WEEK-5
Self Care
Why is self-care important
Self-care practices
How best to prepare for your period and nurture your mind, body and soul
Self-care is vital in order to remain connected to yourself, allow yourself time to rest and rejuvenate and honour what you need. It is a beautiful time to consciously take time for yourself. Self-care can look very different from person to person and it is important that you do what YOU feel allows you to spend quality time with yourself.
Some examples of self care practices are:
Baths
Having a warm bath, lighting some candles and burning some gentle and calming essential oils like lavender creates a soothing environment for you to wind down and relax.
Journaling
Creating a journaling routine is a tool used to help you process the information that came your way during the day, reflect on your day and to release stress. A beautiful type of journaling is called gratitude journaling. This entails listing things that you are grateful for or things you were grateful for during the day. Gratitude journaling honours the positives of your day and can help give you perspective. Another example of journaling is writing down affirmations. Affirmations are phrases that allow you to make space for things that you want to encourage within yourself or your life. Some examples are: I am strong, I am brave, I am capable, I am enough. Affirming these qualities about yourself in the present allows you to breathe these qualities into your life.
Grounding
Nature offers a beautiful escape from the chaos of everyday life. Grounding is done in nature – connecting your skin to the Earth. This can be done in a park, on a lawn or by gently placing your hand on the earth or on a tree. Grounding allows time to consciously connect with nature and allow for calm, reset and regulation.
Connecting
This can come in many shapes and forms! Connecting can mean reaching out to a friend for a hug, asking someone for advice or help, or allowing yourself some quiet time to reset.
Cycle syncing
Cycle syncing entails listening to your body according to where you are in your menstrual cycle. This can range from the food you eat, to how you exercise and socialise. To prepare for your period means to honour what your body needs! When you bleed you need to REST – if you feel like movement think about a gentle walk, stretching or Yin Yoga! Eating warm, hearty foods like stews and soups helps supports your hormones. Staying inside with a book instead of going out to socialise. Preparing a hot water bottle or beanbag to relieve any discomfort or cramps is always a good idea. Drink lots of fluids and herbal teas like chamomile and if you are craving chocolate stick to something darker and lower in sugar – sugar can make cramps more intense!
Warmth
Many women associate the heating pad with their periods, but this is because heat treatment is a time-tested and reliable way to relieve pain. By relaxing the muscles and increasing blood flow, warming the body reduces pain. By focusing that heat on the belly, cramps can be relieved directly to the uterus.
Be careful to control the temperature while utilizing any type of heat to avoid burns. You can incorporate heat treatment into your regimen by doing the following:
Simply donning thicker or more layers of clothing will assist keep the body warm.
Take a hot shower or bath, and use a shower tablet or bath bomb that contains aromatherapy to produce a calming and restful atmosphere.
Drink something warm; a large cup of tea or hot water is a quick way to warm up, and some herbal teas may help with the relief of menstrual symptoms.
Good Diet
When you're on your period, it's normal to crave carbs and sugar, but eating too much can cause bloating, water retention, poor focus, and irritation. Iron deficiency anemia, which can result in brain fog, exhaustion, and mood changes, may also be experienced by women who have heavy periods. Healthy eating and drinking enough of water might help lessen these period symptoms.
Fill up on fiber because it will help your digestion and prevent bloating. Almonds, apples, artichokes, beans, blackberries, sweet potatoes, and whole grains are a few alternatives.
Take supplements as directed. Calcium and magnesium-rich meals and supplements can help with many menstrual and PMS symptoms.
Include protein-rich items in your diet; lean protein helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and curbs cravings. Try lean meats, seafood, nut butter, and chickpeas as possible alternatives.
WEEK 6
Beauty and skin care - How to combat Acne / Breakouts
Throughout your menstrual cycle, your hormone levels fluctuate, which can have a variety of affects on your body, including your skin. One of these is an acne breakout or rash.
The pores may enlarge as a result of excessive sebum production, which increases the likelihood that bacteria and dead skin cells will clog the pores. Therefore, if your testosterone levels are high, this may make angry, sebum-filled patches appear worse.
Hormonal changes might cause more oiliness and spots in younger women because it may take them some time to establish a regular cycle.
How to combat Acne
Consider maintaining a diary to record the times of day when spots are most likely to bother you. Keep track of your symptoms for a few months to see if they are cyclical. If they happen every month at roughly the same point in your cycle, your hormones may be to blame.
A doctor may recommend hormonal contraception to assist control your hormones and prevent problems if hormones are suspected to be the cause of your recurrent breakouts.
WEEK 7
Ways to boost your mood and energy during your period
4 ways to boost your mood during your period
Mood swings, anger and weepiness can all come around at different times of the month and can be difficult to handle, especially in combination with other, perhaps more physical, period symptoms. But what can you do to help?
1. Sleep
Lack of sleep can leave us feeling anxious, demotivated, and irritable at the best of times as our body needs time to rest and reset after a long day. What's more, poor sleep can also increase pain sensitivity, which is bad news if you also struggle with period cramps or headaches. We should be aiming to get 8 hours of sleep each night to support our mood.
For mood and sleep, what I often recommend is cutting back on caffeine. Consuming too much caffeine may contribute to anxiety and jitteriness. If you're a coffee addict, then cutting back gradually can have a positive effect on your sleep cycle as well as your mood. You might not notice the effect caffeinated food and drinks are having on your mental wellbeing until you take a break and feel the difference!
2. Reduce stress
Stress can have a whole-body effect, giving rise to both physical and emotional symptoms that can affect your period. You might recognize the physical symptoms of stress more easily, like feeling shaky, with your heart pounding in your chest and your breathing getting quicker. This stress can, in the long-term, affect your cycle and lead to missed periods because your body is preoccupied with dealing with stress and certain processes are seen as unimportant at this time.
Although the emotional side effects of stress might be less obvious, they can have just as negative an effect on your health and your mood, giving rise to anxiety, irritability and, on the flip side, tiredness, and lethargy.
Stress can be tough to cope with on a normal day, let alone when you've got other period symptoms on top of that – many of which might be made worse by stress. Phew! Tackling everyday stressors might seem daunting, so try starting with some simple steps:
· Take up a relaxing hobby like jigsaw puzzles or coloring in. These are becoming more popular, and you can find free jigsaw/coloring apps on your tablet or smartphone. Focusing on these intricate activities can help you to calm down when feeling overwhelmed.
· Create a Gratitude Journal. Start writing or typing about the positive parts of your day, or things you've been grateful for this week. Focusing on things that make you happy can help to lift your mood and approach stressors with a more positive mindset.
· Try mindfulness or meditation. Setting some time aside to sit quietly and breathe deeply might sound small but taking this quiet time for yourself can give your body a chance to relax and take a break from work, family, or financial stress. Light a scented candle, listen to a relaxing playlist or follow a guided mindfulness session using apps like Headspace.
3. Diet
This is one that can often be forgotten, but diet is so important when it comes to your period symptoms, including mood changes.
Eating little and often (3 meals a day and healthy snacks in between – not starving yourself during the day and bingeing at night) will help to keep your blood sugar more stable. Wobbly blood sugar can make you feel more irritable as well as causing energy crashes and bloating.
Make sure you incorporate healthy sources of protein in your meals, such as lean meats, eggs, fish, beans, and lentils as these will help you to feel fuller for longer and avoid dips in energy that trigger low mood and lack of motivation.
Healthy fats are also vital to produce hormones and neurotransmitters like serotonin, a feel-good chemical that has lots to answer for when it comes to your mood.
Finally, if you eat well, you'll feel much better in yourself. Although our periods might make us crave some weird and wonderful foods, gorging on junk food can lead to feelings of guilt, and end up causing a nasty spiral of feeling down and then making poor dietary choices to make ourselves feel better.
4. Exercise
Taking part in regular exercise will benefit both the body and mind! Physical activity triggers the release of feel-good chemicals called endorphins that can help to give your mood a boost and leave you feeling energized and ready to tackle the day.
It's important to find something you enjoy – whether it's an upbeat spin session at your local gym or a speed walk around the park while you gossip with your best friend.
Of course, this is great for your physical fitness, but can also increase blood flow around your body and help to reduce period symptoms like stomach cramps.
Plus, it's great for your mental well-being to get moving and spend time outdoors where you can soak up that all-important vitamin D.
Week 8
How to get a good night’s sleep on your period
From the discomfort of cramps making, it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position to fluctuations in mood making it a challenge to fall asleep easily, it's no wonder that it can be harder to achieve a good night's sleep during your period. So, for Day 5 I've put together a whole range of tips to help you sleep better when you’re on your period.
1. Exercise
First things first, before you snuggle up under your duvet, make sure you’ve done everything possible throughout the day to help make sleep possible. Exercise, for example, helps to tire your body out so that sleep becomes easier. It is also great to help ease period symptoms as It increases blood flow which helps to ease cramps, plus it releases positive chemicals called endorphins which can improve mood. I get it you are on your period and are thinking “the last thing I want to do is play sports, go swimming or anything other than essential movement” A simple stroll, yoga, or light jog are actually great activities to do while on your period.
1.Eat good
Throughout the day, and particularly before bed time, it’s important you pick the rightfood and drinks to support your period. Try to limit your intake of fizzy juice and sugary snacks as these are likely to increase cravings and bloating. As an alternative, opt for plenty of fresh produce and still water instead. A soothing herbal tea is an ideal drink to take before going to bed as it can help you to relax. Chamomile tea is a particularly great option as it contains anti-inflammatory properties that could also help to ease cramps.
3. Choose suitable sanitary products
Choosing the right sanitary product to go to bed in can be important in ensuring you get a full night’s sleep. After all, leakages and toilet trips will only disrupt sleep. It’s generally agreed that tampons should not be used at night time so if you opt for pads instead, ensure they are soft, breathable and, if necessary, that they are specifically for night time use. I’d also choose a variety that’s scent-free as the perfumed type can cause irritation that will keep you up at night. It’s also handy to keep some near your bed as if they need to be changed during the night, this means you won’t have to go searching for them.
4. Set a bed time routine
Creating a nighttime routine can do wonders for your sleep.Here are a few simple steps to improve your sleep whilst on your period: · Take a bath – this is extremely helpful when on your period as the warm water is soothing, thus working to reduce cramps. Also, having a bath before going to bed at night is very relaxing which encourages a better night’s sleep. So, before getting into bed why not dim the bathroom lights, get out some bubble bath, put on some calming music and hop in the bath? · Avoid electronic devices – before going to bed at night, regardless of whether you are on your period, it’s advisable to put aside all electronic devices including phones, laptops and televisions. These emit an artificial light that tricks the brain into thinking its daytime rather than bedtime. This, in turn, makes it more difficult to sleep. So, opt for a more relaxing bedtime activity instead such as reading or listening to music. · Set your bedtime – changing your bedtime night after night is known to make it more difficult to sleep so to avoid this, give yourself a set bedtime.
5. Try breathing techniques
As your hormones fluctuate during your period, your mood can dive all over the place which becomes particularly problematic when it’s time for bed. With your mind overly occupied with thoughts, it isn’t so easy to sleep. Therefore, it can prove helpful to do some calming breathing techniques before you head to bed. This gives your mind something to focus on other than cramps, thoughts, and your fluctuating mood. Mysa’s very own calming deep breathing exercise will put you on the right path to blissful sleep. This 3-step 4-7-8 rhythmic breathing technique is intended to promote relaxation and calm your mind & body when you need it most. 6. Address cramps Before heading to bed, make sure you’ve gotyourunder control so that they are less likely to disrupt your sleep. To do this you can opt for the tried and tested methods such as painkillers, a comforting hot water bottle or a cold flannel. Make sure you keep these things near your bed in case they’re needed during the night.
7. Change your sleeping position
Finally, when it is time for bed, your choice of sleeping position can improve your period symptoms. The fetal position or lying on your left side is preferable as this can take pressure off the abdominal muscles. These positions can also help to stimulate better blood flow which, in turn, helps to ease cramps. Lying face down, on the other hand, puts pressure on the uterus which can lead to leaks during the night. So, curl up, get comfy and follow these tips to help you get a good night’s sleep whilst on your period.
8. Yoga positions for menstrual cramps
Certain yoga poses are known to help ease menstrual cramps. Some of these yoga poses are positions that you can sleep in if you find them comfortable! Otherwise, they are nice poses you can do in your PJs before bed. In the video below Yogi Adriene prepares you for a solid night of rest in just 10 minutes. Get a blanket and pillow an put on your comfiest PJs.
What to take away from DAY 5:
Give yourself the best chance of a good night's sleep by exercising and eating well during the day. Then, as you approach bedtime, really allow yourself to relax and become as comfortable as possible through a calming bedtime routine.
What's coming up tomorrow in DAY 6:
Periods are well known to negatively affect our mood so in Day 6 I am going to help you to tackle unhelpful mood swings or feelings of low mood. See you tomorrow!