Connecting with Mother Nature’s Menstrual Cycle

By Caroline Hutchins, 20th August 2026

Being able to talk about and even understand all that happens across the menstrual cycle can be challenging. The Inner Seasons of the menstrual cycle are a metaphor that has been used by many to help make it easier and more comfortable to relate to the cycle.

Imagery can be a powerful way of expressing ourselves and our experiences. Metaphor is a tool regularly used in therapy to represent a thought, feeling or experience in way that feels relatable and evocative.

This inspired concept of the Inner Seasons was created by Red School’s Alexandra Pope [1], and it has been a real gamechanger for how I understand and talk about my cycle with other people. The Inner Seasons are a way of seeing each stage of the menstrual cycle through another familiar and deeply natural cycle – the Seasons:

Winter is when we menstruate (our period).

Spring is our follicular stage (pre-ovulation).

Summer is when we ovulate.

Autumn is our premenstrual stage.

When I read about this concept, it resonated so strongly with me. Not just because it was something that felt easier to remember than all the medical terms of the part of the cycle (which I can still get wrong sometimes). But because they felt like they fit with my experience of the cycle.

Winter is when so much of what I want to do is stay indoors, curled up with a blanket and hot water bottle, sleeping and resting. Spring feels hopeful and exciting, a time when I’m ready to go do more. Summer has more energy, time for getting stuff done and have fun, as well as socialising. Autumn then slows down again, where staying at home feels nicer and resting feels important.

Something that I recognised as how people generally feel across the yearly seasons was something I saw happened across my own monthly cycle. It helped me to start making more sense of my cycle.

I also found myself noticing how natural my cycle is. This comparison to the world’s natural cycle meant that I could recognise this intrinsic part of me as something organic, powerful and instinctive. Connecting with Mother Nature’s own menstrual cycle.

I loved this imagery for my cycle so much that I shared it with my partner. And guess what? It helped him understand it too! We use the seasons to talk about my experiences across the cycle. It helps it to feel comfortable and something that he can relate to using his experiences of the seasons.

A great way of keeping this communication and awareness around my cyclical seasons was an approach I heard from a podcast with Lucy Peach and Richard Berney [2]. We have a shared Google calendar in which I record the start of my seasons, using emojis to represent them. We can then track my seasons, being aware of the shifts and needs within each of them to help us both work in alignment with my cycle.

Within therapy, the seasons can be a great starting point for getting comfortable talking about your cycle. We can begin to get to know what your seasons are like for you, and how you feel about those seasons.

You’ll likely have a different relationship with each season, even if you haven’t paid much attention to your cycle before. Winter stereotypically is known to be a difficult season and the one we consider most when we think of our cycles. But the others will bring their own joys and challenges. I wonder if you know what your favourite inner season is?

Whether you then feel comfortable to use this vocabulary with others is up to you. It might be enough to be able to relate to yourself and your body using these Inner Seasons. You may find yourself less embarrassed, more connected or compassionate with your cycle.

I have found the Inner Seasons helpful in my own journey with my menstrual cycle, which is why I’ve shared it here. It may resonate with you, and if it doesn’t, maybe there’s a better way for you to express your experiences with your menstrual cycle. All I hope for is that we can find more comfort in our own cycle and in sharing it with others.

References

1. Red School. About. Available at: https://www.redschool.net/about#Founders (Accessed 18/08/2026)

2. Red School: The Menstruality Podcast. Episode 156: How we Practice Cycle Awareness as a Couple (Lucy Peach and Richard Berney) Available at: https://www.redschool.net/podcast/156 (Accessed 18/08/2026)

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