How To Take Menstrual Rest While Working On Superyachts

Hi! I’m Marién from Yachts Mermaids, and I’ve had the privilege of serving as a chief stew for over 16 years aboard various vessels at sea. As the founder of Yachts Mermaids, I’ve joined forces with Superyacht Content to shed light on the crucial issue of prioritizing menstrual rest for women working in the maritime industry.

I remember hustling through the month while working below deck 13-18 hours per day, with 2 hours of rest on a good day. Trying to keep up, yet constantly feeling like there was never enough time. Shutting down my emotions and body aches because soldiering on was part of the job.

After seven years of this insanity, my body and mind gave out, and I was obligated to resign and take time off.

It took me about a year and a half to improve my mental and physical health and transform the patriarchal mindset that working myself to extortion meant I was more productive.

Embarking On My Healing Journey

During my journey to healing, I discovered the interconnectedness between women’s mental and physical health, productivity, and menstrual cycles. This led me to reclaim the knowledge of cyclical living and the significance of menstrual rest.

When I returned to yachts, I implemented Menstrual Rest and Cyclical Living on every vessel I worked on. Because if we want change to happen, we must lead by example. 

Taking menstrual rest and syncing your work and life with your menstrual cycle is the key to well-being, mental health, better work performance, and avoiding burnout as a woman.

Menstrual rest means slowing down and resting during your bleeding phase to reconnect with yourself and your inner seasons. Cyclical living means delegating work duties/projects and scheduling your private life according to your cyclical phase.

Why Is Menstrual Rest Important? 

Let’s talk about female vs. male physiology.

The circadian rhythm influences male physiology. It is a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle connected to the rhythm of the sun and ruled by the hormone testosterone. As long as food is eaten at the correct times and they get enough sleep, they’re good to go any day of the week.

Cyclical bodies, on the other hand…NOT SO MUCH. If you have a womb, your biological clock is deeply impacted by the infradian rhythm, which is a fancy way to say your menstrual cycle.

This 28-ish-day rhythm is ruled by the moon and governed by estrogen and progesterone hormones. This means you go through four distinct phases/seasons within one lunar cycle, which means you probably feel like this sometimes: 

The key to thriving as a cyclical being is to work with the flow of your hormones instead of against them. You do this by planning your life according to the phases of your menstrual cycle and taking rest when bleeding.

The fact is that women have been conditioned to adjust to a man’s workplace, environment, schedule, and approach to productivity for way too long because pretty much everything, from exercise to sleep to nutrition and even the way we’re expected to work, is based on research done on male physiology. AKA the physiology that is basically the same every day.

Exploring productivity at work through a female paradigm is the key to unlocking your performance genius zone. Learning to sync your female cycle with your work and life is the ultimate bio-hack to harness your energy, productivity, well-being, and mental health.

So, What Should You Do During Menstrual Rest?

Rest, Reconnect, and Reset. 

Here are some ways to achieve that:

1. Create a relaxing environment.
2. Listen to your body, hydrate, and eat nutritious foods.
3. Practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques 
4. Reconnect with your womb. Click here for my womb healing meditation.
5. Prioritize quality sleep
6. Engage in gentle exercises like walking, Yin Yoga, Tai chi, Qigong, etc.
7. Disconnect from electronics and enjoy journaling, painting, or doing anything creative you like.
8. Practice self-compassion and embrace the power of rest. Allow it to support your overall well-being, ensuring a healthier and happier you during this natural process.

Click here to download my fave 6 menstrual rest rituals!

Let’s talk about implementing menstrual rest while working onboard superyachts.

1. Educate yourself. Learn how your body and cycle work and how to take menstrual rest. The YM Productivity Training is the first and only available class in the yachting industry that teaches women how to use their monthly periods as a productivity tool.
2. Meet with the captain or person in charge to discuss the benefits of giving menstrual rest to women on board. Every captain and crew I have shared this topic with has supported this decision and thanked me for educating them. Please don’t be afraid to speak about this. It is time to break the stigma and taboo around periods. After all, we do spend an average of 3,500 days menstruating. It’s Natural, Period.
3. Share your knowledge with other women onboard. The easiest way is to watch my Productivity Masterclass together!
4. Implement cyclical living and menstrual rest at work.

Cyclical living and menstrual rest have immensely benefited me and many other women. These practices have enhanced our overall well-being and productivity in the workplace. Implementing this approach in your life will have a similar positive impact.

It’s time to change the stigma, stereotype, and taboo surrounding menstruation by educating yourself and normalizing cyclical living and menstrual rest for you and all women. Learn more here.

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