It’s the most wonderful time of the month: periods. No, not “periodt”, I mean good ole’ female menstruation. Now, every woman deals with some sort of PMS. What exactly is PMS? It’s Premenstrual Symptoms that usually appear five to eleven days before your period arrives. Common symptoms include irritability, bloating, fatigue, mood swings, body pains and intense food cravings. Personally, I know that my mood swings are off the charts. I am hypersensitive to everything and I’m usually upset over the most random things in my life and then the next day when my period starts I realize why I’ve been acting strange. Luckily, I’ve learned a lot of different ways to deal with my PMS personally, so I thought I’d pass those on to you!
1. Exercise I can’t stress this enough – hitting the gym whether it be for thirty minutes or an hour – helps! I find it helpful to walk with my music playing or put on my 49 hour Spotify playlist and dance even in my room. Getting your body moving increases endorphins, which helps a lot with those mood swings that we all experience.
2. Avoid sugary foods and caffeine I know it’s the last thing you want to do, but every time I experience PMS I always regret indulging in my jar of Nutella because I feel so bloated afterwards. Also, drinking soda, coffee, and sugar adds to blood fluctuations that can heighten your mood swings.
3. Eat fruits and vegetables My favorite fruits to munch on while I’m PMS’ing or on my period in general are apples. They’re filled with calcium and nutrients that also help with those awful stomach cramps that you might have to deal with. Eating fruit also makes your body feel much more “clean” and less bloated. 4. It’s okay to also express emotions My biggest advice is that it’s okay to express whatever you’re feeling. Journaling and talking with a friend, peer, or counselor can also be really therapeutic. It helps to let it out and makes you feel a lot less stressed. Also, a huge reminder is that no, you are not crazy and not being overdramatic.
Remember, you have nothing to apologize for when the hormones in our body are influencing your mood swings, fatigue, etc. when it comes to PMS. It’s something that we can’t control and there is nothing to apologize for at all!