Has your mental health ever taken a dip or been severely impacted while on your period? If so, you’re not alone as mental health and menstruation are intrinsically linked. Menstruating has a significant impact on mental health and wellbeing due to the fluctuations of hormones, PMS, pain and the general discomfort. Every area of your life is impacted, and seemingly simple tasks become huge burdens. Now, if you add having a mental illness into the mix, the chances of it getting worse and becoming almost unmanageable around your period is quite high as your hormones are doing the absolute most.
Here are five ways to help manage your mental health when menstruating:
🌸Track how you feel:
Use a notebook, period tracker or mental health app to track your thoughts, sensations, symptoms and emotions when you begin to feel off balance and you know your period is near. By making a habit of tracking these changes each month you’ll become familiar with them and be more equipped with dealing with PMS and your menstruation experience as a whole.
🌸Get moving:
Moving your body is vital for dealing with so many mental, emotional and physical issues and your period is no different. We’re not saying you have to create a full body workout regimen or go for a run every single day, but you need to do what feels intuitively right for you. There are many light stretches and yoga poses that can help alleviate PMS symptoms and pain while menstruating. Moving your body also helps to get any built up emotional or mental energy flowing through the body making it easier to release.
🌸Be intentional with what you consume:
When PMS symptoms arise so do all kinds of cravings. There’s nothing wrong with giving into these cravings, as long as you’re not binge eating and putting your physical health at risk. It’s important to show yourself compassion during this time but also hold yourself accountable. Also, try and be mindful with what content you’re consuming. This includes social media, movies, series, books etc. As this also has a huge impact on the way you feel.
🌸Self-care:
Self-care has become a pop culture trend and you’re probably tired of hearing about it by now. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Self-care looks different for everyone and it doesn’t have to be this aesthetically pleasing well thought out regimen that you do every single day. It’s whatever makes you feel whole, fulfilled and lighter. If this means binge watching a movie or series that makes you feel like you can take on the world, then so be it!
🌸Return to centre:
Meditation helps keep you present and mindful to the fact that what you’re experiencing is temporary, no matter how permanent it may feel in the moment. It’s a reminder that we’re not our emotions, but the awareness observing them. If you haven’t meditated before, start with five minutes and progress slowly from there. If you struggle with meditation, guided meditations are an excellent resource.
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