Are you feeling overwhelmed with life, or stuck in a cycle of tiredness? Listening to your natural rhythms, including the menstrual, lunar, life and seasonal cycles, may help ease stress when things feel too busy

Life can feel like an endless spiral of doing. We’re fighting against feeling overworked, stressed, unheard and exhausted. This ongoing need from the outside world to be consistently productive and unchanging feels like a pressure cooker, at times. Perhaps, being with the ebb and flow of our inner and outer seasons can gift us some much-needed calm and self-acceptance during these anxious times. Let’s take a glance at four ways of living cyclically and the benefits of each, so you can find a greater sense of peace.

Seasonal cycle

Firstly, how do you feel about the different seasons? Do you prefer the cosy, quieter months or the long, sunnier days? We’re in the depths of winter, and as someone who enjoys connecting to nature through the lens of The Wheel of the Year and its eight sabbats, I’m preserving my energy (as much as realistically possible!) for the warmer days ahead. 

As you look outside the window, you can see that nature is sinking into the deepest stillness. Winter is our gentle reminder that we must retreat, prioritising better boundaries and good sleep. It’s a lovely time to practise meditation, prepare warming food, and go for a wintry stroll with a hot drink in hand. When spring arrives, we can go that extra mile, stepping out of our comfort zone and making new intentions for the year ahead. 

Summer is the shining star of the seasonal year, where life can feel easier with the brighter days and colourful fullness of nature. Socialising and ticking off the to-do list feels great in summer. The season of autumn then calls us back home to assess what has/hasn’t worked so well throughout the year and retreat from the demands of others.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you’re able to desert your day-to-day responsibilities, but there will be ways of pulling it back and saying “no” more to help you feel more in tune with the natural shifts in seasonal energy.

Menstrual cycle

Many women hate their period, and it’s really no wonder when most of us experience period pain or a menstrual health condition. However, the menstrual cycle carries many mind-body-soul healing possibilities that can change the way we go about daily life.

As there are four seasons of the year, there are four stages of a person’s menstrual cycle that mimic the same growth and letting go process. During menstruation (or inner winter), we are being called to appreciate ‘the slow’ and honour our drop in hormones with more rest and a greater sense of the here and now. 

After menstruation, we enter our pre-ovulation phase (or inner spring), where we can experience renewed enthusiasm and a desire to try new things. This is the ideal time to take a few more risks and make goals for the month ahead. Just remember to uncurl from inner winter slowly!

When we ovulate during inner summer (usually midway through the menstrual cycle), we’re ready to fully bloom with the peak of our oestrogen hormone. Creativity, pleasure, communication and increased energy are the name of the game. This makes it easy for us to ‘fit in’ with the ever-increasing demands of the outside world. 

When this phase comes to an end, it can feel like a heavy bump with PMS symptoms and increased emotion during inner autumn. Self-care practices to lessen the inner critic are a must here, as well as ways to support the body from a nutritional perspective. It helps to track your cycle, so you can be especially prepared for the luteal phase, which happens during the week before your period.

Lunar cycle

Listening to the lunar cycle and its four pivotal phases: new, waxing, full and waning, is another beautiful (and witchy) way to honour the energetic changes through the month. The moon follows a similar monthly template of retreat and fullness, with the waxing moon feeling like a potent time to maximise opportunities for new intentions and inspiration as the light grows in brilliance.

As the full moon permeates the sky, we may notice feeling different, somehow. If you’re in flow with life, you may experience a sense of completion. Or, if you’ve been ‘holding in’ certain feelings, the full moon may bring everything to a head. As with the menstrual seasons, it’s lovely to remain curious, using each phase to explore unhelpful patterns and reach a deeper place of self-compassion. 

This helps when the light of the moon starts to diminish, and we’re invited to face inwards with the releasing energies of the waning moon. Imposter syndrome and fearful thoughts can take over if we don’t find strategies to move us into a calmer, centred place. When the light disappears with the new moon, we can enjoy this quiet spot of lunar possibility to sow seed for the weeks ahead. 

Life cycle

I love to work with archetypes with the four phases of a woman’s life cycle. To me, they help us make sense of the world in a way that doesn’t get caught up in the limitations of everyday life. As with the other cyclical ways of living, there are four phases: maiden, mother, wild woman and crone. 

These archetypes are often used in ‘goddess spirituality’ but please use whatever language fits with your experience. 

The maiden archetype manifests in our earlier years, where you’re filled with curiosity and potential. Or you may feel under pressure to reach the many milestones society expects. Somewhere in between, I imagine! This is the time to step into your full potential but without the burden of perfectionism. The mother archetype follows (and in no way, do you need to be a mother or want to have children here), representing the fullness of summer. Nurturing and community connection are key strengths of this phase, but remember to take good care of yourself in the process.

As with autumn, the wild woman, which often takes centre stage during midlife or perimenopause, is about understanding the importance of boundaries and letting go of negative conditioning. Compassionate honesty and understanding your true value are powerful benefits of this life phase. As we travel into our post-menopausal or crone years, we are invited to embrace our deepest inner wisdom and enjoy the amazing intuition we’ve developed through years of lived experience.

To me, the inner and outer seasons are our greatest teachers. We can embody so many beautiful traits, such as patience, surrender, joy, abundance and resilience all through the lens of living cyclically. I wish you a life of living in the flow.

Samantha Redgrave is an accredited hypnotherapist and the author of Flow: Self-care sessions for your menstrual, lunar, life and seasonal cycles, published by Watkins in January 2025. Flow is a practical guide to help people listen to their natural cycles through self-care practices and rituals.