Congratulations! You made it through the end of your period portal and are on the other side. The side of menopause.

With menopause, you may lose your period, but you gain so much more. Many women, as they enter this time in their lives, see societal expectations, obligations, and norms- fly out the window. They’re left with themselves. Full of confidence, full of life, and full force.

It’s often said that after menopause you simply stop giving a flying f*#%

While there may be societally induced anxiety around leaving the years of fertility, menopause brings its own gifts and abilities. 

Time to Reflect

You could still be feeling the lingering effects of your fluctuating hormones, or maybe you’ve long settled in to life without menstruation. No matter where you are in your post-menopausal journey, it’s time to give yourself the chance for reflection. 

Reflection for the years of bloodshed. The years of understanding the nuances of your body, and how to graciously move through the motions of life in a female body.

While your days of actively bleeding may be over, you still hold the cycles of menstruation and fluctuation in your body.

The same cycles that mirror the moon’s waxing and waning, the highs and lows of the tides, and the whole cycle of life. 

Heightened Gifts

People have the capacity to activate different aspects of themselves during different parts of their menstruation cycle. The ability to get in touch with your cycle does not diminish at the end of your periods. If anything, it becomes heightened.

Seeing as humans are one of the only mammalian species where female members don’t naturally die at the end of their reproductive years, it’s safe to say menopausal women still have work to do in the world.

The end of your potential childbearing years, means the beginning of a new cycle of life. One where you actively pursue your life’s missions, without distraction. A new phase of stepping into the role of a wisdom keeper, a wise woman.

Not that you weren’t plenty wise before, but chronology has its perks!

Within the greater phase of life lies monthly cycles. These shifts may be more subtle. They come without the bleeding and the cramps, but they are just as potent. 

The Practice

So how do you tune in to your cycle after menopause?

With deep listening. So much of the excess, and the distractions, fall away when you exit your reproductive years. Giving you more space to hear the gentle ebbs and flows of your natural rhythm. 

The swift oscillation between feeling inspired and motivated, or withdrawn and introspective. You can compare this to contrast between menstruation and ovulation.

However, without the clear indicators of vaginal blood or discharge, you have to engage your other senses. 

Pay attention to when you feel these different surges of energy, and try tracking them in a journal. Within a few months, you will clearly see the pattern, and with this knowledge, can work more intelligently to be in harmony with your flow. 

Set Goals

Menopause is the time to inspire, to enlighten, to push past any limits you’d previously placed on yourself. Knowing your innate cycle allows you to effectively plant seeds for a fruitful harvest.

When you know you’ll be in an introspective place, spend time with yourself, especially in nature. Reflect on what goals you wish to achieve in the coming cycle. This is the planting of the seeds. Think of this as your post-menopausal menstruation phase- without the hassle.

Make Things Happen

In a couple of weeks you’ll find yourself in a space where you are constantly pushing your creativity, going out into the world, and making things happen- this is your ovulatory phase. This is the time for conception. Conceiving of ideas and plans that are fired up by action.

What steps do you need to take to reach your goals? This is the time to do them.

Your post-menopausal years ask you to take risks. Gamble on life to get the most of your years.

With this tuning in of your subtle cycles, you may start getting “pings”- ideas that want to be brought to life. Bucket list items that need to be crossed off. Projects that need to be birthed into the world. Menopause is a time where new passions may arise, without the uncertainty that can come with young adulthood.

You now have the space to pursue and embrace your passions without apology or hesitation. So by all means, please do so. 

The Time is Now

What is it that you’ve been wanting to do? Wanting to create? To learn? Now is the time to do it.

To fully honor a woman’s life and all that it encompasses, people need to collectively respect the beauty that comes with every phase of the cycle of life. This attitude of gratitude helps to shift people away from living in fear or uncertainty of their bodies, and towards an outlook of understanding.

An understanding of what it means to be human, and what it means to be a woman. 

Natasha’s passion for reproductive health began at age fourteen, when she was present for the birth of her youngest sister. Her incredible experiences as a birth doula, has given her hands on insight into the magical realm of birth, pregnancy, and all things in between. Her role as a birth worker, is her way of serving as an activist. She uses writing as a key educational tool for creating change in how we view reproductive health as a whole.