To navigate the ups and downs effectively, consider aligning your lifestyle with your body’s natural rhythms
Do you ever find yourself on a constant rollercoaster of feeling emotional highs and lows, every other day? If it is, reassuringly enough you are in this bumpy ride together. Most people experience mood and energy fluctuations, which evidence suggests is driven by a relatively understudied aspect of our biology: the Infradian Rhythm.
What is Infradian Rhythm?
Infradian rhythms are cycles in our bodies that last longer than one day. Infradian Rhythms — which have a period longer than 24 hours, it could mean days (menstrual cycle ), weeks(April and September spawning season in Atlantic Cod) or even months(migration)) unlike circadian rhythms . One of the most obvious examples is menstrual cycles which for many people are approximately 28 days long. But these rhythms can also encompass all kinds of bodily functions, from hormonal changes and sleep patterns to emotional states.
Infradian rhythms that could affect your mood
But they — Infradian Rhythms can even affect our mental and emotional soundness to a large extend These cycles come and go and can affect anything from how much energy you have in any given day to the amount of stress that your body is willing or able (or, as everything above shows) not willing or unable — locks itself down again based on past trauma. You can feel more energized, or motivated at certain stages of your Infradian cycle You might also experience mood swings or lack lustre elsewhere.
Knowing of these patterns, will allow you to take more control over your emotional environment. This may help you to realize that the ebbs and flows of our emotions are part of being human (and will simply pass), making it easier for us to manage this emotional rollercoaster we find ourselves on.
Following Your Infradian Rhythm
To navigate the ups and downs effectively, consider aligning your lifestyle with your body’s natural rhythms:
- Pay Attention to Your Cycle: Whether it’s a period or hormone cycle or an emotional state, tracking your cycles can give you some idea of what times might be the ‘other side’ and when things feel stimulated. You Can Journal, or You Can Download an App
- Customise Your Day: When you notice patterns, run with them and switch up your day based on when you feel most energetic. This way, you can schedule high-energy activities for your peaks and save the low-key or downtime ones for later periods.
- Self-Care: Establish self-care routines that feel good for your emotional space right now. Take it easy on the lower days, focus on chilling out and self love protocols. Use that excitement for productivity or creativity in high-energy stages.
- Silva Method: Anchor your emotions in a conscious and positive state with meditation practices. Follow the method of “mindfulness” to let yourself feel more connected to understanding how you are feeling. It can be useful to maintain a relaxed state of compassion as your emotions fluctuate.
- Find Help: Seek help from friends, family or professionals if the emotional rollercoaster ride becomes too much for you. By sharing the stories behind your work, you get to CONNECT and COMFORT other people who can relate just as much.
Embracing the Journey
Life is an episodic journey with high and low episodes. Paying attention to your infradian rhythm helps you gain a better perspective on how wellness applies to the emotional aspect of life. Like so much else in the ancient wisdom traditions, is simply to understand and respect these rhythms of nature as a way getting back into balance with our bodies.By attuning yourself to cycles you can create an awareness — which has been shown through hundreds if not thousands of years as GOOD for your mind/body connection.
Therefore, the next time you feel as if your life is a roller coaster of peaks and valleys — understand that it actually might be. When you work with your natural rhythm, you can intentionally determine what emotionality you emit into the world and confidently meet life’s challenges.