The power of hormones - Grafikmagazin

Mood swings, pain and blood. The menstrual cycle is perceived as a burden for most menstruating people. However, Maisie Hill 's illustrated card deck "Period Power" aims to help people see the hormonal changes within the cycle as a strength and an opportunity. A perspective that reinforces a positive relationship with one's own cycle and shows the role it plays in the topic of "female empowerment".

Text: Paula Schneewind

Author Maisie Hill has 15 years' experience as a therapist, coach and doula (birth companion). Through her work as a menstrual health expert, she is aware of the inherent power of the menstrual cycle and believes that hormones can serve and help our lives. She wants to create a positive relationship with our own bodies and access to more compassion, self-understanding and harmony with ourselves. According to Maisie Hill, it is "the most underestimated and underutilized tool to improve our lives." To make better use of this tool, she has developed a cycle strategy that is made accessible in her "Power Period" card deck.

The lovingly designed deck of cards, illustrated by feminist Parisian illustrator Lucie Birant, comes with an explanatory booklet. It explains various interesting facts about the menstrual cycle and hormones, provides helpful information on cycle tracking and gives instructions on how to use the cards. The card deck is divided into the four seasons of the cycle and each card is dedicated to a characteristic feature of the respective season. For each characteristic, reference is made to the "superpower", the "danger" and the "self-care". This makes it easier to classify all the characteristic feelings of your own cycle and use them to your advantage. Especially when analyzed over a longer period of time, patterns can be identified that can help to better adapt plans to your own cycle in the future.

The inclusivity of the chosen language is particularly noteworthy, as Maisie Hill consciously rejects cis-sexist language and wants to emphasize that people of all genders can have a menstrual cycle. Her cycle strategy is intended for anyone who wants to engage with the topic and she consciously avoids describing hormones or menstruation as something stereotypically "male" or "female".

The card set represents a call for more self-understanding, compassion and self-love. Both visually and in terms of content, the cards have been designed with a lot of love and make you want to pay more attention to your own cycle. It can help us in life if we just let it. Because our cycle really has power!

If you want to get started with cycle tracking, you can begin with the free cycle tracking kit on Maisie Hill's website.