Half of Humanity’s Mental Health and Cognitive Potential is Under Threat
Women sit up and listen. This explains why you could be exhausted
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This month and for the following few months I’m going to share things I’m learning about the female body as well as a pot of gold that I’ve discovered - Narayan Shastra. More on Narayan shastra at the end of this newsletter.
For now, let’s focus on something really important. During my workshop in May, I remember addressing a query of a young girl in her 20s. The answer to her question led me to talk about periods, and why women do need rest at that time of the month.
What: Period Leave
One of the first countries to introduce menstrual leave was Japan, where it was introduced in 1947. In Japan, women can take one to three days off monthly if they experience painful periods or other menstrual symptoms.
Other countries that have introduced menstrual leave include South Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan. Source: FreePeriods
Spain has become the first country in Europe to pass a law that allows individuals who experience severe menstrual pain to take paid menstrual leave from work.
Other countries that offer menstrual leave are Bangladesh, and some private companies in India and Australia.
Why Women Must Honor Their Biology
Women have four different brain states per month. Please, clearly understand what ‘month’ means for you as a woman - it’s your entire cycle that you may go over every 21 to 35 days that last 2 to 7 days.
Imagine if your brain fundamentally changed every week. For women, this isn’t science fiction—it’s reality!
Estrogen and progesterone aren’t just ovarian hormones. They are powerful neurochemicals that significantly change female brain physiology, mood, and cognition as they ebb and flow throughout the month.
The female brain has a monthly cycle with FOUR cognitive and physiological phases.
That’s right… four different brains, four different realities—every. single. month!
Here’s a simplified overview:
🧠 Menstrual Brain: Lowest estrogen and progesterone, lower metabolic conversion of brain fuel, less activity excitatory/mood boosting neurotransmitters, more sensitive to stress, more introspective/intuitive cognitive state.
🧠 Follicular Brain: High estrogen, lower progesterone, higher metabolism, up-regulate serotonin/dopamine/epinephrine/norepinephrine/glutamate neurotransmitter activity, better focus and mental energy, enhanced EQ.
🧠 Ovulatory Brain: Peak estrogen, low progesterone, peak energy/focus, peak mood, peak emotional intelligence, enhanced communication skills, more social cognitive state.
🧠 Luteal Brain: Low estrogen, high progesterone, up-regulate GABA, neuro-plasticity, neurogenesis, microglial activation, enhanced IQ and memory consolidation.
This monthly brain cycle affects every aspect of a woman’s life, yet it remains largely ignored by mainstream medicine.
Ignoring this fact means misunderstanding half of humanity’s mental health and cognitive potential.
This is why you need to listen to your body, study your cycles and monitor your energy levels on your monthly cycles. Women were never supposed to behave or work like men.
We made a mistake. It’s time to correct it.
To help you understand how men’s brains are different that women’s brains, please watch this humorous clip.
Coming Up Next…
I’m going to talk more about Narayan Shastra. What is Narayan Shastra? It’s the study of all the holy book from all religions put together in one book called the Narayan Shastra.
Imagine you have a phone and you don’t know how to use it to make a call. You’d miss out on some pleasures in your life in some ways, right?
Narayan Shastra is basically the handbook for your life. How to live your life so that you can experience health, wealth, abundance and manifest all that you desire.
Get excited for the pot of gold. I’m going to drop golden nuggets. Keep your eyes peeled! You don’t wanna miss this!
Talk soon.
If you’re looking to work with a coach to bring more discipline, aka self-love into your life, please write to me at Optimysticoachk@gmail.com.