(inner) winter - Leysin, Vaud

“Menstruation feels deeply connected to what came before. The intensity of the pre-menstrual phase lingers, shaping how I enter this new cycle. Some months, it arrives like a storm, emotions still raw and swirling. PMS hits hard, bringing exhaustion, pain, and an overwhelming jumble of thoughts. Other times, it feels like a deep exhale, the weight of the previous phase finally lifting.

I am tired, sensitive, sometimes even angry because of the pain, but beneath it all, there’s a quiet sense of renewal. A recurring sensation that things will soon “come back to normal.” The contrast is striking. Above the surface, the storm still rages, but underneath, in the depths of stillness, I begin to let go.

It’s like being underwater—at first, struggling to come back up for air, then surrendering, allowing the calm beneath the waves to carry me.

And then, relief. The fog lifts, emotions settle, clarity returns. Like a surfer waiting for the right moment to rise, I come back for air, a little flame inside rekindling.

"You can breathe again."

A new cycle begins.”