Celebrating The Wise Woman Within: A New Year's Reflection

It’s December 31st, and I’m all alone in my apartment – on purpose.

While I could have joined my partner and his family for celebrations, or gone out with some lovely friends I’ve made here in Mexico City, I decided to let my body set the scene for tonight.

Yesterday marked the 27th day of my menstrual cycle, and I had been feeling and processing a lot of emotions. I knew that I would likely start to bleed in a day or two, and this morning, day 28, I started to bleed. To me it feels so magical and powerful, there’s something really special about starting a new cycle internally while the majority of the world celebrates a new cycle externally.

Why does this matter?

Because I haven’t always been someone to stay in. In fact, partying was something I loved to do, starting at quite a young age. I partied pretty hard from age 14 (yes, young, I know) until I embarked on my first yoga teacher training. It was there that I began to recognize how much alcohol didn’t serve my body.

During that training, I also discovered the importance of menstruation – something I had never been educated about. I had never been taught to give it the space it deserves in my life.

A year later, I was diagnosed with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) after years of experiencing cyclical depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and general chaos in my mind and emotions. This diagnosis, which came the year after the pandemic began, marked the start of a deep inventory into my life. It was a time of reflecting on multiple toxic relationships, codependency, and a tendency to numb emotions with substances or distractions. It invited me to get to know myself on a very deep, intimate level. And from there, I committed to an intensive excavation of everything that wasn’t working in my life. This was my shadow work season.

What I learned was profound: I am a highly sensitive person, a woman with a cycle, and my body and nervous system had endured trauma – both from this lifetime and from my ancestors and the culture I was raised in.

The healing journey began through my body. At first, I spent much of my time either napping or practicing yin yoga, crying as I processed all the pain I had stored inside for nearly 10 years – pain that had been intense and chaotic. This release allowed me to heal.

I also dove deep into understanding my fertility and each phase of my menstrual cycle. I studied through books and courses, but more importantly, I began to listen to my body – something I hadn’t known to do before. What I realized was that I didn’t have a "disorder." Instead, my sensitivity, combined with the inward-facing energy of the second half of my cycle, meant that all the wounds, traumas, and patterns that didn’t serve me would surface during this time. These were the same patterns that told me I was never enough, and at the same time, that I was too much. My pursuit of perfection, my lack of boundaries, and my tendency to date men who needed “saving” all came to light in the second half of my cycle.

I began to see this as a natural mechanism for healing and self-liberation, leading me toward embodied wisdom. The second half of the cycle, which has often been demonized – especially in a patriarchal and capitalist society that values constant productivity and consistency – is, in reality, a time for reflection and release. Women’s bodies don’t operate in a constant state of high energy, and that’s okay. Many of us, especially those of us who are highly sensitive, feel the weight of pushing ourselves, which often leads to burnout. But this burnout isn’t just a symptom; it’s a sign that we’ve become disconnected from our natural processes of evolution, liberation, and maturation. It is a sign that we are stuck in systems that we need to change. 

I see this as a major reason why so many women, myself included for a long time, stay stuck – seeking external validation, repeating cycles, never fully embracing their sovereignty. We were never taught that life’s challenges are meant to be processed at the end of our cycles, so we can take stock, learn, and evolve to be the sovereign leaders of our lives.

So, tonight, on New Year's Eve, I am home alone, bleeding in peace, listening to calming piano music, writing this blog, reflecting on what I’ve created, noticing what has been stopping me, and committing to a deeper, more loving relationship with myself. I am celebrating in silence, in my body, because I trusted myself to know exactly what I needed. And I had the self-trust to give it to myself. I have no FOMO – I feel settled in myself, in my leadership, and in my power. I will likely be asleep before 10 p.m., deeply hydrated to balance the blood loss.

I share this because it’s so easy to get swept up in what everyone else is doing. As highly sensitive women, we can often feel like we’re disappointing others when we set boundaries or do something different that actually works for us. But I want to remind you that the people who are healthy and supportive in your life will not guilt-trip, shame, or reject you. When you make choices that are aligned with what’s best for you, you thrive. You also get really clear on the people who are safe and healthy to have around.

Tonight, I am celebrating the wisdom I’ve cultivated. I’m celebrating my sensitive nature, the life I am creating by trusting my intuition, and the deep movement happening on this planet – where more and more women are waking up to their inner wise woman.

Here’s to an empowering, liberated, and healthy 2025.