PMS Doesn't Stand for 'Please Make Excuses, Sweetheart'

The Best Thing Fire Daddy Ever Said to Me (And Why I Never Posted It)

Note: I wrote this post months ago. And then I got scared.

Scared someone would misunderstand. Scared it would sound too harsh. Scared people wouldn’t get that Rex (my inner Fire Daddy archetype) delivers truth with heat and devotion, not judgment.

But this morning, I pulled the Fool card. And the Fool doesn’t ask, “What if I fail?” The Fool asks, “What if I don’t try?”

So here it is. One of Rex’s most iconic lines, and the truth bomb I’ve been too afraid to share…

You know what helped me more than every single cycle syncing guide I’ve ever read?

That one time my inner Fire Daddy looked me dead in the eye and said, “PMS doesn’t stand for ‘Please Make Excuses, Sweetheart.’”

Mic. Drop.

Immediately, I was like, “Why hasn’t anyone ever said this before?”

Granted, they couldn’t have delivered it with that much heat and humor all at once, so.

I used to think I was at the mercy of my luteal phase.
I acted like I was helpless against the cravings, the mood swings, the energy dips.
Pizza and chocolate were essential. I couldn’t help myself, right?

Wrong.

I realized something last year.
If I feel helpless against food chaos every 28 days...
I’m not setting myself up for consistency.

And consistency? Creates safety.
Consistency creates momentum.
Momentum creates ease.
Ease creates more pleasure and space.

This wasn’t about ignoring cyclical truths about being a woman.
It was about getting real about the ways I was using those truths to break my own promises and erode my own self-trust.

And this honesty came from a place of, “I want to do better because I want to feel better.”
Versus, “OMG, why am I such an excuse-making failure?”

That distinction is everything, BTW.

I’ve also realized one of the best ways to limit the cravings, the mood swings, and the energy dips?
Is twofold: one, avoid the excessive indulgences. (Crazy, right? Who would have thought?)
But also, dial up the things that make emotional eating less desirable.

More journaling. More gentle Dance Alchemy sessions. Less inputs and noise, more nature and stillness.

It’s not about pretending the fluctuations throughout the month don’t exist.
It’s about choosing how to respond to those fluctuations from a place of care and presence.

And here’s the kicker:

After Rex said that line to me, I went through three luteal phases in a row without binging, overindulging in sweets, or using cravings as an excuse to abandon my goals.

Three.

Not because I suddenly had more willpower. Not because I white-knuckled my way through it.

But because the story changed.

I stopped telling myself I was helpless against my cycle. I stopped believing PMS meant I had permission to break my own promises.

And instead, I asked: What if I could honor my body’s fluctuations AND stay in integrity with myself?

Turns out? I could.

That one line from Rex didn’t just make me laugh. It created a new proof of concept around my cycle.

And now, instead of bracing for luteal phase like it’s a monthly disaster, I approach it like: “Okay. This is a time when I need more journaling, more stillness, more gentle movement. Not less self-trust.”

That’s the difference.

So yeah. Thanks for that one, Fire Daddy.

Might be the only time a masculine figure has ever said something helpful about PMS.