SELF CARE FOR YOUR CYCLE: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO A POSITIVE PERIOD

It’s time for some real girl talk ladies.

Time to talk about some things that we’re not always comfortable talking about. Maybe it’s not even that we’re uncomfortable, but we just avoid talking about it because we don’t want to remind ourselves of that dreaded time of the month.

Yeah, I’m talking about our periods and our lady bits.

Menstruation and vaginas.

Whatever terms you want to use, we’re talking self care on your period today! Because did you even think about the fact that you should be practicing self care on your period? Probably not. So I’m sharing some simple self care practices and tips that you can use to make that time of the month a little less unpleasant.

SELF CARE ON YOUR PERIOD: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE

1. TEA, TEA, AND MORE TEA

Drinking tea is one of my favorite simple self care practices for any time of the month. Yeah, I love coffee, but tea is a much better option while you’re on your period for a few different reasons. When your uterus is practically falling out, the goal is to relax and be calm, and we all know coffee does the exact opposite of that. There are many different teas with calming properties that are perfect for when you’re on your period, such as chamomile and peppermint. Rose tea is another one commonly used for soothing menstrual cramps. Chamomile tea is also effective for menstrual cramps because it relaxes your muscles. So brew a cup and sip on it slowly to calm your raging uterus.

2. USE A HEATING PAD OR WARM CLOTH FOR CRAMPS

I get pretty bad cramps on the first day of my period. Sometimes I feel like World War III is going down there, and I can barely walk. It’s not as bad as it used to be when I was high school, but over the years my heating pad has become my best friend. I use a heating pad that I can throw in the microwave for about a minute and then apply it to my abdomen, back, or legs. Whatever is hurting. Another option is to use a warm wash cloth. This doesn’t stay hot as long, but you can add some essential oils to it to pump up the relaxing effects. Add ylang ylang, lavender, or peppermint oil to your warm compress to reduce stress and cramping! Harness the power of essential oils for your period girl, you deserve the best.

3. DIFFUSE SOME MOOD BOOSTING ESSENTIAL OILS

We can definitely get a little grumpy, sad, anxious, and/or stressed while on our period. Unfortunately I can’t help you turn your period into the happiest time of the month (that’s probably impossible). However, you can do little things to boost your mood and help you feel a little more positive despite your very active and messy uterus. So grab an oil diffuser and some of the following magical oils:

• Bergamont: a highly stimulating oil that promotes happiness and boosts energy through improving blood circulation

• Lavender: how many times have I recommended lavender oil on my blog though? Lavender oil is great for relieving stress because of its calming effects

• Sweet Orange: increases feelings of happiness and warmth

• Jasmine: also reduces stress and produces feelings of confidence and optimism

• Rosemary: fights physical exhaustion. Because we all know we become queens of laziness while we’re on our period

• Lemon: another calming oil. Also promotes concentration

4. EAT FOOD RICH IN PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS, AND IRON

Self care is also about how we treat our insides. When you’re on your period, you’re losing a lot of blood so it’s really important to make sure you’re well nourished. Since you’re losing blood, you’re losing iron. Eat foods rich in iron such as grass fed beef, spinach, dark chocolate (yes, chocolate!), lentils, black beans, pistachios, and tomatoes. Many of those also give you the protein that you need. Then, throw in some healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts, salmon, eggs, and cheese. Warm food is especially comforting on your period for the same reason as hot tea, so use that to your benefit too!

5. LIGHT EXERCISE

I know this is probably the last thing you want to do on your period, but it can really help for a few different reasons. Now, I’m not saying to do crazy strenuous exercise, especially on the first few days of your period. Trust me girl, I won’t be participating in that either. The truth is, even light exercise can provide you with the benefits that you’re looking for when it comes to self care on your period.

• Exercise helps to boost mood: go ahead and diffuse some of those essential oils we talked about earlier while you work out at home for an extra happiness boost! Seriously though. Exercise can boost your mood so you can be a little nicer to everyone around you despite the thunderstorm going on down below.

• Exercise improves blood circulation, which helps alleviate menstrual cramps. If you’re having super terrible cramps I don’t expect you to get up and start running around. However, I’ve found that if I’m experiencing light cramps, exercise helps to make that yucky feeling go away.

I know that having proper protection down under is super important when it comes to exercising on your period. Well, proper protection is super important for existing in general on your period. I need to feel safe and supported by my tampon ok?

7. TAKE A WARM BATH

Warm baths work wonders for menstrual cramps. I promise you it won’t look like a shark attack if you don’t wear one though. In my experience, that’s never been an issue. Anyway, you can drop some essential oils (lavender oil!) in your bath to produce an even more calming effect. You can also throw in a luxurious bath bomb, play some relaxing music, and brew a cup of tea for the ultimate spa day. Because, yes, you can still treat yo’self to an at home spa day when you’re on your period!

At the end of the day, self care on your period is just like self care when you’re not on your period. My main point is that we tend to neglect self care while we’re on our period because we just want to be lazy and eat junk food. The only problem is junk food is going to make you feel even worse, so trade that in for a healthy self care practice instead.