The luteal phase is the back half of the cycle - roughly days 17 to 28. It tends to start steady, then taper. By the last week, most people feel less energetic, more sensitive, easier to overwhelm. Knowing this is the entry point. Acting on it is the practice.
Lower the volume on plans. The activities that felt fun in week two often feel like a tax in week four. Default to smaller, gentler ones - a film at home over a crowded restaurant, a walk over a workout, an early night over a late dinner.
Take more off her plate, quietly. Order the groceries. Cook the thing she likes. Handle the call she's been putting off. The point isn't to make a gesture - it's to remove friction she didn't have to ask you to remove.
Match her energy, not yours. If she's withdrawn, withdraw with her for a beat. If she wants closeness without conversation, offer that. The phase isn't an invitation to fix her mood - it's an invitation to be present in a quieter register.
Don't make it about the cycle. 'You're like this because of your phase' is rarely what she wants to hear, even when it's true. The work is to show up differently without naming it as a workaround.