The way the world functions works through women. Our world moves through seasons. Similarly, women go through different phases in their monthly cycle that correlate with the seasons of nature. As women, when we understand the way our menstrual cycle works (even in perimenopause and menopause), we are able to better understand ourselves, especially our moods, our energy levels, and our natural tendencies during different times of the month.

Malka Chana Amichai, a certified Postpartum Doula, is passionate about helping women connect to their femininity. Her mission is to educate and support women to be active participants in their own life experiences. She expanded her practice to become a Prenatal Yoga instructor, a Kallah teacher who gives premarital education to brides, and a sexual health mentor. He main objective is to empower women in their womanhood and to facilitate their reconnection with the divine feminine that flows through all of us.

Below are the phases of our menstrual cycle, as they correspond to each season:

Menstrual Phase--Winter--just like when it's cold in the winter, we cuddle up with cozy socks and a warm blanket, and tend to stay home, during the time we are menstruating, women go inward. They want to spend more time at home; they tend to want to be by themselves; they do a lot of inner work and self-care during this time of the month.

Follicular Phase--Spring--just like in the spring when the flowers start blooming, and the weather starts getting warner, women start coming out of their shell more. They tend to want to be around people a bit more than during the menstrual phase. They experience more creativity, inspiration and hope.

Ovulation Phase--Summer--just like in the summer when it's hot and everything is in full bloom, women are more aroused, they want to be closer with their partner, they want to be around their friends and be much more social and outgoing. This is the phase of the month when they feel most connected to others.

Post Period Phase--Fall--just like the fall is the transition between summer and winter, the post period phase is an in between time for women; a type of 'nowhere zone,' where we feel that we're neither here nor there. This is the time when we experience higher than usual anxiety.

If you are in the perimenopause or menopause phase of your life, you can still connect to your cycle through the phases of the moon.

Rosh Chodesh is a women's holiday, and it's marked by the New Moon.

New Moon--correlates with the menstruation phase (winter)
Waxing Moon--correlates with the follicular phase (spring)
Full Moon--correlates with the ovulation phase (summer)
Waning Moon--correlates with the post period phase (fall)

Malka Chana also talks about how mothers can introduce the concept of menstruation and periods to her preteen or teenage daughter, and how mothers can transmit to them the beauty of being a woman.

For more information on Malka Chana, visit her website: https://www.bohemianbalabusta.com/about-me/

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.
To learn more, visit:
https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/

Attachment styles are our emotional blueprint, formed in our childhood, for the way we give and receive love, and for our ability (or inability) to feel safe and emotionally close to others. There are four primary attachment styles: secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized. Each of these attachment styles is very clearly explained by Dr. Marnee Firestone, a licensed psychologist in Boca Raton, Florida, who provides individual therapy, family and parenting therapy, and conducts a variety of evaluations, including neuropsychological evaluations.

1. Secure Attachment--this is the most healthy and balanced attachment style. The person is emotionally available for intimacy, as well as independence, without feeling fearful or guilty. They tend to be calm and well balanced. A person with secure attachment most likely received consistent love, validation and nurturing as a child.

2. Anxious attachment--someone with this attachment style has a deep fear of abandonment. They seek constant love and reassurance. They can be overly smothering. They panic easily and they feel overly responsible for everyone and everything. They feel a personal sense of failure if their child is struggling, and tend to micromanage their children. A person with anxious attachment style was most likely given inconsistent love and care. Their emotional needs were sometimes tended to, and other times rejected or dismissed.

3.Avoidant attachment--someone with avoidant attachment seeks to escape conflicts or arguments in the relationship. They are scared to show emotion or affection because they are scared of being rejected or neglected. They tend to withdraw from both intimacy and arguments for fear of not being accepted by their spouse. A person with avoidant attachment most likely did not have their emotional needs met. They were either ignored from expressing their feelings or discouraged from showing emotion. They did not have a place to safely express themselves, be heard, and be shown love and affection.

4. Disorganized attachment--someone with disorganized attachment has a push/pull dynamic. They intensely crave closeness, but once someone gets close, they immediately push them away because real intimacy is scary for them. They are highly emotional, have a heightened fear of abandonment (possibly to an extreme), and they are very reactive. They have difficulty self-soothing, and they tend to attract chaos in relationships. Disorganized attachment develops as the result of trauma in childhood.

Dr. Marnee explains how each of these attachment styles shows up in marriage and parenting. She assures us that attachment style is not set in stone for life. You can change your attachment style by becoming aware of what your attachment style is, and working to emotionally regulate yourself so that you can think clearly and respond appropriately to the people and situations in your life.

If you would like Dr. Marnee's free e-book on 4 Tips To Reduce Anxiety in Your Teen, please email me at: atrebbetzins@gmail.com

For families interested in Dr. Marnee's program, it is called Break the Anxiety Cycle. https://breakanxietycycle.com/

Dr. Marnee Firestone & Tamar Opp enheimer, LCSW, help parents of anxious teens by teaching them effective and practical strategies that are proven to support teens in building confidence, empowering them to pursue their goals, and ultimately bringing a sense of calm to stressed households. As we approach summer, many parents of anxious teens are searching for ways to reset and prepare their families for a better school year ahead. Break the Anxiety Cycle is a structured, parent-based program created to help families disrupt the patterns that unintentionally reinforce anxiety. Rather than placing the full burden on the teen, this program empowers parents with tools to create real change at home—reducing reactivity, rebuilding connection, and promoting resilience. This summer window—about 12 weeks—is an ideal time for families to slow down, reset dynamics, and implement new strategies without the pressure of daily school stress.


Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.
To learn more, visit:
https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/

When you live your life with joy and calm, you can think more clearly and make better decisions.

Beverly Chimes is a social worker and a life coach with more than 20 years of experience. She is an expert at helping people untangle complex situations and relationships so that they can take care of their inner world and show up for themselves, and for others, with more ease.

In this lively conversation, Beverly teaches us how to avoid overwhelm and burnout.

The first thing that Beverly recommends to do is to take a few breaks in your day ON PURPOSE. Use those breaks to truly refresh you. Put your device down; no electronics. Have a snack while looking out the window. Step outside for 5 minutes to get a breath of fresh air. Sip on your iced coffee or drink a delicious glass of water while giving your brain and eyes a break from whatever it is that you were doing. Take this break on purpose, with a purpose--to clear your mind from chaos and allow it to relax and be calm.

The second thing that Beverly advises is to create joy ON PURPOSE. Identify a few things that you really enjoy doing (yoga, walking in nature, taking an art class, shopping, etc.) and schedule it into your calendar for a set day and time so that you can look forward to it. The more joyful things that you can regularly schedule for yourself, the better. When we do things in our lives that bring us joy, we become happier people. When we are happier, are thoughts become clear and our emotions begin to regulate and become balanced.

In order to further enhance our emotional regulation, we need to understand that thoughts create feelings/emotions, and those feelings/emotions create our actions. We act based off our feelings/emotions. If our emotions are not regulated, we tend to become explosive, rageful, anxious, and sad. We need to look at is what is actually happening before we become dysregulated. What thoughts were we having? What did those thoughts cause us to do? Quite often we have a narrative of our story playing and replaying in our minds every day; this could be things that happened in childhood, negative messages and limited beliefs. If we are thinking, and therefore living, from that negative place, we can't expect ourselves to emotionally regulate and we can't expect ourselves to be happy. In order to become emotionally regulated and happy, we need to work with someone to understand where our thoughts and limiting beliefs are coming from, and then discard those that no longer serve us.

To contact Beverly, visit her website: https://www.beverlychimes.com/

Contact: atrebbetzins@gmail. com

Vera Kessler (host of America's Top Rebbetzins) is a certified life coach. She specializes in transformational life coaching and accountability coaching. She is also a motivational speaker. Vera's mission is to help women get out of survival mode and start thriving. She works with women who are committed to stepping into their own self-worth and creating the life they want to live--one that is full of joy, empowerment, meaning, and purpose.
To learn more, visit:
https://innerlifecoachingwithvera.com/