How To Give Yourself Self-Care During Your Period
*This post contains PR Experiences and products – which are marked with a *. Click here for more about what this means.
There are various reasons why we sometimes just need that extra bit of self-care. During your period is a great time do to it as your body is wanting to take it slow and to just get through it.
Realistically, we can’t take the whole week off every time we have a period (although sometimes I would love to). But that doesn’t mean that we have to sit and suffer while we go about our everyday lives.
So, here are some of the self-care tips that I always try to follow during that pesky time of the month.
Rest Rest Rest
As mentioned, for the majority of us it’s unrealistic to rest as much as we may want to. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try and find ways to optimise our rest time. Something that I’ve been loving lately is the Bloom App*. One of my favourite parts of the app is the ‘Sleep Library’. It’s filled with a variety of sleep meditations and calming sounds that help me get into a deeper sleep – something that I usually struggle with during my bleed.
So, whether you decide to get an early night, lay in, nap in the afternoon or take more time to sit with your mid-morning cuppa – make sure you take whatever time you can to rest and recharge your body. Also, check out this post for more tips on how to get a better nights sleep.
Don’t Let Cravings Take Over
This point is definitely aimed at myself! It’s so important to listen to what your body wants - but if your body is anything like mine, then it always wants super random (and usually unhealthy) foods during your period. There are certain foods that as much as I crave them, I know that I shouldn’t eat during my bleed as otherwise I just end up feeling worse (this is typically takeaway/greasy food, I try to save these for after my period has finished).
Give Yourself A Pamper
If you’ve been here a while then you know that I often recommend taking time to pamper. Pampering yourself is definitely a luxury and can feel like it takes loads of effort. But, for me personally, taking an afternoon out to fully pamper myself and just spend alone time with my mind & body has been so beneficial. If you’re wanting to read more about ‘My Ultimate Day Off Routine’ – click here.
Move Your Body
This is usually bottom of my list as if I’m in any discomfort, the last thing I want to do is exercise. But some simple stretches or yoga has really helped when I have cramping, or my body is feeling tight and uncomfortable (anyone else get this feeling?). If you’re looking for some help, check out The Self Love Fitness Club on Instagram!
Use Products That Make You Feel Good
In your lifetime, you will likely go through the process of having a period for an average of 40 years (source). So, I think it’s so important to find products that don’t also make you feel like shit. For the majority of my years of bleeding I’ve used pads that felt like I was wearing a nappy. I generally have heavy periods and they were the only thing that made me feel safe. However, I recently tried period underwear and it’s been an absolute game changer for me!! I will also use pads on top of this underwear on my super heavy days – but instead I have been using these ones from Ohne* which are smaller, plastic free and biodegradable!
Track Your Cycle
For years I thought that my period was so unpredictable and just came whenever it felt like (there was a time when it did this, but it didn’t happen for as long as it felt). But if you take the time to note down your emotions, how your body feels etc throughout your menstrual cycle, you will start noticing patterns. This will help you notice the natural changes in your body and leave you more prepared for your bleed.
If you’re looking for some tips & advice about learning to live with and maybe even loving your menstrual cycle, then you have to check out my gorgeous friend Cherrelle who is the menstrual cycle guru!!
So, those are some of my favourite self-care things to do when I’m bleeding. Is there a self-care activity that I’m missing out on? Let me know in the comments below!
Happy bleeding!
Cerys x
