Do you feel period overwhelm when you bleed? Do you feel like your life force is draining out of you? You aren’t alone, so don’t beat yourself up. Here are some reminders when you are feeling low during your flow.
Period Exhaustion is real. It’s not in your head.
Many old wives’ tales speak of your period and your cycle as a type of book you can read to understand how you are taking care of yourself. Have you been pushing yourself to your limits? Are you depriving yourself of rest and compassion? Your period may come with a vengeance. Have you been doing all the right things?
You may still feel tired because your Estrogen is low, Progesterone is high, and you are losing up to 2 cups of blood over your cycle on average. Give your body a break. This is a built-in cozy time. You don’t have the energy of your ovulation stage during your period, and that’s just a fact. Give yourself some grace, and let yourself recover through long walks, hot baths, or binge-watching the 2nd season of Vampire Diaries for the third time this year.
The period overwhelm is real. Take time to decide, but don’t declare.
Your period is when truth seeps to the surface, and you just ‘know.’ Trust your gut feelings during this time on how situations feel. Suppose something feels off; journal about it and reflect on what could be happening. Look at all sides of the problem, including how your perspective and past wounds could be coloring what you think the other person’s motives were. Take everything to the journal during this time, but don’t act on anything. Wait until a week after your period ends when you have more energy. Conserve what you have for yourself and your immediate family.
The choice is real. You are allowed to make choices this next cycle differently.
In the midst of bleeding and having the “I just had my period! I’m getting it again?” moment, life and periods can feel like a constant loop you can’t get out of. But you can choose to do things differently in the next 28 days. Choose one to three shifts. Maybe you’ll call four people a week or start going to one workout class at the gym you’ve been eyeing, or perhaps it’s taking Sanctuary Days and staying off social media two days a week (or month). Small 1-degree shifts can add up by the end of the month, not to mention a year, if you keep the new habits. When you start circling the drain, remember that you can’t control everything, but you can usually do something.
Periods can bring up all the repressed emotions from the month to the forefront. Let yourself cry, sleep, eat, and rest when you can. Trust your knowing, journal it out, and explore how you want to show up for this next cycle. Who knows? Your next period might be a little less overwhelming.