Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimised by Mother Nature. If you’ve ever experienced periods, you probably feel this 12 times a year unfortunately.
Periods are not the best experience in life and if you’re like me, it just means you spend 5 days each month suffering. It’s even worse if you have something planned when it decides to attack.
In this post, I’m going to outline my tips and tricks that I’ve collected to make periods a little more bearable.
DIY hot water bottle
I’m sure you’ve spend hours aimlessly searching on google how to make cramps a little less painful. Most of the time, the results all sing praises for hot water bottles and sometimes, you either misplace it or simply don’t have one around. My solution for this is to fill a plastic water bottle with warm water and lay with it on my stomach. It doesn’t last as long as a hot water bottle but it does ease the pain for a while.
Stock up with sweet and salty food
During my 5 days of pain, I either crave chocolate or salty food so I like to have both on hand. I’m a sweet-tooth so it’s mostly the chocolate but occasionally I steer towards the savoury. Any chocolate helps and it releases endorphins but my absolute favourites are Kinder Bueno and Cadbury dark-milk. I like to stock up beforehand as when I’m on my period, I like to move as little as possible despite articles urging you to exercise- I’d rather do literally anything else!
Wear your comfiest clothes!
Seems like common sense but it makes the world of different. I like to wear t-shirt dresses or joggers and oversized t-shirts. If I could give you any advise then I’d advise you to stay away from jeans, especially skinny jeans. They just hold in your stomach and this worsens my cramps. When going into public, I like to double up underwear to reduce chances of leaking. Another important tip here: do not wear your best underwear!! Don’t risk the chance of ruining it!
Do something to take your mind off of the pain
For me, this is reading. Scrolling on my phone isn’t enough to distract my mind. When reading, I can visualise the story in my head and it really takes my mind off of the current situation. I also find that writing for the blog helps and I’m then focusing on what to write rather than the chainsaw that’s been let loose inside. A dramatic yet accurate comparison, do you not agree?
Keep track of it!
This one is so important. There’s plenty of apps now to keep on top of your cycle and I feel like it’s essential as knowing when your period is can make sure you’re fully prepared. It also reduces the risk of ruining underwear if you lose track of the day of your cycle. The app does it all so you don’t have to! I use the app Clue and it allows you to track other factors such as exercise and how heavy your flow is.
Use the first day as a self-care day
Self care is so important and many have incorporated it into their weekly routine. Why not make it a once-a-month habit to have your first day as an extra special self care day. Do your face masks, have a bath, do what enjoy. Don’t feel guilty! Loving yourself and taking care of yourself should be a priority.
Find your comfortable position
Going to sleep can be difficult when on your period. I take a painkiller before I go then I like to lay with my feet propped up on a couple of pillows until they subside. Then I like to lay on my side with my legs slightly bent. If you’re struggling, move about until you find the position that gives you less pain. Many favour the foetal position and while it is effective, it isn’t the most effective for me. Obviously however, that’s normal as everyone is different.
Stay hydrated
So many “help posts” advise you to drink water. Personally, I drink tea a lot with an occasional hot chocolate as I feel hot drinks help. I’m sure water obviously helps as it has a multitude of benefits but I think any drink will help as long as you have plenty of it. Water probably is easier when on your period, luckily my mum and my nan are absolute angels and offer to make me a hot drink.
Don’t bother with makeup
Even if you feel your skin is at its worst, don’t wear makeup, especially if you’re not going out anywhere. It just creates an additional chore at night when you have to wash it off. That’s the last thing you need. Take a break and let your skin breathe. I always forget that I’m not even wearing it anyway! It feels so good at night knowing that to wash your face you don’t have to worry about removing all your makeup too!
Make sure you don’t seclude yourself
It may seem the more favourable option but you can’t just shut yourself out for the week. Even if you have really bad PMS, at least just talk to your family for a bit. They’ll most likely understand why you’re cranky and won’t pull you up about it. If you don’t think you can manage that then call or message someone. Make sure you communicate. It can really lift your mood.
How do you deal with your periods? Let me know in the comments below!
You may also like:
Easy ways to practice self care
My period is so bad. It lasts up to 2 weeks and is awful in the first few days. I suffer from fibroids which makes it really bad. I do try to drink lots of water, rest, take painkillers and use a heat pad. I also crave sweet foods during this time. It really sucks to be a woman sometimes lol x
It really does!! Xx
These cramps suck and there’s no denying it 🙁 this hit chocolate you have looks so amazing! I want this every week regardless of cycle! 😂 X
It was so so good and yes, I think I’d have it everyday if it wasn’t so unhealthy 😂