Category Archives: Wellbeing

Struggling to Maintain a Fitness Routine with PMS?

Posted in Health, PMS, Quick Tips, Wellbeing, youtube by

If you are a lover of health, fitness and exercise like me, then you know how difficult it can be to maintain your level of activity during your PMS Phase.

I have just created the below video, which details a technique that I use to stay active throughout the whole month.

Please take a look and feel free to subscribe to the YouTube channel 😊

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The Holistic Approach for PMS

Posted in Wellbeing by

After a number of years of lived experience and research on the topic of PMS. I now firmly believe that we do not just have PMS for no reason, I believe that it is due to some kind of turbulence found in one or more of the life areas listed below:

PMS Building Blocks

These areas above can be described simply as:

Now = The present moment

Your Future = Our expectations, goals, dreams

Your Beliefs = Your core values and principles

Your Past = Your history and experiences

Each area above plays a vital role in your emotional state.

If you experience stress, negativity, unhappiness in one or more of these areas then your body will need to express this, due to the build up of stored emotions, meaning that if you are prone to PMS, then this is where it will show up, with potentially severe symptoms.

If you are not a sufferer of PMS then you may experience the build up in another way, for example back pain, frequent colds etc.

So, if you . . 

Do not like your job, your situation at home (Now)
Have no direction in life, no ambition, no focus (Your Future)
Have a loved one who is not respecting one of your core values (Your Beliefs)
Have experienced a traumatic event that is still unresolved / unprocessed (Your Past)

Then you will have some kind of physical and/or mental symptom because of this.

What does this mean?

It means that to resolve PMS you need to take a holistic approach.

PMS is not the problem, PMS is trying to communicate to you that there is a disturbance in your life that needs to be resolved and it is likely to be found in one or more of the areas listed above.

By using this approach I have managed to reduce my own severe symptoms to a level where they are now hardly even evident!

So forget about PMS, instead shift your focus to the study and research of your own happiness, this in turn will lead you to the path of recovery and rejuvenation!

Happy Month 🙂

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

The body is the barometer of the soul

Posted in Book Review, PMS, Wellbeing by

Annette Noontil, author of the book “The body is the barometer of the soul” suggests one reason why women may experience PMS:

Your need is to love yourself and to know that the love you are looking for is inside you. When you live your love, you are an example to others. Where there is love there is no pain.

I personally feel that this is a great quote, it emphasises the need to love ourselves, the need to provide ourselves with support and the power of positive self talk.

In addition the text highlights the need for us to constantly strive towards our aspirations, goals and dreams so that we can begin to live the life we love, creating a state of inner peace and contentment from within.

I firmly believe that if you make a positive step towards any dream or a goal this can have a remarkable effect on the wellbeing of your mind and body.

  • So what are your dreams and goals?
  • Is there a hobby you have always wanted to try or a place you have wanted to visit or would you really like to change career?

It’s very odd, but I know that if I am working towards a goal or looking forward to an event in my life then suddenly PMS reduces… maybe your thoughts really can heal your life!

 

 

A Great Book – Self Compassion by Kristin Neff

Posted in Book Review, PMS, Wellbeing by

A book I highly recommend is Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff:

http://www.self-compassion.org/self-compassion-the-book/about-the-book.html

Self-Compassion is not a skill natural to most people, as we tend to be better at negative self talk.

If Self-Compassion is low or non-existent then getting through any difficult times of the month can be very challenging, but by introducing self-compassion then those challenging times can become that little bit easier, as you will be providing yourself with the support needed rather than just constantly attacking yourself with negative talk!

The book highlights questions such as:

  • If we cannot be compassionate with ourselves at difficult times of the month then who will be?
  • Would you talk to a friend using the same words and tone, as you do with yourself when you make a mistake?

So make self-compassion a new habit… use words that support and comfort you, not ones that would make your best friend cry!

You will really feel the difference on a bad PMS day 🙂

Reduce PMS by focusing on three core elements of self

Posted in PMS, Wellbeing by

To develop control of PMS you need to ensure the following three areas of your life are healthy, strong and positive:

#1 Mental wellbeing

#2 Nutrition

#3 Health

If any one of the areas above are lacking or problematic this may highten your monthly PMS symptoms…. the most documented cures for PMS focus on Nutrition and Health, but if your Mental Wellbeing is low, then you may struggle to reduce your symptoms.

You can use methods such as mindfulness, meditation or counselling to help improve your mental wellbeing, making this important trinity complete.

Awareness

One key factor in winning the battle with PMS is building awareness, this means when a symptom develops such as:

Irritability
Depression
Mood Swings
Anxiety

You can actually notice the arrival and departure of that symptom…. meaning that you can actually learn to take control of the condition rather than letting the condition control you!