*Content warning- this article discusses periods, including blood and various other potentially gross bodily functions like orgasms or acne, so proceed with caution if you need to!*
So, obviously not every woman has periods, and not everyone who has periods are women, but regardless of that, we can all agree that they suck. They’re bad enough in the comfort of your own home, but being at college with classes, a shared bathroom, expensive comfort food and all the other stresses make them so much worse. I personally get really bad nausea on my period and am pretty much incapacitated for at least a day, even with advil, but I still have to push through. I can’t fix everything for you, because each period is different, but I can let you in on my personal tips and tricks to ease the flow and make it through. I generally like to try to break down how I think about periods into three distinct categories. First: how I can speed up my period. Second: how I take care of my body during my period. Third: how I take care of my emotions during my period. These kinds of categories kind of give me a checklist for what to fix if I feel gross or uncomfortable, so that I don’t just wallow. Let’s get into them!
First off, let’s talk about rushing through a period. I’m sure there are millions of ways online to push through “a visit from Auntie Flo,” but there are some simple things that I’ve found to actually help my period go from about 6-7 days to closer to 5. The best part about them is actually that anyone can do these without needing to buy some special pills or force yourself to only eat certain veggies while the moon is full and the stars are aligned or something. I haven’t tried everything, but what has worked for me is water and masturbation. First off, as soon as I feel my boobs start to ache (which usually happens a day or three early) I start to chug water as much as I can. I don’t normally drink coffee so I don’t have to drop that, but I try to limit how much juice or soda I have, and just focus on drinking water. It’s partly a preventative measure, because hydration helps prevent cramps and constipation, but it can also help speed along a period by hydrating the muscles that help push the blood out of the body. I do my best to drink as much water as I can before and during my period, but once the flow really starts, I might masturbate. There’s a whole mess of science behind the idea that sex drives go up with the hormone shifts, but largely I do it because orgasms can help push blood out of the body faster. I mean, I’m not looking down at the good brain chemicals that come with an orgasm, and it definitely helps me sleep a little better after I pass a blood clot. I largely do it because my periods seem to go faster. It’s not a perfect system, and it could just work for me, but I personally say try it! Experiment and see how your body reacts to different things, maybe it could improve your experience. Even if it doesn’t, you’ll have a better understanding of your body, which is rarely a bad thing.
Next, I like to think about how I’m treating my body during my period. I am not one of those people who can exercise while bleeding out an organ (though I solidly am impressed by and support those who can!), but I am a firm believer in getting some fresh air. If I can manage to stand and walk outside for a little while, that’s great, but even if I have to stay in bed, I’ll at least open the window and turn on a fan. It helps relax me and makes me feel less isolated, which always helps. I mentioned drinking water before, but food is another important factor. There are lots of things online that will tell you what to eat and what to avoid while bleeding, but honestly? I’ve had enough battles with eating that I say just ignore them. Your abdomen muscles are pretty much working 24/7, your body temperature could be going all over the place, and your hormones are making your brain go all out of sorts. You are allowed to eat carbs and chocolate and all these “unhealthy foods”. They’re only unhealthy if you are eating the wrong amount for you, and that’s not something I would trust some random website on. That said, I generally try to eat extra protein, and I’ve found that bananas are really good at making me feel a bit better. It’s not perfect, but they can help.
Something I will absolutely rave about though when it comes to periods and comfort for my body are reusable fabric pads. I got a set of 5 pads for Christmas, and honestly, they’ve changed my life. I have a pretty heavy flow for multiple days, and so I used to need to wear the overnight pads like they were the daily wear ones. I felt like I was wearing a diaper, and at the end of my period I would have oil buildup because of the sweat from the synthetic material. Fabric pads though? So comfortable I barely remembered I was wearing them, and they’re made of cotton, so they’re meant to wick away sweat and oil. Genuinely, the first time I had them I felt like it was the closest thing to a religious experience I’d get. They were incredible, and because they’re washable, I can run a load of laundry with my sheets, towels, pyjamas and pads in the middle of my period. It means that my pads last the whole week, and I force myself to take some time to take care of my environment. I cannot recommend them enough.
The third category I have is how I take care of my mind during my period. This is probably the most difficult category because I don’t always recognise that I need extra care until I’m crying because the dining hall didn’t have my favorite pasta again. I do my best to keep track of my emotions, but when I’m not certain what I need, I fall back on a few certain things that I know make me feel better. I always have a few movies or episodes of TV to watch when I don’t have the brainpower to watch something new or too filled with drama. I’m personally partial to historical dramas or ballet movies, but there’s the occasional change. When I’m feeling low I also make myself go take a shower and pamper myself. I’ll use a sugar scrub, and shave my legs, and break out the really nice smelling moisturizer, making sure I actually take the time to check in with myself and breathe. Most importantly when I am on my period, I focus on getting rid of shame. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in feeling like periods have been seen as embarrassing and gross since like age ten, and it takes work to unlearn that. Sometimes getting rid of shame looks like me reminding myself that I’m allowed to eat some chocolate cookies, and sometimes it is not being quiet when I open the package of a pad in the bathroom. It’s hard, but it’s honestly kind of freeing when I manage it. I think out of all of this, that is what I’d recommend the most for easing periods in college. The physical stuff will change or not, but unlearning shame is a process and it takes work. It’s hard, but it’s really really worth it.