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period

Do you ever feel completely helpless on your period? Like your happy, positive, sane self is trapped under this grumpy, mean and depressed robot disguised as you? And the cramps, oooooh the cramps. You never know if you need to run to the toilet, get your appendix removed or just bite the corner of the strongest table in your house because it’s just PMS and there is NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT.

Men don’t understand; they think that they get the brunt of our periods, but they don’t realize that for every time we yell at them, we yell at ourselves 20 times (internally—it’s that mean robot I mentioned before). If you’re a woman, you probably wouldn’t turn down a little help in making your period suck less, so here are a few little-known ways to do it.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

Eat a lot of fiber

The discomfort affiliated with any amount of constipation is ten times as bad when you have period cramps. You can only handle so many problems in your downstairs plumbing at a time, so eat lots of fiber on the days leading up to your period, and during it to keep you regular.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

Avoid booze

I know I know; you need your wine on your period. But actually, you don’t. Wine provokes migraines, to which we’re already more vulnerable on our periods. Wine also can cause the hangover blues, and you’re already battling the period blues.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

And essential oils

How calm do you feel at the end of yoga class? Exactly. That’s not just the poses; it’s the essential oils your teacher has filling the room with calming smells. Essential oils can truly change the vibe of your room. Lavender is great, but sniff a few at your local pharmacy and see which one you love.

Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Don’t go to the dentist

I learned this from my dental hygienist lately. I went in for my routine teeth cleaning and for some reason, it hurt far more than usual. “Are you on your period?” my hygienist asked me. “Yes….” I replied, slightly paranoid. “Your gums are more sensitive on your period.” Damn!

Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

Don’t get a wax

Almost everything is more sensitive when you’re on your period, including (of course) your vaginal skin and muscles! This is not the time to go in for a wax. It’s not nice to do that to your waxist right now, anyways.

Corbis

Corbis

Remind yourself that you’re on your period

When I’m on my period, sometimes the world feels like a dark place. The only thing that consoles me is the thought, “I’m on my period. This is not how I usually feel. Last Thursday I felt on top of the world! I’ll get there again.” But yeah—give yourself a break. You don’t need to beat yourself up over the ways you’re behaving on your period. Your period is already beating you up.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Image Source: Shutterstock

Wear your power underwear

This might be the time of the month when you wear your grossest, most dilapidated underwear because you think that’s what Aunt Flo deserves. But it depresses you to see your butt in those bulky boy shorts, doesn’t it? And on other days, when you wear your hot red booty-lifting half-thong, you feel damn good. So wear that now! (Just wear a super tampon because you don’t want to ruin those undies).