Let me begin by saying that no matter who you are, no matter what cycle calls you, charting your experience alongside a cycle is possible and empowering.

This article focuses on charting alongside the menstrual cycle in particular, however, you can chart your experience using any of the cycles that we are surrounded by.

For more on the varied cycles, head to this article here.

Quote describing our bodies as sacred vessels — Our bodies are sacred vessels that are constantly in communication with us. The menstrual cycle is like our very own GPS, a blueprint to our inner workings, and a unique collection of shifts that are wholly ours.
When we being to have an awareness of our menstrual cycle, we pay attention to the self in a different way. Shifting and changing to make adjustments to our life to better serve and show up for the self. We begin to own our behaviors, own our experiences, and own who we are.
We learn that we have different needs at different times and varied priorities. We get to see them as they are, to understand them, and to show up for what we need. It encourages a beautiful sense of self-trust, knowing that we are connected to ourselves in only a way that we can be, no one else will openly be able to see this intimate side of you.

This work builds such a deep self-awareness that clarity and understanding tend to follow, and if not, it at least sends you down an explorative path with all the right questions loaded on your back.

There is this common misconception that our “cycle” is that one week of our period. But that is simply not true.

Our period and our menstrual cycle are not the same thing. Our period is made up of the days within our month that we bleed. The varied hormonal changes on the other hand, the ones that impact the way we feel, the way we think, the way we show up, how we socialise, our libido, appetite, energy, and literally everything else, that all makes up what we experience in our menstrual month.

This is the cycle that we observe through our charting. The month as a whole.

Also acknowledging that not everyone's cycle is a month-long, usually, they range between 24-41 days in length.

Our menstrual cycle is marked from the very first day of our period to the final day before the period starts again. The charting part of the process helps us to understand the experience as a whole.

It goes beyond the good ole red dot on the calendar to give us the heads up of when our next period is going to be. It gives the details that we will need to truly understand what we are moving through each month.

So why chart?

Reasons to chart your cycle — This work **informs, empowers you, and connects you to your truth, your inner and outer experience**. This is YOUR story, a way to honour yourself.
**Helps you to identify the patterns** that continue to pop up within your menstrual month.
Through these patterns, **you are able to slowly make predictions**, predictions on how you might be feeling during a certain week. Predictions on the recurring thoughts that may appear, or anything else that you discover is part of your experience. From there, you can begin to **move with that flow rather than resist it**. What that looks like, is **being mentally and energetically prepared** for what you might be expecting to experience, and to create the space to cater for it. This will ensure you don’t feel blindsided when the pattern pops up for you again.

It helps you to identify what your normal is and can bring things to the surface that you might feel need to be explored further by a medical professional. Charting will give you all the information that you need to present to that professional. This can help to guide the direction of the steps that follow.

Learn more about your inner eco-system, where you will notice what areas need more attention, and in turn, this provides you with the opportunity to show up for yourself.

Also, a gentle way to check in with the self, a mindful practice bringing you back to the present moment.

What can I use to chart and track?

For my pen-to-paper lovers, you are welcome to use any of the Daniella Elias tracker maps (click here to download for free). Included there you will find a circular cycle map, this is perfect for those with a 28-day or less cycle, keeping everything in one place, it also gives you the ability to track alongside the lunar phases as well.

For those who have a 29-day + cycle, there is a blank cycle calendar that you can print as many times as you like, with lots of space in there to do your daily check-ins.

For my app lovers, there are so many out there, but my absolute favorite has to be the Stardust app. It is super cute to look at, has a great selection of options to easily choose from when monitoring what your experience of the day was, and is also informative.

I also have enjoyed using Clue and Spinning Wheels app as well. Take some time to play around with a few and see what feels best for you.

Something I want to point out is, no app can tell you when you are ovulating, so don’t go by the ovulatory windows that are in the apps! Tracking your BBT and cervical mucus is what's going to determine your ovulatory period.

For my journalers, how about a special journal that you use purely for your daily cycle check-ins? The entries can look however you like and can be whatever length, there are no rules here. You have complete creative freedom with this.

Other ways include using the notes on your phone, using specialised cycle diaries to monitor the ebbs and flows and even purchasing special Google sheets and Excel trackers via Etsy. There are honestly so many ways to house your tracking.

Try to be as consistent as you can, the more you show up for yourself through this, the more you learn. But also go gentle with the self, especially if it is a new practice. It takes time.

Getting the ball rolling

Whether you wait until you start a new cycle (day 1) or you get going right away, mapping is going to connect you to yourself in such a powerful way. Use any tracker of choice, get clear on what you are going to track, and commit to the daily process.

See it as a way of showing up for you. A minute per day is all you need.

Take a moment to write down all you are wanting to track, you might even like to make a key so that a few letters or a symbol is all you are putting on the map.

It is important to get clear on what you are monitoring so that you can create simplicity around the ritual, it makes it easier to commit to when you know exactly what you are wanting to focus on. You might keep it simple with a quick check into the 4 bodies that day (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual).

Or, perhaps you might like to make your own blend of checkpoints to pay attention to. Some to choose from could be:

things to note when charting your cycle — **Cervical mucus:** Things to look out for include color, consistency, and feel. Is it creamy, stringy, thick, is it stretchy like egg white (which tends to occur when it is prime time for ovulation)? Your cervical mucus is a clear indicator of whether you are in your fertile window or not. It is super important to get familiar with it.
**Blood:** Things to observe are colour, consistency, and volume. Are you spotting, light, medium, or heavy flow? Do you have blood clots today? Is the colour pink, brown, red, or super dark?
**Basal Body Temperature:** Along with your mucus your BBT is key to figuring out if you are in your fertile window. There are special thermometers you can use for monitoring this. Do your research and find one that works best for your lifestyle, some will require you to be more consistent than others.

Mood: Feelings, emotions, and your overall vibe. Somedays you will find yourself feeling floaty, fun, social, and sexy. On other days you will feel sad, withdrawn, confused, worried, and frustrated. Sometimes you will feel a mix of it all. Each day will be different, all will be valid. Noticing your moods can help you to discover patterns of when you are more likely to feel a certain way.

Energy: Due to all the shifts in your hormones, you will find yourself naturally feeling more energised at certain points of your cycle than others, knowing when these times tend to be can help you to plan ahead.

Intimacy: If you are currently on the conscious path to conceive, perhaps marking the days you are sexually active. If that is not your current journey, you might like to monitor the times within your cycle you feel more of a heightened libido. Marking the days of intimacy with another or with self.

Pain or discomfort: For the souls who experience period pain, tender breasts, bloating, headaches, or any other symptoms, monitoring this is really important. These things are all common but not necessarily normal to experience during a period or during your menstrual cycle. Sometimes they can indicate other imbalances that need exploring. So making a note of these things will help you to determine what is common in your experience and if it is moving beyond manageable or impacting your day-to-day, it is information you can take across to your medical professional.
Other things you might like to make note of are sleeping patterns, bodily changes, dreams, intuitive pulls/downloads, cravings, and whatever else calls you.

This list is by no means a “follow-all”. It is about choosing what feels most relevant to you. Make sure it is realistic for you to keep track of as well.

Mapping for 3 months is going to give you a strong and consistent variation to make deeper connections with what is YOUR normal.

After a few months, make note of any common occurrences, characteristics, and personal traits that continue to appear. Reflect on what they may be telling you. You can use the 3-month comparison sheet in this free download if you feel the call.

Remember, we do this so that we can have a heightened sense of self-awareness, to truly understand our experience, to understand the shadows and the joys that surface for us. To have access to the many wisdoms that reside within.

It is empowering work, allowing us to truly step into a sense of sovereignty.

Remember, YOU are the expert on your body.

If you are feeling the call to work alongside someone to explore your menstrual cycle, reach out to find out more about 1:1 cycle coaching with me! Or if you prefer a group setting, Womb Wisdom might be the container for you, check it out here.