Menstrual Musings: Six ways to cultivate freedom & flow in your daily life

Firstly, I want to remind you of this - You are worthy! Your needs matter!

My heart intention is to share with you ways to create freedom and flow in your daily life through self reflection, self connection and self love. They're intended to inspire you to begin connecting to your body and heart centre in a way that feels good for you.

Life does not have to be lived always hustling, grinding, or doing all the things –  it can be calm, deeply nurturing, in honour of your needs.

SELF INQUIRY - pause, get curious & reflect

Daily, weekly or however often feels good for you, here are journaling prompts that give you the freedom to connect to your body and heart centre. If you haven't journaled before, grab your favourite pen (we all have one) and a dedicated notebook. Light a candle, some incense and brew yourself a hot cup of deliciousness of your choosing. Find a comfortable space, a quiet moment and ask yourself:

- How do I feel today?

- What is causing me to feel (insert emotion here)?

- How can I lovingly cultivate more (insert positive emotion here)?

- What life season am I in?

- What is this season teaching me?

- What do I need to move through this season?

- What is my body yearning for?

- What does my body need right now?

- How will I honour my body's needs?

- What brings me joy and how can I cultivate more of it in my life?

- What emotional need requires nurturing right now?

- How do I want to feel about (person/place/activity/situation)?

KINDNESS - you are worthy of the same love and kindness you so freely give to others

Each day do one thing for yourself that is kind - write it down, keep a list. It does not have to be grand acts of kindness (but it definitely could be); it can be as simple as a hot shower, cooking a nutritious meal for yourself or my favourite, buying a bunch of fresh flowers.

For a moment, consider this - after one month, you'll have noted 30 acts of self kindness, after 3 months, 90, after one year - 365 acts of self kindness! That is a whole lot of self love!!

GRATITUDE - lovingly bring your attention to the goodness in your life

At that the end of each day, take a quite moment to sit with your thoughts and write down three things that went well for you in your day and why they went well? Notice how you feel afterwards, continue to tap into that feeling throughout your day.

BREATHE - inhale. pause. exhale - repeat as often as you need

Take deep deliberate breaths. Breathing calms our frazzled nervous system and is simple and impactful. Some breathing exercises you may like to research to try are: diaphragmatic breathing or alternative nostril breathing.

MOVEMENT - Dance to feel. Dance to express. Dance to let go. Dance to flow.

Nicola Chung, DisSolve Dance

Feeling happy? Dance.

Feeling stuck in a funk? Dance

Feeling full of energy? Dance.

Feeling heavy emotions? Dance.

Dancing is a liberating way to express our emotions and to move energy through our bodies. There are no rules here. This is for you, just as you are. There are no dance steps to follow. Move your body as fast, or as slow as you feel you need to. Put on your favourite song, playlist, or artist and rock on with your socks on, Risky Business style.

CELEBRATE - always, and in all ways

Honour YOU! Have fun. Share your joy with your loved ones. Indulge. Recognise how far you've come, the goodness in your life, the people you love and celebrate all that and more, however big or small.

Celebration suggestions: Self massage. Chocolate. Dance party in your underwear. Dinner at your favourite restaurant. Send yourself your favourite blooms.