Period Preparation and Survival Manual

Once a month, like shapeshifting monsters from fiction novels, most of female kind spawn tortured versions of themselves in the midst of a horrible, pain filled transformation also known as the Menstruation Cycle.

Lol.

I know some girls like me have short, 3 day periods. Other's deal with cycle's that last as long as a week and other poor souls last for 10 to 14 days. The pain can vary from bothersome to crippling and it all sucks! Every symptom, every feeling and emotion is heightened and suck suck sucky! 

As with everything I do, I approach it logically and analytically. As a result, I've developed a PPSM or Period Preparation and Survival Manual. 

PPSM: 

The Period Preparation and Survival Manual

aka Shark Week Prep

Here are some things that might help:

-Heating pads (duh right?)

 It sounds stupid but essentially a period cramp is just a muscle cramp and heat does wonders to make you feel better. Store bought heating pads don't last very long and can be quite expensive when you're running through 1-2 per hour for those extra painful first, middle, or last days of your period.

Solution: Using a clean sock or sweater sleeve, fill it with rice and tie or sew the ends. If you happen to have lavender oil around, put some in there! The smell will aromatically help you relax too. The great thing about homemade heating pads is that you can make them any size you want. I have two for hiding in my extra comfy granny panties (front and back) and a long sweater sleeve one for my neck/shoulders.

pic courtesy of http://balkanstyle.blogspot.com/2010/02/rice-sock.html

-Vitamins

 During your menstrual cycle, women lose from .5 ro 2.5 oz. of blood per day. That means you're essentially losing a lot or iron and calcium. This is called anemia. To combat anemia you need to take in more iron.

Try eating some red meat (cooked obviously) or dark greens. Some women take iron supplements but please consult your doctor first as taking iron supplements means you need to monitor and possibly change your diet. Certain things like wheat do not go well with iron supplements. Making sure that you're taking in vitamins to supplement your loss will help with fatigue, head and body aches.

-BANANAS!

 Yes, bananas! Among other things, banana's have potassium, iron, tryptopham, vitamin B, and fiber.

Potassium helps with easing cramps. Iron helps with anemia. Tryptopham helps combat sadness. Vitamin B gives you energy. Fiber keeps your intestinal tract relaxed and constant.

These are Banana Pancakes:

1 ripe banana

2 large eggs

dash of cinnamon

Tsp. of Vanilla

Mix until you have a batter like blend and then pour into pan to make flour-less Banana-cakes!

What's not to love about bananas? Here's more info on how helpful banana's are:

http://pmsfactor.com/blog/50/banana/

-Water

 Drinking water is highly important all the time but even more so during your cycle. Women tend to lose that glowing factor because of our loss of valuable vitamins and minerals during the cycle.

That makes your hair look dull, your nails feeble, your body bloat and even your skin pale. Drinking more water can help combat these problems.

-NTD: NO TO DAIRY

 Cheese and milk in particular. Whole milk especially. This will reduce bloating.

-YTC: YES TO CHOCOLATE

This isn't a medical recommendation. I just always crave chocolate. It's mostly because chocolate triggers endorphins and serotonin which are your brains natural happy drugs!

When you eat too much chocolate though you feel sleepy and groggy and you get tummy aches which is no good. So here's what I do:

Take a banana and a strawberry, cut them into small bits, put them in a cup with nutella or melted chocolate. Freeze the cup with a stick in the middle. I normally don't exceed 1-2 ounces. Try your hardest not to eat too many of these. Hopefully yours is more fruit than chocolate, unlike mine. :)

Also some people use ice trays like this cool person on Pinterest.

-Scheduling

 This may seem silly but when I was younger, I never kept track of my period. I was all too happy to forget all about it the minute it stopped until it surprised me again the next month.

BE ONE STEP AHEAD OF YOUR FOE!

By keeping track of it, you'll know when to expect it (hopefully). For those of you who are more regular than others try these preparation tips one week before your scheduled cycle. Stay ahead of the curve and curve those symptoms!

For those of you who never know when it's going to happen, try keeping this list and the water, vitamins, heating bags/pads, tampons, and sanitary napkins in a box labeled PPSM.

It can be like an emergency kit for your womanhood!


These may seem more like logic than magic but being prepared goes a long way when you're feeling crappy and need relief. I hope this helps and good luck my friends!

Thanks for reading!
Love, 
Mery Ann