How to Live Comfortably with Your Period
After writing about being comfortable with our bodies and about the miracle of our conception, I don’t think I can ignore the big issue of our monthly period. I have yet to meet a woman who enjoys having a period. I’m not one either, but I have developed an unique view on handling the dreaded week that comes around once a month. I’ve seen many hints on how to lessen the physical discomfort, but not the mental distress, so I hope this helps you rewrite your internal narrative.
Keep in mind, this is a viewpoint I arrived at based on personal experience. It’s not based on any scientific research. If you resonate with my thought process, you can try incorporating it into your life. If not, oh well! We’re different. That’s OK.
A New Way to Look at a Period
So, my thoughts about periods began changing when I gave birth to my oldest. That’s when I realized a period is just a “mini-birth”. The cramps are just milder versions of labor pains. We go through a rollercoaster of emotions in both situations. Even the constipation in the days before and the urge to “push” feels the same! And we can’t forget that while our periods might just look like a bloody mess, somewhere in there is a little egg.
During our periods, we are giving birth to this egg that had the potential to be our children. If you’ve ever had a miscarriage or infertility issues, I’m sure you understand this from the core of your being. But whether you were actually trying to get pregnant or not, I think it helps to acknowledge this. I acknowledge that if circumstances had been slightly different, this egg had the potential to grow and become my child. I usually place my hands over my uterus and say a proper goodbye to this baby that I’ll never meet.
Now is where I might get too “out there” for some people, but I like to do this because it makes me feel better mentally. I’m a believer in parallel universes. So I believe that in another life, in another universe somewhere, the egg did get fertilized and that “I” got pregnant. As I say my goodbye to the egg, I pray that he or she has a good life with my other self in another universe. I send love and encouragement to my parallel self. I imagine a multitude of my multi-verse counterparts doing the same thing, and this baby absorbing the loving energy to grow exponentially.
Period is just a period to some. But going through this process allows me to turn it into something different. It’s an opportunity to feel connected with the larger universe. It’s a way to incorporate love into a stressful situation. And the strange thing is, I’ve noticed that my cramps are often milder when I do this.
Even if you don’t resonate with the way I handle my periods, I still hope you’ll find a different process that feels right to you. At the very least, be kind to yourself because your body is going through a “mini-birth”. If you need to rest, rest. If you need to grieve, grieve. You are the only one who can feel what is truly comforting for your body.