Category Archives: Quick Tips

Time for an early night?

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Sleep has an amazing effect on our body and mind.

It allows us to fully unwind and relax from our day.

Most studies recommend 7/8 hours sleep per night but this can vary.

If you are in your PMS phase I would recommend adding an additional hour to your normal sleep pattern, turn off your TV, switch off your mobile phone and fully relax.

This small change will make a real positive difference to your mood and energy levels for the next day…

For me personally, during this phase I tend to go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 7am, this ensures that I am ready for the day ahead in a lovely calm mood.

Why not give it a try?

HappyMonth.x

 

Have you taken action yet?

Posted in PMS, PMS Symptoms, PMT, Quick Tips by

I have met a number of people over the years who are very aware that they have PMS, maybe they have read some books, watched some YouTube videos… but most have never actually taken any action, even though they have spent many hours researching different tools and techniques.

Maybe these people are just not ready…? As to be honest, it does take a huge amount of commitment to achieve any real results and to ensure that they stay a habitual part of your life.

PMS can be cured! …. But it really depends on if you are ready for the journey?

The journey can be very long, filled with many lows at first, but it’s so fantastic when you actually start to see results for yourself, such as improvements in relationships, reduction in monthly tension and of course your first fully Happy Month, wow that’s a great feeling!

So are you ready to take action?

If you are, then you may be interested to know that I am in the process of writing a 31 day workbook, which will aid you in your journey to become PMS free…. and I hope that this will be available from Amazon very soon!

PMS Action

Caffeine, the enemy of PMS

Posted in Nutrition Advice, PMT, Quick Tips by

I love coffee!

My favourite has to be from Nero’s, normally a White Americano!

Coffee gives me that well needed energy boost in the morning, it relaxes me after lunch and it is my favourite daily treat.

But somehow, this lovely daily treat, turns into the evil side kick of PMS once a month…. and the stimulation qualities seem to focus themselves on heightening my annoyance, anger and irritation rather than anything positive such as relaxation or energy.

But I need coffee?

So to combat this, I realised that I had to reduce my caffeine intake during my PMS phase, which sounds easy, but when you are ever so slightly addicted to the substance, it is very easy to say yes when someone offers you a cup!

So I am now very strict with myself, limiting myself to two cups if I feel that I am ok, but if I sense even the slightest hint of PMS, then its straight on to the Camomile Tea!

Could you benefit from the same approach?

Not feeling great today?

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Feeling “PMS’y”? then its time to have some you time!

What do I mean by “you time”? it can be anything that relaxes you, takes the pressure off of you and allows yourself to be still and calm.

You know that it’s incredibly difficult to work at the same pace during PMS, but naturally we still try and push ourselves on to achieve everything that we need to do and to the same exacting standards.

So instead, I recommend dropping the pace by 20%, making some room in your day to just relax and unwind and most importantly, allowing yourself to be just that little bit laid back, without thinking badly of yourself for doing so.

It sounds very simple, but for some reason, even though we know that this is what we need, we still continue at the same fast pace.

So this month, be kind to yourself and slow the pace down ….. it will really make an enormous difference to your month.

Relax PMS

Are you feeling PMS’y?

Posted in PMS, Quick Tips by

If you feel unwell, unable to do any job or task because you feel so ill…..

Would you attempt to hide this from everyone around you?

Or

Would you let them know that you are not feeling well?

I’m guessing that you would tell someone, or at least that you would give yourself everything you needed to feel better . . . .

But it’s odd that most women try to do the opposite where PMS is concerned; trying to pretend or persuade everyone that everything is ok, when really it’s not.

This month open up and let people know that you are not feeling well due to PMS, if you manage to catch the feeling early, tell your loved ones straight away, let them know as soon as possible.

A powerful sentence that has dramatically reduced my PMS is simply:

I’m feeling a bit PMS’y

Sounds simple to say? Yes, but in the early days I found it very hard to admit that I had PMS to myself, let alone to the people I lived with.

But saying the above sentence out loud, I actually found to be very healing as I would feel instantly lighter emotionally, my symptoms would reduce dramatically and any atmosphere at home would be prevented or reduced.

Example

One month I was suffering with irritation due to PMS and I decided to do one of the worst possible things when experiencing the symptom, which was to try and find something in a draw that was a complete mess . . . .

I could feel the rage developing….someone offered to help….I wanted to snap, but then I uttered the words:

Do you know what? I’m feeling a bit PMS’y, would you mind doing this for me?

Rather than the normal explosion and argument, I felt instantly calmer, the person who offered to help felt better too, as they now had an understanding of what was wrong and they even told me to have a relax and then made me a cup of tea…..

O how it could have been so different, if I would of not said those words!!

So use this sentence, it really does work, say it whenever you feel it!

A Simple Tool for Instant PMS / PMT Results

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PMS ToolBox

Over the years I have tried a number of different techniques that have been recommended to reduce the symptoms of PMS / PMT, but most seemed to involve either a large learning curve, expense or they were just not feasible to build into a daily routine.

Due to this, I decided to develop my own tools and techniques that would be simple to use and that could be incorporated into my routine.

So in this post I would like to introduce you to “The Daily Well-being Survey” a quick and simple tool allowing you to detect the very first signs of PMS developing, so that you can actively slow down, relax and potentially prevent any explosive situations from occurring.

This technique is very simple, so I have tried to keep the explanation concise too, in the hope that you do try this tool (for at least a month), starting from the very first day your period starts.

How to do “The Well-being Survey”

Step One:

Buy a notepad small enough to carry in your bag or store in your car etc

Step Two:

Divide one of the pages into three columns and then name each column as follows:

How am I Feeling?        Communicate?        Need?

Step Three:

Once a day, at a time when you can be alone, or, even better, just before a busy time of day e.g. before your kids come home from school or before you go home from work, answer the three questions listed in Step Two.

Your answers do not need to be detailed, but they do need to be truthful, so do spend a little bit of time reflecting on how you are feeling before you answer the questions.

The first question “How am I feeling?” is fairly self explanatory, the answer you provide here does not need to be long, but it does have to be honest e.g. : I’m feeling happy, a little bit stressed.

The second question “Communicate?” is really important, as it’s an opportunity for you to review your answer to: “How am I feeling?”.

If your answer seemed to indicate a lower than normal mood and you are getting close to your PMS phase of the month, this could be your first warning sign of PMS developing, suggesting a need for you to communicate with your loved ones, so your answer here should be Yes.

Communication is key in reducing PMS, as strangely by opening up and talking to your loved ones it really does take the pressure off, as you no longer have to pretend that everything is “fine”!

The last question is my favourite, “Need?” What’s going to make you feel better today? e.g. a night in front of the TV? no chores for a night or maybe nothing, if everything is Ok!

So there it is, simple huh? if you do give this technique a try, then please do let me know, as I would love to hear your feedback!

HappyMonth.x

New year resolutions to reduce your PMS Symptoms

Posted in Health, Nutrition Advice, PMS, PMS Symptoms, Quick Tips, Wellbeing by

So Christmas is over and New Years Eve will soon be upon us….. this means that it is the time of year when we all start to think about the things we would like to do or achieve in the new year.

So I thought I would list my top 10 resolutions needed to combat PMS:

  1. During the last 10 days of your menstrual cycle you may notice your energy levels dropping, which can lead to irritability and low moods…. So this year commit to adding additional whole grain carbohydrate foods into your shopping basket that can be used to help sustain your energy levels during this time e.g. Baked potato’s, nuts, bananas, wholewheat pasta and brown bread.
  2. Caffeine is known to increase anxiety and irritability, so combine this with PMS and it can be a dangerous combination… So this year commit to reducing your caffeine intake to a maximum of two cups of Coffee/Tea a day during the last 10 days of your menstrual cycle.
  3. Commit to positively changing your thought patterns e.g. “expect a happy month and you will”.
  4. Commit to talking honestly and openly to your partner, close family and friends about how you are feeling during the month.
  5. Commit to making time for yourself during the day, this could be in the form of meditation, reading, listening to music or any other enjoyable activity, even if it is just 10 minutes a day!
  6. Commit to providing yourself with compassion on those difficult days, remembering to talk to yourself as if you were talking to your best friend, providing yourself with words that comfort and support you.
  7. Having a bad day? is everyone annoying you? then commit to Journaling…
    Grab a note book, a pen and then just write…write down everything that is on your mind, ignore grammar and punctuation, just let your pen do the talking!….
    Once done, tear the paper up and throw in a bin, I guarantee any problems will reduce in size and you will feel mentally lighter.
    This technique is great for gaining insight into your current behaviors and moods.
  8. Commit to letting yourself relax during the last 10 days of your menstrual cycle without feeling guilty.
  9. Commit to adding a star to your wall or pocket calendar every month, indicating when you are expecting your PMS symptoms to start, this will allow you to be mindful of your thoughts and actions during this time and will also benefit the people you live with, as they will have a better understanding of whats happening.
  10. Of course number 10 could only be:
    Commit to following the Happy Month Blog, a sure-fire way to reduce / cure PMS for good!

I hope you find the above list of resolutions helpful…….but, remember, to achieve a goal takes more than just a decision, it requires constant small steps and commitment to achieve the desired result!

Happy New Year!

Chrissie
Happy Month.

Happy New Year