College doesn’t stop for your period. Assignments are still due. Exams are still scheduled. Work shifts are still on the calendar. Most of the time, you’re expected to show up like everything feels completely normal. But sometimes it doesn’t.
Some months are fine. Other months, you’re cramping through a lecture, exhausted for no clear reason or trying to focus while your brain feels slower than usual. It’s not dramatic. It’s just real.
You are still expected to function the same.
Even if you’re uncomfortable or low-energy, the expectations don’t change. You still have to study, participate, answer emails and stay on top of everything.
If you cancel plans because you don’t feel well, it can feel like you’re being flaky. If you struggle to concentrate in class, you might blame yourself. But sometimes, it’s not about motivation. Sometimes, your body just needs a little more rest.
And that’s normal.
Productivity culture makes it harder.
College already pushes the idea that you should always be doing something, like staying ahead, getting involved and improving yourself.
When you’re on your period, and everything feels a little harder, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind. You see other people sticking to their routines, going to the gym, finishing assignments early and you wonder why today feels heavier for you. But not every day will look the same. And it doesn’t have to.
It is treated like something you should just “handle.”
Periods are common, but they’re still treated like something you’re supposed to quietly manage. You don’t usually say, “I’m on my period, and I don’t feel great.” You just say you’re tired or stressed.
Because of that, it can feel like you’re expected to power through without acknowledging that it actually affects you. But it does affect you.
Struggling during your cycle does not mean you are behind.
Needing more sleep. Skipping a workout. Taking a slower day. None of that means you’re lazy or less disciplined.
Your body is doing something physical every month. Of course, your energy might shift. Of course, some days feel different.
That doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.
College schedules don’t pause for periods, but that doesn’t mean you have to ignore how it affects you. It’s okay if some days you’re not operating at 100 percent. You’re not falling behind because you need a little more care; you’re taking care of yourself.