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HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR PERIOD
#1 Keep Track of Your Period
There is nothing worst than having your period and not expecting it at all. What if you are out hanging out with your friends and suddenly, out of nowhere, you are hit with an extreme punch to the gut. Now you have to excuse yourself and maybe leave early altogether because the pain is too much. Or worst, you are at a party wearing the top of the line dress you could find. You spent over $100 to dress the best you have in months and now, “OH NO WHAT IS THAT DRIPPING DOWN MY DRESS?!” Even more embarrassing is if everyone sees your blood stain at the party and a girl has to eventually come to you and let you know you have something going on that you have to handle. No one wants to be known as the girl with the period stain. All of this can be a figment of imagination if just you keep track of your period. Here are some period tracking methods.
Keep a calendar! All you have to do is mark on your calendar the days of your period. You can use a red marker, a pink marker, maybe even a purple marker. Mark up your planner or wall calendar with a color that stands out and use that color consistently so you can remember that that color stands for your monthly. Then, if you know how long your cycle usually is, count from the first day of your cycle the number of days until your next cycle and mark the next cycle, preferable in pencil in case the day is not exact, on your calendar ahead of time. Now, what if you do not want to do all of that work, or what if you forget all about your calendar? Well, there’s an app for that. Actually, there are a lot of apps for that!
Keep track in an App! Go into your app store, and you will more than likely become overwhelmed with the number of period tracking apps! I personally use Flo and have been using Flo for the past 2 years. Before Flo I used Clue. The reason I switched from Clue to Flo was because I liked Flo’s set up more than Clue at the time. Nowadays, Clue has updated its interface and offers many more options than it previously did, so I would consider Clue and Flo neck in neck. All you have to do with pretty much every period tracking app is just put the beginning date of your period and the length of your cycle, and it will predict your future periods for you. Many will even send you notifications when your period is on its way. In the end, try out different apps. Read articles about it. Ask your girl friends which apps they use and why.
#2 Prepare For Your Period
Now that you know what day your period is more than likely going to fall on, you can properly prepare for Aunt Flow to pay a visit! Make sure to get ready for your period a couple of days before it is scheduled to start.
Have all of your sanitary products ready.
It’s not fun to find out your period started, and you do not have any pads or tampons. Always make sure you have a stash of your sanitary product of choice. You can never have too many. Well, just make sure it is a reasonable amount. Also, try to keep pads or tampons in different places such as in your purse or booksac, maybe even your travel bag or suitcase. You may know what day your period will strike, but the time and occasion is nearly unpredictable. You may even run out of pads and find one hidden away in your purse, or one of your friends or coworkers may be in need of one. This way, you will have one readily available in your bag to give.
Have your painkillers ready and easily accessible.
If you know you are going to need an Aleve or Advil during your period, have some by your bedside and in your bag. Again, you never know when your period will start, neither do you know if it will start off painful or unnoticeable. You do not want to be in so much pain to where you cannot get up to go to your cabinet and end up having to endure extreme pains. Save yourself the trouble and have some strategically placed in areas you frequent. Personally, I eat garlic to alleviate my cramps, so I try to always keep a clove next to my bed along with a granola bar because you do not want to eat garlic on an empty stomach. TRUST ME!
Have your food and drinks ready and clean up around the house.
Periods not only bring cramps, but also mood swings and fatigue. All of this is a recipe for not wanting to do absolutely anything, but stay in bed and watch TV. So to allow yourself some free time for when your flow starts, try to have easy to heat meals prepped and any other snacks and drinks stocked up. You do not want to have to make a trip to the store because you are low on food during your period. Moreover, who wants to cook while cramping and feeling extremely tired? Also, clean up ahead of time because you already know you will not be up to it in the next coming days. Plus, who doesn’t want to relax in a clean environment?
Do your homework or any work assignments early.
For the same reasons above, you may not have any energy to do any extra homework or work in general. So, if you know beforehand of some assignments that will be due during the week, try to complete them before your period starts. This way, you can relax earlier than usual and get the necessary rest you need. If that is not possible, try to see if you can get a doctors note about how bad your periods are so you can let your teacher or employer know you may need an extension on some homework or projects. You never know until you ask.
Have your TV shows and music lined up.
During the time you are resting in bed or on the couch, you want to spend it wisely. Stop wasting time surfing channels and Netflix trying to figure out what to watch. Have a list made of shows you want to watch beforehand. Now, this may be my personal problem, but when I am on my period, I cannot think for the life of me what to watch. I am tired and in pain. I don’t fee like making even the smallest of decisions. You might be like me, so it may come in handy to decide what you want to watch in advance. Ask someone for show suggestions if you are totally drawing a blank or randomly choose some shows just for the heck of it. The same goes for music. Have some relaxing music ready for when you want to chill in your bathtub or lay in bed to take a nap. Lofi hip hop is always my fave thing to listen to when I am ready to relax and wind down.
#3 Eat the Right Foods
This falls under the category of preparing for your period and also during your period. Before and during your period, try to avoid foods that clog you up or have you running to the toilet all day. There is nothing more painful than cramps compounded with a stomach ache from the foods you ate. Some girls have constipation or diarrhea during their periods. Some girls are fortunate enough to have both (sarcasm). It will save you a lot of trouble and tears to research the right foods to eat to avoid becoming struggling on the toilet during your cycle. This may be TMI, but we are already talking about a TMI subject, so why not. I am a female who has diarrhea during her periods. I find that oatmeal stops the problem swiftly. I also try to limit the amount of heavy foods days prior to my period so that there is a limit to how intense things can get for me. Also, make sure you are hydrated! Drink water please! This applies to everyone.
#4 Know and Avoid Your Emotional Triggers
If you know you are going to be an emotional wreck, avoid the things that will cause you more misery during this period. Everything you feel is going to be at least 10 times stronger and more intense than usual. You might find yourself crying over spilled milk. Avoid shows or music that trigger certain memories. Avoid talking to certain people who irritate you. Avoid talking to people altogether if you know you might be a little bit snappy. Know what triggers you. This is probably one of the most important times to be self aware.
#5 Accept Your Fate
Accept the fact that you are not going to be able to do everything you are normally capable of doing. Accept that you are going to be tired. Accept that you are not going to want to do anything. You are not lazy for listening to your body. You are literally bleeding for at least 5 days. You are losing a lot of blood. You are going to be faint and fatigued. Do not overexert yourself and end up in the hospital because you were trying to do too much. Do not mentally beat yourself up because your body is doing its natural process. If you need to let people know in your family that you are on your cycle so that they can ease up on you, do that. Take the day or days off without guilt or shame.
#6 Random Survival Tips
- Sleep with two pads on. One going vertically along your meow and one going horizontally along your behind. It should connect and make a T. This way you do not leak everywhere and save your underwear.
- Put tissue on top of your pad so that you do not have to wait 8 hours with a wet pad because you did not want to waste them. No one wants to be bloody for that long, so just change the tissue until the recommended time for wearing a pad is over. Wear more tissue again when you change the pad. It also keeps the smells down because you are not carrying old blood around.
- Honey lemon ginger tea, fish oil pills, and vitamin B1 help with cramps.
- Heating pads and hot baths also help alleviate pain.
- Have a set of underwear designated as period underwear. Get some cheap ones from Walmart. Check out some high rise underwear instead of bikini styled undies. You want them to be as comfortable as absolutely possible. Make sure you are wearing period underwear at least 2 days in advance because no one wants to be surprised with their favorite undies being ruined. Also, put a pad on a few days in advance. Some of you all may think this is common sense, but common sense is not common.
- Hydrogen peroxide gets out blood stains in magical ways.
- Wear two pairs of underwear. They should be kind of tight to your body. This way your pad stays in place.
- Sleep in a fetal position to alleviate cramps and/or sleep with a pillow in between your legs when you lay on your side to avoid clamping your legs together too much. I find that the more open my legs are, the less painful the cramps are.
- If you can, take a day off from work or school during the most painful days of your period. I personally feel like girls should be given an optional day off from school or work because it is hard to focus on tasks. The quality of work often gets compromised during periods simply because your body has to work harder from the lack of blood. Not to mention, trying to concentrate while in pain is one of the hardest things to do. I cannot tell you how many times I have made stupid mistakes on quizzes and tests because I was so out of it.
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- Take some iron pills during and a couple of days after your period, so your energy can come back quicker.
Remember, periods are normal and should not be seen as a negative aspect of life. None of these tips will work at maximum capacity if you have a negative mindset towards your period. It is natural and should not be looked down upon. It should not be seen as a burden. In addition, a lot of the advice I gave focused on the preparation phase because, more often than not, the way your period will turn out depends on the way you enter into it. Also, I understand that some women have irregular periods, and it may be harder to apply some of these points. But, I hope those who fall under this category can find some helpful advice in this post. Also, I am just giving advice from my personal experience. I am not your doctor.
Drop some period survival tips in the comments! Share this blog with your friends and family! Thank you for reading!
