The beginning of this story starts on a very very tough day. Which day is that you ask? Well it was the first day of my period sometime in 2022.
In the morning of that day, struggling to sum up the energy to get out of bed, I made a decision that many women make during their lifetime – I took a pain killer and went to work. Now, lucky I worked at a place where co-workers took care of one another and really cared for people around them. That is an important part of this story, because they noticed that I was not exactly my usual self, so on that day I got asked “Are you ok?” quite often. And ofcourse, at first, I answered “Yes sure, I’m OK”! But then, what happened later, was the cause that led me to creation of this blog.
So, after half a day of work an older female coworker came to me and asked, whispering: ” Is it your time of the month? “.
And impressed by her keen observation skills I told her that she is right. So, when she got her confirmation, she nodded and let me be in peace. Now, this seemed completely normal to me and I am sure many of you menstruating women have experienced that exact same conversation. But her question got me thinking – is it so obvious that I am on my period? I wanted to know if it was, so I tested it with a very simple test. I would simply tell the next person, who asks me if I am OK, that I have just started my period, and watch their reaction.
And I did exactly that. The next “Are you OK?” I got, I told them “Yes I am OK, but I just started my period so I’m a bit reluctant.”. To give you my observation results – in that moment, what I saw was a bit of a confusion on their face (I imagine it was because of the fact I shared quite a “personal” situation) and after that a long “Ahhhaaa, OK”. And again, the outcome was the same as with the older coworker, they let me be in peace!
That made me think, if everyone will react the same way or was it just a coincidence. Since then, I had a conversation about starting (or being on) my period quite a few times, and guess what – reactions were in most cases the same. In vast majority of times, I was left in peace with all the understanding I could possibly get. Please, do not get me wrong, I really appreciate that people gave me my space when I was there, being all grumpy and in pain.
But let’s fast forward to a few months ago, when instead of wanting understanding, I wanted something else … I was so fed up with this repeated cycle of unpleasantness that I just wanted advice on how to ease my periods. And of course the first thing I did was google for advice. And after a few useless articles I said to myself: ” Would it be nice if someone told me what to do when I was a teenager? If that happend, I could have it all figured out by now! ”
Then I thought back to all my conversations I had since I started paying attention to this topic, and figured that in so many conversations, I got no useful advice. So I decided to start doing the hard work for myself. I came to a decision, that I will find a way how to ease menstrual suffering and when I do, I will tell it to the next girl that tells me she is on her period and what works for me.
With that I saw an opportunity to start something that I wish more women would do. That is openly talking about periods and creating a flow of information about “tips and tricks” among people ( yes, also men, not just women)
I believe that in many conversations we have, menstruation is still a bit unconventional and uncommon topic, even among women. It can be perceived as something personal and many of us are taught that you do not poke around in other people’s personal business. But I would like to give you a new perspective – if someone tells you they are on their period they opened up enough for you to actually poke around in their business a bit! So next time someone complains to you that they are on their period, try giving them the best advice you have! We will discuss why that is important in next blog posts 🙂
Through this blog you will also get an insight into sooo much knowledge, thoughts and experiences I got along the way of discovering how to minimize menstrual unpleasantries, and I am sure you will love them. By following new posts, you will get so many tips and tricks on how to navigate through your reproductive cycle, that by the end of it, you will definitely start listening to your body and harness all the positive impacts it is going to bring to your life.
Write to you soon,
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