Why It’s So Hard to Stay On Track When You’re PMSing (Especially When You’re Trying to Become Your Next Level Self)

I’m 32 and every single month this still catches me off guard.

There’s usually one week where I suddenly feel like a completely different woman than I was a few days earlier. The routines that felt easy feel heavier. My body feels bloated and uncomfortable. I’m more emotional. Things irritate me faster. My energy dips and the motivation that was there the week before just isn’t the same.

And every month there’s a small part of me that thinks, what the hell is wrong with me? Especially when you’re someone who cares about growth. When you’ve worked really hard to become disciplined, self aware, and intentional with your life. When you’ve raised your standards for how you take care of yourself.

Women who care about growth tend to hold themselves to a very high standard. So when their energy dips for a week, it’s easy to interpret it as failure instead of rhythm.

Then PMS hits and suddenly it feels like you’re slipping.

You want to stay on track. You want to keep your routines. You want to show up the same way you did two weeks ago.

But your body is basically saying… absolutely not.

I’m still learning how to navigate this myself, but something I’ve realized over the last few years is that the spiral doesn’t come from PMS.

It comes from the story we attach to it.

The moment we start thinking we’re failing.

The moment we start questioning our discipline.

The moment we start telling ourselves we’re falling off track.

That’s where things get messy. When you feel like you’re “failing,” it becomes way easier to throw the whole week away. To skip the workout entirely. To eat whatever. To abandon the routines that normally support you. To beat yourself up for it the entire time.

And now you’re not just PMSing. You’re PMSing and feeling like a disappointment to yourself. That’s a brutal combo.

What I’m slowly learning is that this week requires a completely different type of self leadership. The kind that softens a little.

I don’t mean abandoning your standards. I mean adjusting how you hold them.

Maybe the workout becomes a walk. Maybe the productive morning becomes a slower one. Maybe the goal that day is simply not spiraling. I’ve learned that during that week the real win is keeping a few small promises to myself...drink the water, move my body a little, get outside, go to bed earlier.

There’s something powerful about deciding that this week is allowed to look different without making it mean something about your character.

Your standards don’t disappear during PMS. They just need a different kind of support.

For me lately, the real win during that week isn’t being perfectly disciplined. It’s staying on my own side. It’s noticing when the negative self talk starts creeping in and choosing not to pile on. It’s reminding myself that one week of lower energy does not erase the woman I’ve been working so hard to become.

Honestly, I think more of us need to talk about this. So many women are trying to build better lives, build businesses, show up for their families, take care of their bodies, do the inner work… and then this one week shows up every month and throws the whole thing sideways.

And instead of compassion, we give ourselves criticism. I’m still figuring this out too. Every month teaches me something new about my body and my limits and what support actually looks like.

If you’re in that week right now and everything feels a little heavier than it did a few days ago, give yourself some room to move through it without turning it into a character judgment.

Nothing about the woman you’re becoming disappeared overnight. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do during this phase is stay on your own team. Keep a few small promises to yourself. Lower the pressure a little. Choose support instead of punishment.

A few slower days don’t undo the work you’ve been doing on yourself.

They’re just part of being a woman who lives inside a body with rhythms.

One thing that’s helped me a lot when I notice I’m starting to feel off or out of alignment with myself is doing little resets instead of waiting until I feel completely back on track again.

That’s actually a big part of why I created That Girl Detox.

Yes. Originally for myself.

It’s something I still come back to when I feel like I need to clear the mental noise and reconnect with myself for a few days. If you’ve been feeling a little off lately, it might support you too.

You can check it out here if you want to join me.

Cheering you on always, girl...

-Alicia Arlene

P.S. Have you seen that my first book, You’re Already Her, is officially out for pre-order!? AHHH!!! Pinch me.

If you want to grab your copy early and support this message getting into more women’s hands, you can do that here.