It’s that time of the month again and it’s awful.
Everyone is irritating, your head hurts, your face is breaking out and you feel like you could eat an entire kitchen.
Surprise, surprise, it’s your period making your life miserable for a few days. Not to worry. Over the years, I have come up with a few strategies that could make that week somewhat more bearable for you.
- Period Tea
Have you heard of period tea? Through the powers that be on Tik Tok and Twitter, I learned that red raspberry leaf tea is a lifesaver for cramps. It won’t taste like raspberries though. Red raspberry leaf tea is very earthy and takes about 10-15 minutes to steep. It can also make you sleepy so don’t drink it if you have to be up and about. It will lighten your period and lessen your cramps. You can drink this up to 3 times a day to feel the effects and soothe your aching uterus.
2. Period Panties
You might be like whaaaattt period panties. But who wants to spend money on pads, tampons and menstrual cups every month? Not you girl! Get yourself some period panties. There are two kinds. The disposable kind and the washable kind. The disposable kind is similar to diapers (sorry). You put them on at night, they’re kind of bulky and then in the morning you throw them away. But that’s not very environmentally friendly. You can buy those at Walmart. My favorite period panties are the ones from Thinx. These are the washable kind. These are made to look and feel like regular panties. There is an absorbent material that holds your flow, a moisture barrier to keep you dry and another layer designed to protect you from any leaks or stains. To wash them you can handwash them in cold water and throw them in the washing machine. If you’re nervous about period panties try them out when your flow is light or even at night time. Thinx has a variety of period panties for any kind of flow you have.
3. Yoga for cramps
You might not feel like moving and that is okay, but yoga does not require you to do too much. However, there are some yoga positions that can bring you relief. Your stomach, pelvis, back and your hips are the areas that you will want to target. Child’s pose, cat cow, pigeon pose, reclining twist and corpse pose will be the ones you’ll want to do the most. Remember to breathe through all of it and focus on relaxing and stretching your body.
4. Cut down on the caffeine
That may not be what you want to hear. But caffeine is a diuretic. Which means not only are you going to be peeing more but it can also lead to dehydration if you’re not drinking enough water. Coffee restricts blood vessels which can make your cramps that much worse. If you must drink caffeine then try to limit your amount to lower than what it usually is.
5. Heating Pad
I’m not talking about the little small ones that you can lay over your pelvis. I’m talking about the BIG ones. The ones that are the length of your torso. Those are the best kinds of heating pads and you can find them on Amazon. They are great because they target more than one place at a time. But regular heating pads work too. If you don’t have a heating pad do the hot water bottle trick. Grab an empty bottle, fill it with warm or hot water. Don’t lay it directly on your skin because it’ll be too hot but put it on top of your clothing. The warmth will come through and you can put it on your skin when it gets cooler.
Other than that, spend the week relaxing, eating what you want and doing what you want. Our bodies work hard to keep us alive. Let’s rest when we need it the most.