the arrival less affecting.
• Learn how it feels when the bad emotions start, so you can act to change, adjust or step back from them before it is too late.  For instance, you may experience your heart rate going up as frustration moves into anger.
• Learn to step back from your mind and emotions:  this is just the weather. Develop a meditation practice so you have something to fall back on when stormy times come.
• Allow yourself to do less, especially physically, on the first day of your menstruation.  The Ayurvedic recommendation is to avoid heavy physical effort in the first few days of flow, minimize stress and travel, and even refrain from most yoga poses. Just be open to make and adopt to some changes.
• Plan “raincoats” for the bad weather:
  • Have healthy foods stocked up, including emergency snacks to allay cravings.
  • Prepare for emotional changes.
  • Plan a list of yoga poses that work to relieve your cramps: Long slow seated forward bends are helpful, including Cobbler’s Pose.  Squats may help.

Upcoming Change

And when the time comes for major climate change, either due to pregnancy or menopause, read up on and become educated in the weather of those specific times, and consider what plans and behaviors will be your raincoats and heaters, or alternatively, sunscreens and fans, for those times.  For instance, be aware of nutritional recommendations for healthy pregnancy, or conversely, develop a list of foods that will alleviate menopausal symptoms (tomato juice, soy products, etc.).