Guys, have you ever wondered why your sweetie can be so unpredictable? One moment she’s sweet like honey and makes you feel like you’re the luckiest guy on the planet. The next moment she can get so angry and unhappy that you begin to doubt if she really loves you, or if she’s at all happy in your relationship.

And ladies, do you feel like you’re forced to go on an emotional roller coaster ride every month? For a few days a month you feel like you’re on the top of the world, then everything seems to go downhill. You battle moodiness, sadness, anger, and all sorts of emotions that seem to come out of nowhere, and without any warning, to whack you off balance. You’re left to wonder, Why is it so hard to be a woman?

During these times, perhaps you think it’s your fault and that you should just be better at dealing with it. You should be happy and cheery all month long. Or perhaps you think it’s because there’s something seriously wrong in your relationship.

Then the dark clouds clear and everything seems fine again – until the cycle repeats itself, month after month. Confusing isn’t it? Have you ever wondered what this is all about?

I surely have. I used to think I was quite unique, and that I had a lot of work to do to be a better person. But as I got older – and hopefully wiser – I began to wonder if there wasn’t some universal pattern to a woman’s monthly mood fluctuations.

And as it turns out, there is.

As you know by now, estrogen and progesterone, those two naughty sex hormones, are primarily responsible for a woman’s monthly cycle. So their peaks and valleys also have a direct effect on the ebbs and flows of a woman’s moods. Let me illustrate this using a 28-day cycle as an example…

Week 1 (The Spring) – As estrogen begins to increase after your menstruation, you also begin to feel better. After the aches and pains and the emotional roller coaster of your last cycle, you begin to feel renewed and refreshed. After a long winter, spring is finally here. Your outlook is increasingly optimistic, and your energy begins to turn outward.

Week 2 (The Summer) – Estrogen is on the way to its monthly peak. You feel beautiful, sexy and energetic. Feeling that you’re on the top of the world, your amazing energy flows outwards, generously towards your projects and your relationship. And everyone around you delights in your presence.

Week 3 (The Fall) – After ovulation, estrogen takes a steep nose dive, but luckily the increasing progesterone catches you from falling all the way to rock bottom. You don’t feel as excited, energetic and confident as in the hot summer. Doubt and insecurity creep up on you, and you may feel cranky, grouchy or moody. Your energy begins to turn inward now, and you feel the need for some downtime to just catch a breath and chill.

Week 4 (The Winter) – When estrogen and progesterone both take a dive in week 4, you’re sent on that wild roller coaster ride. Angry outbursts, crying spells, depression, irritability, mood swings, fatigue, aches and pains and poor concentration can all hit you, and you don’t know what to expect – or when to expect it. All you want is to do is withdraw and hibernate in your little cave. But people just won’t leave you alone! What a tough and stormy winter!

But before you lose hope, try and remember that spring is just around the corner.

The point I’m trying to make here is very simple. As human beings, we are bound to experience the ups and downs, and ebbs and flows life presents to us. This is a universal truth.

But as women, we experience physical, emotional and mental ups and downs every month, thanks to our monthly cycles. When we understand the cyclical nature of our life, relationships, menstrual cycles, moods and energy, we can learn to not take everything too personally, and learn to ride the ups and downs with more ease and grace. It’s not you or your partner’s fault. No one is to blame. It’s the natural cycles of being a woman.

I want to end this post with one of my favorite sanskrit word “Anicha,” which means “this too shall pass…”

Anicha, anicha… This too shall pass...

NOTE: Even though there may be a general mood pattern during a woman’s monthly cycle, every woman is different due to her unique physical, emotional and mental makeup, her lifestyle, and her sensitivity to the hormone fluctuations. So it’s important that you understand the details of your own patterns and that you monitor them closely.

Sign up for our Mood, Symptom and Lifestyle Tracker or download Mood Runner iPhone App on iTunes to chart your own mood patterns, and take steps to stay more centered despite the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of your monthly mood fluctuations.