Handle the hormones - 5 tips!

At times you may feel so poorly that you need to call in sick, reschedule activities or cancel workouts due to your menstruation cycle. However, there is help to get and things to do to help manage your difficult periods during the menstruation cycle.

1. Menstruation diary

Start by writing a menstruation diary, either with pen and paper or in an app (for example Clue). There are plenty of apps to choose from. Make a small entry every day about how you feel right now. First day of your menstrual cycle, amount of bleeding, pain, bleeding duration, your mood and feelings. After doing this for some time, maybe three or four months, you will be able to better predict when you are going to have your bleedings and how they affect you.

This will make it easier to plan your life. Perhaps certain things are more difficult to do certain days, in which case you can create a plan to help you cope. Opt out of some activities Allow yourself to feel blue and to hide from the rest of the world. Try to do good and constructive things that help you, such as learning about how your menstrual cycle works.

No person is an island! Try to tell someone how you feel. For most of us it helps just to be listened to.

2. Be kind to your body

Be kind to your body, take good care of yourself and make sure that you get enough sleep and eat food that makes you feel well. Plan for your menstruation by making sure you have all the hygiene products you need. Home, at school or at work for example. If you can't sleep at night because of your period you might want to seek medical advise. 

3. Relaxation

Take the time to relax and unwind during the hardest days. You can try breathing excercises, take a power nap, a tranquil walk, or just take a break from whatever you are doing. 

Image: young girl with a scarf and coat walking in a park

4. Excercise

Even though it can feel almost impossible to get out of bed on a bad day, give it a try anyway, it will feel better. Moving around decreases stress, worries, anxiety and depression and is good for the brain. You don't need to go to the gym to move, there are other ways. Listen to your favorite music, and dance in your room, take a walk or get on your bike down to the store.

Image: two girls embracing eachother

5. Talking

No person is an island. Try to tell someone how you feel. For most of us it helps to let someone know how you are doing. It makes it easier for you to get support and to be understood. A friend, someone in your family, a parent, teacher, co-worker or someone else that you feel you can trust.

If you are feeling tired and sad or depressed, it's important that you talk to a professional. A youth reception or health centre will have counselors with experience of attending to young people and talking about things that happens with the body.

Tip for students!

If you are going to school and notice that you are starting to fall behind on assignments and school work, you should tell a counselor or a teacher. That way the school can more easily help you plan so that you keep up with your peers. Read more about your rights at school.