Cycle tracking is self-care
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CYCLE TRACKER
WHY TRACK YOUR CYCLE?
As the fifth vital sign, your menstrual cycle can tell you so much about your overall health and well-being. Our hormone levels fluctuate throughout the month, and these changes can play a major role in how we think, act and feel.
At Fri Period, we believe that taking time to understand the impact these hormones have on you throughout the month is an incredible act of self-love. Rather than carrying on in spite of these changes, you can empower yourself to give yourself grace when needed, and understand your feelings on a deeper level.
How do we get to grip with these hormonal changes? Through cycle tracking! And we don’t just mean logging the day your period starts each month (although that of course is an important part of it, too!)
Start by downloading this free, printable cycle tracker. You can also use an existing app or journal. Then read below for our advice to get the most out of your cycle tracking journal.
HOW TO TRACK YOUR CYCLE
Fri Period’s cycle tracker is flexible and designed to be used in a way that best serves YOU.
However, here are some tips to get you started in the right direction:
- Day 1 of each cycle is always the first day of your period.
- Each day (or whenever you have the chance - we’re not going to be militant about it), take a moment to consider how you feel and make a note of this in the allotted box. Here are some prompts:
- Symptoms: bleeding, discharge, cramps, breast tenderness, changes in skin, insomnia etc.
- Mood: PMS symptoms, angry, irritable, crying for no reason, need alone time, amorous, elated, happy etc.
- Energy levels: fatigued, energetic, productive, hit my personal best in the gym, sluggish, enhanced zest for life etc.
- Continue down the chart until your next period starts. That marks the end of your cycle, and you can start on Day 1 in the next column. A new cycle begins, as does a new chance to better know yourself.
We suggest tracking your cycle for at least three months, and then see if you can identify any patterns. You may realize you tend to feel certain ways on certain days of the month. That's when the magic happens!
PLAN LIKE A PERIOD PRO
- If you know you feel depleted and tired on Day 26 each month, you can plan ahead by avoiding making social plans for that day.
- If you see that you feel your strongest around Day 13, that's when you can really push it at the gym and reach for your personal best!
- If you notice that around days 27-29 each month, you really hate your job/partner/housemates (whereas you love/tolerate them the rest of the time), then maybe this information will make you consider that the problem might be linked to your hormones.
You get the idea! Knowledge is power, and what better way to empower yourself than truly getting to know yourself.
By knowing and therefore anticipating how you will feel at certain times of the month, you can optimize your schedule and commitments to truly get the most out of life.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CYCLE TRACKER