The common attitude towards periods is that they suck, they're bad and that men are lucky they don't have to go through it. All this attitude gave me was self-hatred and made my periods feel like torture. Perspective is key, because without it, human tend to fixate on the negative. The more you focus on "I can't do this" "this is hard" "I hate this" the harder it is for us to go through with the challenge. For instance, Chas took me on a couple weeks back, my first run in months, and it was just to the end of our street and back. I promise you this relates to periods, just bare with me. The first few seconds of the run were easy, then all f a sudden running felt really hard, and by the time I had gotten 1/3 of the way, I wanted to stop. I realised at that point that the voice in my brain was saying "give up, this is hard, don't do his, you're not fit enough." The great thing about awareness is that we can actively choose different, so I did. I forced myself to repeat the phrase "You've got this." All of a sudden, running was easier, or at the very least it felt less draining than it did 20 seconds earlier. My mind stopped repeating the phrase and I found myself wanting to give in again, so I started up again with "Come on, you've got this" and before I knew it, I was home.
How does this relate to periods? Well, taking the approach of "this sucks, this is hard, I want it to stop" only makes us more miserable, so if we have the power to flip that script why wouldn't we? If I can go for a solid run for the first time in 6 months with little exercise after a big day, even though my mind was telling me I can't, what would happen if we gave ourselves encouraging words when our period comes along?
For example, for those of us who don't really want children right now, why aren't we thanking our bodies and our period each time it comes around? I celebrate out loud to Chas with a "YES" and a mini happy dance, even when I'm in pain. I gladly welcome the cramps and the bloat and the sore boobs because I know it means that I get to live the life I want to live right now.
Each month or so, our bodies are telling us to slow down by giving us our period. Why aren't we using this as an invitation to take it easy? Instead of berating ourselves, getting annoyed that it impacts our day at work or our physical ability to be productive, why aren't we saying "Thank you for the reminder, I actually do need a break, I will rest where I can" or even take a day off!
Most importantly, as women we have to accept the fact that we will bleed for most of our lives. Are we going to choose to spend our whole lives miserable? Accept the fact that you have this magic ability, at some point in time, to not only keep yourself alive but GROW another ENTIRE BEING. Whether you choose to grow another human or not, you can't skip past how strong and resilient we are. Also accept the fact that your choices determine how good or bad your period may be.
*Side note: I am not a doctor, I am not referring to PCOS or Endometriosis, I am basing this off all of the books and articles I have read as well as my own personal experience.
Bat-signals
Many of us experience PMS the week or two prior to our period as a gentle warning. Bloating, cramping, irritability, fatigue, pimples, sore and swollen boobs, headaches, body aches, you name it. Instead of adopting the "Oh shit, here it comes" mentality, think of it as Batman putting out the bat-signal. The body is saying "Hey, hi, me again. Just letting you know Aunt Flow is coming soon, so you might want to take extra care of yourself right now." The more we hate on our bodies the harder it is to figure out how to make things better. You can't see all the good someone is doing if you're stuck believing they're your worst enemy. So how can we take can we make it easier on ourselves?
Prepare Your Body Nutritionally
Two weeks before my period, I start taking supplements to decrease cramps and ensure a healthy bleed. Here's how it goes:
Iron Supplement to make up for any lost during bleed and increase chances of a healthy flow
Vitamin C, which enables our body to absorb the Iron
Magnesium, which eases muscle cramps
Chaste Tree drops in tea each morning. According to Eastern herbology, Chaste Tree lessens PMS symptoms like irritability and cramps.
Switch to Iodine Salt in all cooking and increase seafood intake. Iodine is said to help with PMS symptoms like swollen and sore breasts.
EAT. EAT EAT EAT. Healthy home-cooked meals that have meats and veg are your best friend.
Side note on Eating
We have a culture which tells us to eat less. Whilst I do believe we consume too much, it is an entirely different story when your body is changing drastically over the course of two weeks and even while you (or your female partner and friends depending on who is reading) sit there on your phone, your body is using up significant amounts of energy to make shit happen. When I encourage eating, I'm not talking about fast food and junk food--this will increase inflammation and potentially create a worse period experience. However, it is totally okay to treat ourselves to some chocolate a couple times a week--dark chocolate especially as it contains a higher amount of magnesium than regular chocolate and helps with progesterone levels... If you usually fast, stop fasting for the week of your period. Cook so much food you have left overs to ensure you're eating 2-3 big meals a day. Give yourself permission to eat.
Help Your Body Physically
Movement and rest are both equally important in making period time easier. Here's how I do it:
Yoga. Just for 10-15 minutes every day. It is movement, which increases blood flow and activates the muscles inside.
Go for a leisurely Walk. No need to walk fast or for 10km's, just get moving.
Bath with Magnesium Salts. As I stated before, magnesium decreases cramping but it can also help with sleep. The heat of the bath and even a shower seems to help with cramping for me personally.
QUALITY SLEEP. Get 8 hours sleep minimum. No chocolate (caffeine) or sugar before bed. No coffee after 12pm--honestly this should be none after 9am but y'all are addicted). Get block out blinds. Take a 10 minute nap after work. Let your body rest and reset.
Portable Muscle Heat Patch. This is great if you need to go to work or be out and about--it is a big band-aid looking patch that goes undetected under clothes and stays hot for 5+ hours! I found them in pharmacies and they're usually directed at back aches or generic muscle pain.
Sun time after lunch. Our bodies create Vitamin D from the sun which boosts our mood (and immunity). The body has a better time absorbing vitamin D after consuming protein.
Honour your feelings. Bottling up feelings can induce a physical stress response, which is not helpful emotionally or physically for our period time. I am not giving you express permission to dump all your emotions on someone else, just let them out.
Use Organic Tampons. Regular tampons contain chemicals, dyes and are possibly bleached. Whilst there aren't any studies on how this affects the vagina or uterus, I can't see our bodies finding it helpful to our period, and if we can't ingest or digest these ingredients then why are we putting them inside ourselves?
Vaginal Sex. Yep. Sex is said to help ease cramping, relieve stress, regulate emotions and can also induce your period.
Slow Your Roll
We tend to treat our period time as if it is the same as any other week. When I was on the pill, I was definitely able to achieve that. Now that I'm off the pill again, I see how our current societal rules do not align with the nature of women. The current work force climate is the same as it has been since the Industrial age--it was designed around males only, males who don't have incredible hormonal changes that affect their regular abilities. With this piece of information, there is no need to hate on men or society because that will get us nowhere. Instead, choose to control what you can control: yourself. Give yourself some compassion. Take a day off work. Don't push yourself as hard as you usually do at work, socially, at home, with exercise.
How Does All This Help?
Each of our periods is telling us what we need. To take better care of ourselves, to slow down, that something isn't right inside, a lesson on how to have compassion, a reminder of how strong we are. Know that when you listen to your body, give it what it needs, and start treating it as your best friend, life becomes a little easier.
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Resources
Below are some resources I have used and found over the years pertaining to periods and health. Check them out if you want a bit more information.
Lara Briden - Period Repair Manual and Instagram on natural period health
Dr Rhonda Patrick - Instagram and Joe Rogan podcast on optimal nutrition
Natural Cycles - blog for education on women's health and periods
Katie Bressack - instagram for hormone health
Sex with Emily - instagram and podcast
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