“Leaders bleed, period.” ― Silvia Young, My FemTruth: Scandalous Survival Stories

The Productivity Fraternity.

There are certain arbitrary signifiers that long ago, some random Kappa Kappa Productivity Fraternity decided to put on an equally arbitrary checklist against which all productive people are measured.

They decided “hard-working”, “productive” people wake up at the crack of dawn (hello, 5am club), then “ grind” and “hustle” their faces off the exact same level every day.

They decided human beings work on a 24 hour clock (which funnily enough is how long the male hormone cycle is), and thus and deviation from complete and utter grind would probably be down to the low caliber of your work ethic. 

Now, this is just what the Productivity-verse is: a fraternity.

Somehow, though, women are systematically gaslit into believing there is something wrong with them when they don’t meet these arbitrary standards.

But we’re not here to complain. 

KPIs For The Productive Woman.

Instead, I come to you with a proposal: the Productivity Sorority! 

Sounds fun, doesn’t it?

That’s because it is. 

Here, we sleep. We eat food that supports our hormones instead of fighting them. We can say words like “menstruation” and “menopause” out loud.

But most of all: we don’t measure productivity day-by-day. Instead, we measure month-by-month (or cycle-by-cycle).

Counterproductive “productivity hacks” from the man-overse. 

We know they mean well, but sometimes when people give advice, they are just repackaging their own experiences under the pretense that what worked for them will work for you. 

So today, let’s talk about some of the advice productive women might benefit from avoiding.

#1: Wake up at 5am. 

There is a funny endocrinological phenomenon that takes place between around 3-6am in the male body. At this time of day, the male body experiences a surge in testosterone unrivaled by any other hour.

It’s an interesting coincidence, considering the narrative that waking up super early is this superpower possessed by those who are the most successful people.

It’s also interesting that this phenomenon does not take place in women to the same extent due to their much lower levels of testosterone.

So…female hormones don’t peak at 5am? Nope.

And it’s time to stop acting like they should, just because the Productivity Fraternity says so. 

Importantly, it’s not to say that getting a head start on your day isn’t beneficial, but maybe we should start acknowledging that this looks different for those who have a month-long hormone cycle. 

For starters, maybe you can finally give yourself permission to wake up at 7am instead of the crack of dawn, and even to sleep in for a couple more hours when you’re menstruating. 

#2: Push through the pain (“stay hard!”)

Many women go their entire lives undiagnosed with serious menstrual disorders like endometriosis, PCOS, and uterine fibroids. Chances are you or someone you know is living their lives with a condition like this and “pushing through the pain” completely unnecessarily.

Instead of gaslighting ourselves, let’s advocate for our health. 

It’s not “in your head”. Your pain is real. 

(Problem-solvers, sell us a solution!)

The moment you start doing something about it is a moment of empowerment, not weakness or laziness.

#3: Hit the gym every single day. 

Here’s a crazy hypothetical for ya: imagine if every single month you had to regrow and then shed the lining of an entire organ. 

Do you think it would take a lot of energy? Do you think you might need more hours of sleep at that point in the month? Maybe fewer social commitments. 

It’s not a trick question! Shedding the lining of your uterus does take a bunch of energy. 

And…it’s not hypothetical. 

So why has being on your period become this competitive sport of “who can hide it the best”?  

Your body needs time to rest. I hate to break it to you. 

Just more stuff to do. 

There is a risk to going against the male version of productivity and following the approach that actually aligns with your hormones. 

In practice, it can feel like a lot of extra work.

It can feel like on top of having to worry about remembering pads on the right days, you also have to remember to eat sweet potatoes during your luteal phase (which requires you to both know when you are in the luteal phase and also remember to buy sweet potatoes), and cram all your high-energy, difficult tasks into the teensy window in which you ovulate.

Ah, the trials and tribulations of the “productive” life. 

Alas, the absolute last thing a busy woman needs in her life is an even longer to-do list.

(God bless her Notes app- we know it contains multitudes.)

No Woman Is An Island

The biggest myth the productivity world perpetuates is that success is merely a product of individual effort, when really successful people have dozens of supporters, mentors, friends, partners, and kind strangers behind them.

Rewriting the rules to being your most productive self is a big ask. So let’s start small. After all, productivity isn’t a competition.

You get to ask for help, lean on your community, and take one step at a time.

Thought To Action 

1. Draw Your Connection Map: Write down five people or communities—old friends, classmates, mentors—you’d like to reconnect with or better understand. Choose one and take a small step (message, coffee invite, honest hello).
2. Practice a Micro Habit: Pick something meaningful you stopped doing (writing, hiking, reading quietly). Commit to just five minutes a day — it’s the momentum that matters.
3. Turn Discomfort Into Question Curiosity: Instead of “Why did I fail?”, ask “What did this effort teach me about what matters?”.
4. Document Your Slow Wins: Keep a tiny journal of weekly wins — not outcomes, but efforts that felt worth doing (like choosing mindful reading over passive scrolling). Let this remind you how small actions accumulate meaning.
5. End With Gratitude + Intention: Close your reflection session with gratitude for the effort you showed, then set a gentle intention for the coming week.

Sources 

Here are some of the sources I used to develop the ideas I write about in this post. Three of them are books I have read in the past few years, which I revisited for this week. I highly recommend them all!

• Caroline Criado Perez – Invisible Women
• Matthew Walker – Why We Sleep
• Malcolm Gladwell – Outliers

Citation: 

Brambilla, Donald J., et al. “The Effect of Diurnal Variation on Clinical Measurement of Serum Testosterone and Other Sex Hormone Levels in Men.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, vol. 94, no. 3, 1 Mar. 2009, pp. 907–913, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2008-1902. Accessed 10 Jan. 2022.

Criado Perez, Caroline. Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men. S.L., Harry N Abrams, 7 Mar. 2019.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York, Back Bay Books, 18 Nov. 2008.Walker, Matthew P. Why We Sleep : The New Science of Sleep and Dreams. 2017. UK, Penguin Books, 2017.

The post The Controversial Secrets Of Productive Women appeared first on Green Also Green.

After writing about menstruation, periods, tampons, pads, menstrual cups, and the stigma surrounding them, I realized that there was still an oft-ignored member of the party that I had to pay homage to: menopause. “Menopause”, the word I only first heard after getting my first period, a word filled with mystery, saturated with finality. I remember thinking it was funny how words surrounding female reproduction sounded both grammatical and masculine, all starting with “men”- menopause, menstruation– and containing words like “period” and “pause”. I thought it was funny how dissimilar grammar and menstruation were- one messy and somewhat unpredictable, the other rigid and abstract- and how peculiar it was that menstruation didn’t belong to men even though it sounded like it did. I also remember wanting to ask people what it was like, how long it lasted, if it hurt, if it was miserable, when it would happen to me, but always feeling held back by the worry that they would get offended by the mere suggestion that they might have the experience required to answer my questions. 

The National Institute on Aging defines menopause as the point in time 12 months after a menstruator’s last period. The menopausal transition, or perimenopause, is what you call the year leading up to that point, in which menstruators might experience changes in their monthly cycle, hot flashes, or other symptoms. It often begins between ages 45 and 55, lasting roughly seven years but sometimes stretching to 14. How long it lasts depends on lifestyle factors such as age, smoking, race, and ethnicity. During this period of time, the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, both produced by the ovaries, can be variable.

Yet menopause is a phenomenon that transcends biology, marking a point in life that many find daunting and challenging on an existential level. Indeed, there is a long history in Western society of menopause being used to antagonize women of a certain age, with pressures all around to make anyone past their time of reproduction feel excluded and underappreciated.  

One striking example of this discrimination toward older women has appeared throughout history through the persecution of those accused of witchcraft. According to Britannica, the European witch-hunt craze peaked in the 1580s and 90s to the 1630s and 40s, with about three quarters of the hunts taking place in western Germany, France, northern Italy, and Switzerland. It is impossible to know exactly when the trials began, but it is generally thought that the number of trials and executions “varied according to time and place”, although generally speaking a total of roughly 110,000 people were tried for witchcraft and between 40,000 to 60,000 were executed.”

Witches were thought to be followers of Satan who “traded their souls for his assistance”. They would then allegedly employ demons to desecrate the crucifix and the consecrated bread and wine of Holy Communion; shapeshift to and from an animal form, riding through the air at night to secret meetings called “sabbats”, where they would partake in orgies and sometimes have sex with Satan himself; and kidnap and murder children for the sake of eating them or using their fat for magical ointments. Naturally though- while there were admittedly some individuals who did worship the devil, try to practice maleficium– malevolent sorcery- and yes, there were even people with moles and warts, no one was actually a witch by the definition of the time. 

Looking back, there is still no reasonable explanation for women making up the overwhelming majority of people accused of witchcraft- about three quarters of those convicted. Older women, single women, and widows were particularly susceptible to accusations. That is to say, menopause and witchcraft have been intimately interwoven for centuries. 

I mention this in order to demonstrate an important point about the depiction of menopausal women throughout history. Namely, that the decrease in fertility that occurs during menopause has, for hundreds of years, been associated with powerful evil. In fact, the deeply embedded understanding of menopausal women as witches still contributes to the pathologization of menopause today. This is why a witch, predominantly considered evil in Western culture, is depicted as old, infertile, and isolated from the rest of society. 

 As a result of this attitude, so deeply embedded within the patriarchal codes of Western society, menopause has been the source of shame and stigma for centuries. This is, however, quite strange given that shame manifests when societal norms have been transgressed. Yet everyone has a body bound by the confines of time. Everyone grows older, everyone goes through puberty, and everyone has a few stray pimples and hairs. Rather than acknowledge this mostly-universal truth, shame is an emotion which causes people to turn their focus inward, cutting deep into their identity. 

According to this medically-reviewed article on PsychCentral, it could manifest through feelings of worthlessness, worrying about what others think of you, being afraid to look stupid, perfectionism, negative self-talk, or anger in response to shame triggers, resulting in side effects such as low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, sleeping issues, stomach pain, overeating or loss of appetite, eating disorders, substance use disorder, and codependency. While personal experience for some might corroborate this long list of symptoms, there is also evidence to underpin these concerns. Dr. June Tangey and Ronda L. Dearing have evidence to suggest that people with a propensity for feeling shame often have low self-esteem and that shame can increase risks of developing other psychological conditions such as depression. In 2010, a study led by Ulrich Orth of the University of Bern, those in their teen years were particularly sensitive to shame, with this inclination decreasing until it resurged again in older age, in which people felt shame toward their bodily appearance.

 Dr. Brené Brown is yet another well-known shame researcher who advocates for vulnerability. “Shame derives its power from being unspeakable,” she says. How simple, and yet how terrifying, to speak the unspeakable, to strip away the power of silence with just your voice. What if, through asking about menopause, we discovered that the shame surrounding it could be replaced with pride? 

This is where we meet the grandmother hypothesis, an idea that has been put forward by researchers to explain why homo sapiens evolved menopause, the biological mystery that means females stop being able to reproduce about halfway through their life. While it does exist in a small selection of other species, such as Japanese aphids and killer whales, it is extremely uncommon throughout the animal kingdom.

The grandmother hypothesis suggests that instead of disadvantaging homo sapiens, menopause actually allows older females to better support their offspring- and their offspring’s offspring, allowing more offspring to survive into adulthood. So while the individual female can no longer pass down her genetic material, she can more readily ensure the survival of those who are carrying it. 

How does this fit into the way we view menopause today? Sure, like me, you may live an ocean away from your grandmothers, or perhaps not be lucky enough to have them in your life, but this is a phenomenon that goes beyond being a grandmother; It is about being a leader. It is about reinventing yourself. It is about getting clear on what you value. 

“Shame derives its power from being unspeakable,” Dr. Brené Brown says. The shame surrounding menopause is just one example. In reality, fertility or the lack thereof never made menopausal women any more “witch” than the rest of us. In fact, Japanese and Mayan culture view the menopausal transition as a period of growth, renewal, and spiritual rebirth. This highlights not only that it’s possible to rewrite the narrative, but that a positive narrative of menopause already exists. Using our voices to dismantle shame is one tool to get there, but today I want to propose a different kind of expression, one that might terrify you even more. 

Sure, we all know you sing in the shower and bop your head when listening to something groovy. But what if there is something even more powerful to be said for dancing? What if it can dismantle shame? What if it can promote social bonding, increase self-esteem, and fight depression and anxiety? Well, research from 2021, results of which are published in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), suggests that this could all be the case. Results seem to support the claim that dance improves cholesterol levels, physical fitness, self-image and self-esteem for postmenopausal females. 

This is particularly important for this demographic, as postmenopausal females are more likely to experience weight gain, overall/central body adiposity increases, and metabolic disturbances such as increases in triglycerides and bad cholesterol. This leads to a higher cardiovascular risk, but is also complemented with decreased self-esteem and self-image. According to the study, “dance therapy is seen as an attractive option because it is a pleasant activity with low associated costs and low risk of injury for its practitioners.” Dance therapy also offers the added benefits of improved balance, posture, strength, and “overall physical performance”. In fact, dance therapy, first pioneered by Marian Chace back in the 1940s, has been used to help patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other studies by Leste & Rust have highlighted the power of dance classes to reduce anxiety. 

Yet this is, to some extent, old news in the grand scheme of human history. According to the 2015 paper Synchrony and exertion during dance independently raise pain threshold and encourage social bonding, the performance and enjoyment of music and dance in a group setting is somewhat ubiquitous across all human cultures. “Dance is fundamentally cooperative in nature,” it explains. “And may have served the evolutionary function of encouraging social bonds, cooperation and prosocial behaviors between group members.” The authors of this paper- Bronwyn Tarr, Jacques Launay, Emma Cohen and Robin Dunbar- attribute this to the empirically proven link between synchrony, which is performing the same movement at the same time, and bonding. It suggests that synchronization between people influences their positive social feelings toward each other, blurring the perception of ‘self’ and ‘other’. 

By breaking down this barrier between ‘self’ and ‘other’, another thing gets broken down- shame. This is why dance offers such a powerful tool in tackling the physical and emotional toll of menopause. Not only does it provide exercise, but it also acts as a way of bonding and expressing oneself. Shame derives its power from being unspeakable. Yes, this is true. But shame also derives power from being undanceable. 

Sources:

(meno)PAUSE TO CHECK YOUR SOURCES

Archives, The National. “The National Archives – Homepage.” The National Archives, www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/early-modern-witch-trials/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Devereaux, Christina. “Are You Afraid to Dance? | Psychology Today.” Www.psychologytoday.com, 10 Aug. 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meaning-in-motion/201308/are-you-afraid-dance. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

—. “Why Should We Dance?” Psychology Today, 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meaning-in-motion/201305/why-should-we-dance. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

EPOCH. “Wicked or Wise? Menopausal Women in Popular History.” Epochmagazine, 31 Aug. 2021, www.epoch-magazine.com/post/wicked-or-wise-menopausal-women-in-popular-history. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Jackson, Melissa. “Dance Therapy for Mental Patients.” News.bbc.co.uk, 3 Apr. 2004, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3551063.stm. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Johnson, Jacquelyn. “Toxic Shame: Causes, Consequences, and How to Cope.” Psych Central, 13 May 2022, psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-toxic-shame#recap. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Jone Johnson Lewis. “Witch Hunts in Europe: Timeline.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 23 Jan. 2013, www.thoughtco.com/european-witch-hunts-timeline-3530786. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Kämmerer, Annette. “The Scientific Underpinnings and Impacts of Shame.” Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2019, www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-scientific-underpinnings-and-impacts-of-shame/#. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Lambert, Jonathan. “Living near Your Grandmother Has Evolutionary Benefits.” NPR.org, 7 Feb. 2019, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/02/07/692088371/living-near-your-grandmother-has-evolutionary-benefits. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Lamia, Mary. “Shame: A Concealed, Contagious, and Dangerous Emotion.” Psychology Today, 2011, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intense-emotions-and-strong-feelings/201104/shame-concealed-contagious-and-dangerous-emotion. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Lesté, A., and J. Rust. “Effects of Dance on Anxiety.” Perceptual and Motor Skills, vol. 58, no. 3, 1 June 1984, pp. 767–772, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6473025, https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1984.58.3.767. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Lewis, Ioan M., and Jeffrey Burton Russell. “Witchcraft | Definition, History, Varieties, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Oct. 2022, www.britannica.com/topic/witchcraft#ref214880.

McKie, Robin. “Killer Whales Explain the Mystery of the Menopause.” The Guardian, 15 Jan. 2017, www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/15/killer-whales-explain-meaning-of-the-menopause. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

National Institute on Aging. “What Is Menopause?” National Institute on Aging, 2017, www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-menopause. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

North American Menopause Society. “Postmenopausal Women Can Dance Their Way to Better Health.” ScienceDaily, 28 July 2021, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/07/210728105640.htm. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Selva, Joaquin. “Shame Resilience Theory: How to Respond to Feelings of Shame.” PositivePsychology.com, 14 June 2017, positivepsychology.com/shame-resilience-theory/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Tarr, Bronwyn, et al. “Synchrony and Exertion during Dance Independently Raise Pain Threshold and Encourage Social Bonding.” Biology Letters, vol. 11, no. 10, Oct. 2015, p. 20150767, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2015.0767.

Teixeira, Giovana Rampazzo, et al. “October 2021 – Volume 28 – Issue 10 : Menopause.” Journals.lww.com, Oct. 2021, journals.lww.com/menopausejournal/Citation/2021/10000/Dance_practice_modifies_functional_fitness. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Vogel, Kaitlin. “Whether You’re 25 or 65, Here Are 50 Quotes about Menopause That Will Resonate with Every Woman.” Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays, 26 July 2021, parade.com/1239990/kaitlin-vogel/menopause-quotes/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Wallenfeldt, Jeff. “Salem Witch Trials | History & Causes.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 30 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/event/Salem-witch-trials#ref332153.

Women’s Health Network. “Menopause in Different Cultures.” Women’s Health Network, 18 Nov. 2013, www.womenshealthnetwork.com/menopause-and-perimenopause/menopause-in-different-cultures/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Thought to Action:

1. Dance: Take some time to dance to your favorite music or even consider joining a class. Just focus on enjoying yourself. There is no such thing as “too old”, “too weird” or “too uncoordinated”.
2. Educate: Teach yourself what a period is and how it works by watching this phenomenal TED Talk, Why Can’t We Talk About Periods?, by Dr. Jen Gunter, a renowned gynecologist and author of The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto. 
3. Support: Support the women in your life going through menopause by using some of these tips:
   1. Encourage open discussions about menopause with everyone, even husbands, sons, brothers, fathers, etc. A supportive community is needed to make women feel more comfortable during this transition. 
   2. If you have already experienced menopause, share your experience with others to demystify the process and alleviate the shame surrounding it.
   3. Be mindful of the “little” things women might experience during menopause, like the discomfort of a hot flash in the middle of the night, the need to keep the room a bit cooler, sudden mood swings, and the difficulty of coping with menopause in the workplace.
   4. Read this article to find out more.
4. Petition: Consider signing:
   1. this petition to call ministers of health in New Zealand to make menopause training mandatory for all GPs and medical students, create menopause awareness and support in every workplace, and to include menopause in school curriculums. 
   2. this petition to end period poverty in the U.S.
5. Language: How we talk about issues like period poverty affects the way we think about them. Update some of basic linguistic habits to remove the stigma around menstruation by checking out this link. 
6. Read: Check out Emilia Clarke’s three-issue comic mini-series M.O.M.: Mother of Madness about a single mom, Maya, who uses the secret powers rooted in the various points in her menstrual cycle to take on a group of evil human traffickers.
7. Inspire: Consider incorporating some of these witty feminist comebacks into your lexicon:
   1. “Menopause. A pause while you reconsider men.” (Margaret Atwood)
   2. “A man told me that for a woman, I was very opinionated. I said, ‘For a man, you’re kind of ignorant’.” (Anne Hathaway)
   3. “My coach said I run like a girl. And I said if he ran a little faster he could too.” (Mia Hamm)
   4. “I’m tough, ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay.” (Madonna)
   5. “Of course, I am not worried about intimidating men. The type of man who will be intimidated by me is exactly the type of man I have no interest in.” (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

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