The Invisible Rhythms We Never Notice

What else is influencing your energy today?

Some mornings last a week.

Others disappear before you've even had lunch.

How is that even possible?

One day you glance at the clock, convinced it must be nearly lunchtime...

It's 9:17.

The next, you're wondering what to cook for dinner because somehow it's already half past five and you genuinely can't remember where the day went.

Same house.

Same family.

Same job.

Same you.

Completely different day.

I've noticed myself thinking about that a lot lately.

Not in a deep and meaningful sort of way...

Just little moments where I stop and think...

"Why did today feel so different?"

It all started because of cycle syncing.

If you read last week's blog, you'll know I shared something that's been on my mind for a while.

After almost two years of cycle syncing, I realised my menstrual cycle wasn't the only thing influencing my energy.

That blog wasn't the end of the conversation.

It was the beginning.

Because if my cycle isn't the whole picture...

...what else has been quietly influencing me all this time?

When I first discovered cycle syncing, it answered so many questions I'd been asking myself for years.

And honestly, I still think every woman should understand her menstrual cycle.

But over the last couple of years, without even realising it, I stopped just tracking my cycle...

...and started paying attention to everything else.

The more I noticed...

The more I realised I wasn't looking for one answer anymore.

Because when I looked back at my really good days...

They all looked different.

And so did the harder ones.

Sometimes I'd slept brilliantly.

Sometimes I'd barely slept at all.

Sometimes work felt exciting.

Other times I'd spent an hour staring at my laptop waiting for inspiration to arrive.

Actually... work has its own rhythm too.

There are weeks where I can't write ideas down quickly enough.

Everything feels exciting.

I'm planning projects.

Writing blogs.

Thinking about the future of HerRhythm.

I genuinely feel like I could build the whole business in a week.

Then there are other weeks.

The ideas go quiet.

I open my laptop, stare at the screen for far longer than I'd like to admit and somehow convince myself making another coffee counts as being productive.

The work still gets done...

Just at a very different pace.

Then there's sleep.

It doesn't matter what phase of my cycle I'm in...

If one of the children has been up all night, I'm not waking up feeling like Superwoman.

I'm waking up wondering if I can get away with a nap before lunch.

And don't even get me started on the weather.

I'm sorry, but when it's thirty-six degrees outside, absolutely everything feels harder.

My motivation disappears.

My brain slows down.

And the only thing I want to do is lie in a dark, air-conditioned room until September.

Then there are the days where I stand in front of the fridge for ten minutes...

...and somehow end up eating hummus with a carrot.

Same woman.

Different day.

None of those things have anything to do with me suddenly becoming lazy.

They're just part of life.

And that's when another little lightbulb moment happened.

Maybe I don't have one rhythm.

Maybe I have lots.

The more I thought about it, the more obvious it became.

My menstrual cycle has a rhythm.

Sleep has one too.

Even work has one.

My motivation comes in waves.

The weather influences me more than I'd ever admitted.

The school holidays completely change the way my weeks look.

Stress quietly builds in the background until one day I realise I've been running on empty for longer than I thought.

And then there's the season of life we're in.

Some of you reading this are juggling toddlers.

Some have teenagers.

Some are caring for parents.

Some are building businesses.

Some are navigating health challenges.

Some are simply trying to get through another busy week.

We're all living completely different lives.

So why do we expect ourselves to have exactly the same energy every single day?

That question has been rattling around my head for months.

Because if there's one thing I've realised...

Life doesn't happen in neat little boxes.

Some days everything lines up beautifully.

You've slept well.

Work's going well.

The children are happy.

You've eaten properly.

You've got energy.

You feel like yourself.

Other days...

None of those things line up.

And that's okay too.

Because here's what I've stopped doing.

I've stopped looking for one answer.

Instead, I've started asking one question.

What's influencing me today?

Not...

"What's wrong with me?"

Not...

"Why can't I pull myself together?"

Not...

"Why am I so unmotivated?"

Just...

"What's influencing me today?"

Honestly...

I think that might be the kindest question I've ever asked myself.

Because it assumes there's something worth understanding.

Not something that needs fixing.

Sometimes the answer is my cycle.

Sometimes it's stress.

Sometimes it's a few bad nights' sleep.

Sometimes it's because I've been trying to be everything to everyone and forgotten that I might need something too.

And sometimes...

It's a little bit of everything.

The funny thing is, asking that one question hasn't made life easier.

The washing still needs doing.

Work still gets busy.

The children still need me.

Life is still gloriously messy.

But it has made me kinder to myself.

Because I've stopped expecting myself to move through every day as though nothing around me has changed.

And I think that might be one of the biggest lessons I've learnt over the last two years.

Not just from cycle syncing.

But from paying attention.

💛 Before You Go...

I'd love you to try something this week.

The next time your energy feels different...

Instead of asking,

"What's wrong with me?"

Ask yourself,

"What's influencing me today?"

You don't have to find one perfect answer.

Just notice.

Be curious.

You might be surprised by what you discover.

If this conversation resonated with you, I'd love you to join me over on Instagram (@her_rhythm_app) and Pinterest, where we continue these conversations every week.

Next Friday's Conversation...

This week we've talked about the invisible rhythms influencing your energy.

But there's another question I've been thinking about...

If so many things influence the way we feel... why are women still so quick to blame themselves?

Next Friday, I want to talk about the invisible expectations we carry every day.

The ones we've quietly accepted.

The ones we've never questioned.

And why I think they're one of the biggest reasons so many of us end up feeling like we're constantly falling behind.

I've got a feeling it's going to be a good one.

See you next Friday.

Leanne 💛