Proper period care
5 tips to enjoy your cycle
In today’s world there is so much pressure for us as women. In a world that has predominatley been driven by man many of us don’t know or have ever learnt how to look after ourself while menstruating. We haven’t been taught how healthy periods are supposed to look like, we haven’t been taught to rest, we haven’t been taught to embrace our womb and our bleed. For some the journey into woman hood was nurtured by a caring wise woman but for alot of us when our first period (menarche) appeared we were given a box of tampons which had a diagram and not much else was explained let alone the feelings of embarrassment, shame or confusion that could arise at this significant time in our lives.
How we experienced our first bleed is affecting how we view and deal with our whole period as a woman. We bleed for approximately 40 years of our lives and by following a couple of simple rules our bleeds can get much better :]
1. No inversions
It’s like working against gravity. The flow goes down and standing on our hands or head will not make it easier.
2. Love your womb
The womb is the creation of humanity. It’s life. All of us women are blessed by having a womb. Let’s celerate it. Maybe try to talk to her. Thank her for everything. Talk nicely about menstruation. Perhaps an apology for not always being nice to her. Maybe you’ve experienced a hard time with your period. Maybe there is a trauma in there, lots of pain, loss, regret. But by caring for your womb you can heal it all. In the end you are the one that is in control of what happens, learn to understand your womb, learn to embrace and nuture your womb, love your womb!
If you would like to know how to move through your monthly cycle with ease and with no stress I recommend reading Optimized Woman by Miranda Gray.
3. REST
We are cyclic. Everything around us is. Imagine that your period is your inner winter. What’s happening with nature and animals in winter? They are asleep. They are asleep and resting because they need that time to rejuvenate and to fill that energy for the next year to function properly. So you too need those 4 days or so to prioritise rest so for the rest of your month you can be the best of yourself. If you can, cancel all your appointments and work meetings and if you must work see if you can work from home. No working out either! Maybe some yin yoga to unwind if you desire. Don’t worry you will catch up later in your month with everything where you will be extra productive perhaps your inner spring or summer.
4. Nourish/ keep warm
Your body is working extra hard to help the uterus cleanse. Your arteries are flushing all that blood in there. You are loosing extra blood and by choosing to eat and drink the right things it will be easier for your body to do it all. I suggest warming foods that are easily digested like bone broth, stews, soups and herbal teas to drink. Being warm prevents stagnation and adds circulation. It all helps everything flow. Put extra socks on and keep warm. And of course steaming before and after your period. :]
5. No plugs
Imagine the kitchen sink after you’ve done all the dishes with the plug in. You want to get rid of thewater but unless you unplug it it will not go away. The same thing happens when you use tampons. The vaginal canal has to stay free in order to help get everything out. Women who use tampons often experience extra pain. This pain can be like contractions to your body trying to expel it. And by no plugs I mean not even organic tampons or sea sponges. I like to use menstrual undies with a combination of reusable pads. They are not only great for me and my pocket but for the environment as well.
