Lucy Peach - Period Queen

Published in 2020 by Murdoch Books, an imprint of Allen & Unwin

Murdoch Books Australia

83 Alexander Street, Crows Nest NSW 2065

Phone: +61 (0)2 8425 0100

murdochbooks.com.au

Murdoch Books UK

Ormond House, 2627 Boswell Street, London WC1N 3JZ

Phone: +44 (0) 20 8785 5995

murdochbooks.co.uk

Publisher: Jane Morrow

Editorial Manager: Julie Mazur Tribe

Design Manager: Megan Pigott

Editor: Katie Bosher

Designer and illustrator: Ngaio Parr

Production Manager: Megan Cosgrove

Cover design by Alissa Dinallo

Cover illustrations by Ngaio Parr

Text Lucy Peach 2020

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Design and illustrations Murdoch Books 2020

Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the owners of copyright materials in this book, but in some instances this has proven impossible. The author(s) and publisher will be glad to receive information leading to more complete acknowledgements in subsequent printings of the book and in the meantime extend their apologies for any omissions.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978 1 76052 508 8 Australia

ISBN 978 1 91163 246 7 UK

eISBN 978 1 76087 442 1

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

DISCLAIMER: The content presented in this book is meant for inspiration and informational purposes only. The purchaser of this book understands that the author is not a medical professional, and the information contained within this book is not intended to replace medical advice or to be relied upon to treat, cure or prevent any disease, illness or medical condition. It is understood that you will seek full medical clearance by a licensed physician before making any changes mentioned in this book. The author and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application or interpretation of the material in this book.

CONTENTS

This book takes the worst thing about being a woman and restores it to the best thing. It will teach you to harness the four powers of your menstrual cycle. If I really had to, I could sum up the whole idea in about fifteen words and six seconds with this:

Hey you! Your period is bloody awesome, now go live your best life! The end.

We live in an age where there are whole industries dedicated to helping us find balance and direction. Yet the greatest life hack of them all is right under our noses (or rather belly buttons) and it isnt knowing how to perfectly execute a blackhead removal or disguise the taste of kale in a smoothie, its your menstrual cycle. Weve channelled solar power, wind power and even tidal power, now its time for us to channel menstrual power. You already have all the balance and direction you need; you just need to tune in and learn how to use it.

In an ideal world, I wouldnt even need to write this book because everything in it would already be common knowledge just like the changing seasons, night and day or the Earth being round. Menstrual wisdom would be passed down with pride and spoken of openly as the absolutely normal thing it is. We would learn to respect the hormonal changes that we experience throughout the month, and as a result the notion that having female hormones reduces us to being random emotional roller-coasters would grind to a halt and rust away into oblivion.

We would feel less overwhelmed, frustrated and/or inadequate because the rest of the world wouldnt be so fixated on everyone being the same Every. Single. Day. We would experience slow days and fast days, days more about looking after others and days more about looking after ourselves, and wed rest assured that by going with the flow (literally) it would all come out in the wash.

It would be normal to track your cycle and to notice and, more importantly, to use the benefits that it brings. Yes, you read that right: there are useful benefits.

Wed be more inclined to like love ourselves, all month long. Wed have an unwavering trust in our intuition. Can you imagine?

Boys would learn about cycles and grow up to be men who appreciate the benefits of being attuned to them. Men would also be afforded the benefits of going with their own flow, and together we would find a balance between masculine and feminine, breathe a collective sigh of relief and voil: wed embrace the tides, love our bodies and their life-giving hormones, and ride unicorns into the horizon towards world peace and harmony.

This book is a public service announcement to address a long-held astronomical misunderstanding about menstruation. Its called a cycle for a reason, and the truth is its so much more than the presence or absence of your period and how to manage it. You dont need to push through the hormonal ups and downs, holding on for dear life, because there is a better way, and its pretty bloody amazing. Please observe.

Every month, you have four hormonal phases.

They each arrive in turn, one after the other, bearing their own gifts and ways of making us feel. And once you know what they are, you can predict them, plan for them and use them over and over again. I guarantee that if you get to the bottom of how truly marvellous you are in every phase, you will be UNSTOPPABLE (except, of course, when you choose to stop). Before you know it, you will have developed your own cycle superpowers.

I have no doubt that a league of truly empowered women who are fiercely aware that everything about their bodies happens for a reason is precisely what this planet desperately needs. Like an alarm thats been left snoozing for thousands of years, the Earths whispers are growing to an exasperated roar: HEY, GIRLS! LADIES? ANYONE? Are your arms and legs painted on? Your exceptional powers are needed.

Wake up, World!

Im not saying it will always be easy or that youll cycle through life farting rainbows and sprinkling stardust with the demeanour of the Dalai Lama. Life will still disappoint you sometimes; thats an undeniable fact. But when it does, you wont have to face it alone and youll be able to catch yourself before you roll around in it (the disappointment) like a dog with something smelly. You will become an expert in recognising what you need at different times of the month. Hard things wont seem quite as hard anymore because youll be able to hold them up to the light and see them through the all-knowing lens of your cycle. This connection to your body is like a compass, always there for you and waiting, wanting, to guide you back to balance.

With every cycle, you have a chance to cultivate the most important relationship of your life: the one with your precious self. This relationship lasts for your entire life, and certainly long after your bleeding stops. That is the power of the period, how you cycle like a queen and the point of this book.

To that end, welcome to this manual for the art of harnessing the four menstrual cycle superpowers. Stay with me and all will become clear as we uncover how they can affect us hormonally, physically and emotionally. Ill be speaking as someone whos had approximately 300 cycles of my own, as well as years of experience as a sexual health educator, a human biology teacher and a period preacher.