My period routine

What I (try) to do monthly pre-period and during.

---

Yes, I have a routine! Listen, it comes every month, why would I not prepare myself for literally the worst few days and ensure I can be at least a tad bit more comfortable! When I first started sharing about to people, they looked at me like I was crazy. I got so many questions like: 'Why do you need a routine?', 'How is your period that bad?', 'What does that even mean?', and more - and I honestly couldn’t believe that people hadn’t heard of this concept. Some people have a 14 step skincare routine they do weekly, so why is my period prep routine so crazy to you!?

Let me break this down. Our bodies go through cycles right. So uterus havers have the following 4 cycles: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase.

Each cycle affects your body differently: your hormones are different, your cravings are different, your emotions and mood can be altered, your body weight can shuffle depending on bloating, your mental health can be altered and your energy levels vary - and this is only a short list of things. I think it’s safe to say we all know that the menstruation cycle is the one that can take the biggest toll on someone’s body when it comes to changes. During your period you might have intense ovarian and/or uterus cramping, you’re obviously bleeding so you need to take care of that, you might be super bloated and extremely uncomfortable, you also might actually poop more and have anus cramping - there are so many things that we don’t talk about that come with the period!

I have severe uterine and ovarian pain most of the month. When it comes to my period, my pain is unbearable and I can’t feel my legs for the first 2 days. I used to honestly just suffer and I’d rely on Advil and my heating pad or a hot water bottle, but in the last 7-8 months I’ve upped my game as my pain has gotten worse. And yes, it might just be mental but hey, let me live my best period life (kinda).

Firstly: I use a period tracking app. This is not sponsored it’s just the one I prefer and I honestly haven’t looked at that many, I just found this one after searching on the app store and loved it so I stuck with it, it’s called the Flo App. Most of you with period tracking apps have probably heard of it or use it, it’s super simple and I only use it to track my period and for the reminders it sends like time of ovulation, possible bloating, etc. I use the basic one but I do know they have a premium plan available for all the insights, ability to chat with someone, and more - if you're looking for that. The ability to track my period is awesome. I do want something where I can track my food and cravings as well as period symptoms, but this will do for now.

Secondly: Pre-period, about 2-3 days before I know it’s supposed to come, I start drinking raspberry leaf tea. Disclaimer: this tea is super potent and powerful - if you are pregnant or think you might be, don’t drink it, because it also induces labour and it’s meant to be drank at the end of your pregnancy before the bebe arrives. 2nd disclaimer: I am not a doctor or a health practitioner, please see your naturopath/doctor/whomever you go to before taking anything. My cousin is a professional doula and is trained, she recommended this tea to me for my pain. SO, back to the tea. I’ll have a cup a day and then during my period I’ll drink about 2-4 cups depending how I’m feeling. It doesn’t taste magical but hey, it helps me and is super comforting. My naturopath also recommended I take zinc with food every day for the 10 days leading up to my period (again though, ask who you go to for your health before taking anything, I ain't a doctaaa).

I've also learned to listen to my body and the cues it gives me.

Next step in my routine is castor oil lymphatic massages. This sounds more complicated than it is! I get castor oil, put some on my stomach and make sure there’s some where I feel pain, which is my ovaries and uterus, and I follow a lymphatic massage from an Instagram channel, her name is Gracie Norton and she’s awesome - she shares multiple techniques she’s learnt from other accounts as well. You can also YouTube it. I’ve honestly been slacking on these a bit but they help so much when I do them.

I've also learned to listen to my body and the cues it gives me. About 10 days pre-period my hormones are at the most intense and I have a shorter fuse. So, for my own mental health, I try my best to not put myself in irritable situations. I know that this is a bit of a luxury since I'm a freelancer, I don't really have an annoying manager who doesn't get it to report to. Everyone I work with is extremely understanding and I'm very open with them. On the same note, if I'm at capacity mentally or having a particular painful day, I'll tell my clients and those I work with. I don't need to suffer in silence, I can share the burden and they all understand and always ask what they can do to alleviate some tasks. What boggles my mind is that so many of those I work with also have painful periods and/or conditions. We all have something and we all understand each other. Can you imagine if this was in every workplace? That there was a group you could gather that would take turns in covering tasks and responsibilities based on everyone's needs and cycles? A girl can dream.

During my period, I also have 2 things I cannot live without. My Jovi patch - the most amazing invention since sliced bread, in my opinion, and my heating pad. The Jovi patch is such an awesome piece of tech, I'll link it below for you to peruse. It's a life changer for me because it allows me to actually walk during my period. I do not shut-up about it and I probably never will, sorry 'bout itttt (in Ru Paul's voice). I usually place it across my ovaries and it lives there right before my period unless my pain is wider than the ovaries, which means I'm going to use my heating pad. Now, I must let you all know that if you get a Jovi patch (highly recommend), you cannot put heat on top of it. So IF I'm using my heating pad on my stomach near the ovaries/uterus, I do not have my Jovi patch. It also can't get wet.

So anyway, that is my routine. That's what works for me. I also limit inflammatory foods because it isn't worth it, honestly. Dairy always makes my periods worse, chocolate always makes them better (it isn't science but you can quote me). Baths are a good one but only after day 2 for me, because I can't really walk before that so they wouldn't actually relax me much. I suggest you really find what works for you and you try to stick to it. My period is so painful that I need to have a routine to at least feel like I'm in control - to a certain extent. So find what works for you, and stick to it hunny! You deserve to feel at least a little good during your period.

If you are interested in getting the Jovi band I have a discount for you! Go to this link: http://www.meetjovi.com and use code mcote for 10% off (yes, I do get commission off this).