Do you have a plan?

Posted in PMS, PMT, Quick Tips, Uncategorized by

“A goal without a plan is just wish”

I think this is a great quote, it simply highlights that we can have all the goals in the world, but without knowing the steps needed to accomplish them, it really is wishful thinking!

By reading this blog, i’m assuming that your goal is to reduce and eventually heal from PMS..

To be able to do this, I highly recommend implementing an action plan.

An example could be:

Daily Tasks:

Meditate
Drink plenty of water
Actively be aware of the stage that I am in, with regards to my monthly cycle
Move, seek fresh air, breath and relax

Weekly Tasks:

Research case studies and recovery strategies from Books and the Internet
Adapt food to be consumed, to benefit the current stage of my monthly cycle
Adapt exercise regime, to benefit the current stage of my monthly cycle

Monthly Tasks:

Add a mark on my calendar, highlighting next months PMS phase.
Celebrate success when a happy month has been had, due to a well thought out and delivered plan!

So get planning! and of course, if you need help, feel free to contact me:

Chrissie@happymonth.co.uk

The Most Important Word for PMS Reduction

Posted in PMS, PMS Symptoms by

This is simple, “Transparency”

Transparency implies Openness, Communication, and Accountability.

If you are open, then you will no longer have to hide your symptoms.

If you communicate, then you will provide people with a much needed understanding of why you are not as relaxed / happy / energised, as normal.

If you are accountable, then you accept that it is your decision if you do not tell people, if you do nothing during the month to ease your symptoms e.g. exercise, diet choices, meditation.

… and you accept that by doing nothing, you are actually deciding to have that same argument again with your loved ones!

By doing nothing, nothing will change …

So what could you do this month?

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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 🙂

PMS – Prioritise Mental Stability

Posted in PMS, PMS Symptoms by

Is PMS a Condition or a Symptom of unresolved issues within our self?

This is a question I have been thinking about for a long time.

I’m guessing that if you were to ask a number of people this question, then you would receive many conflicting answers, probably due to factors such as:

    1. The intensity of their PMS.
    2. If they are the ones suffering with PMS or if they are just living with a person who has PMS.
    3. Their own belief system of why symptoms develop.

To further analyse this question, have you ever noticed an improvement in your PMS when your mind has been still and happy? for example, when you have been planning and preparing for a long awaited holiday or even when you have been on holiday?

Or do you remember a time when you have experienced heightened PMS due to your mind being unusually busy or unhappy?

Does the above sound familiar to you?

The above is certainly familiar to me, which leads me to believe that PMS is actually more of an indicator of our own mental and physical well-being, rather than a condition in its own right!

So surely this means that the cure to PMS could actually be within our selves rather than in medication?

PMS has always had negative connotations but how empowering would it be, if instead we used it as a powerful reminder that we must Prioritise our own Mental Stability, because if we did, I believe that most people would experience a reduction in their PMS and a generally more enjoyable life! …. and who would not want that? 🙂

To be continued . . .

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It’s all in the planning

Posted in PMS by

It’s been a few months since I last created a blog post; the main reason is that I needed to spend some time on my own battle with PMS.

As I have frequently stated on this site, I have constantly improved on my own symptoms with a lot of hard work and commitment to the journey.

But I am human, and sometimes I don’t have a “Happy Month”, in fact, I have a completely miserable one, luckily it’s not that often, but it does happen!

So I wanted to spend some time finding out what are the real differences between a good and bad month, in areas such as: my daily routines, eating habits, fitness and communication.

With this insight, I then hope to be able to reduce my symptom further and to be able to share these findings with everyone who reads this blog.

So what did I notice?

Good Month

Awareness:  On a good month, I am always fully aware of where I am in my cycle

Fitness: I have a regular fitness routine, adapting at the PMS stage to incorporate activities that will still be achievable with a reduction in my energy

Eating Habits: A good diet with fresh food, water, only two cups of coffee a day and the odd treat*
*everyone needs a treat

Lifestyle: Fully enjoying work and life, knowingly reducing the pace when approaching PMS stage and being kind to myself for doing so.

Communication: Proactive PMS updates e.g. Adding a star to my Calendar, highlighting the estimated start day of my PMS phase and an openness with my loved ones.

Bad Month

Ignorance: No awareness of where I am in my cycle, my mind is busy thinking of future tasks/events that I need to do

Fitness: 2 weeks of regular exercise and then 2 weeks of procrastination and nothingness!

Eating Habits: A good diet for two weeks and then a gradual increase of too much caffeine and undeserved treats 😦

Lifestyle: Trying to keep the pace of life at a constant level for the whole month and when unable to meet my own expectations, adding more tasks on to my to-do list

Communication: “It’s not PMS, I’m fine… “

As you have read, there is a big difference between a good and bad month and the list clearly highlights that there are many elements to focus on if you wish to reduce your symptoms, not just one.

But the biggest piece of advice that I could give, is that it all starts with awareness and being mindful of the present moment and where you are in your cycle.

If you get lost in your work, children, tasks, and to-do lists, then you will never be able to spot the signs that you are about to move into your PMS phase, instead your eureka moment will come in the middle of an argument or at the end of the month, when you would have wasted two weeks of being down, unmotivated and unhappy.

So don’t let PMS win, become aware, make those needed lifestyle changes and have the Happy Month that you deserve.

HappyMonth Plan

What’s your goal for 2016?

Posted in New Year Resolutions by

Christmas is nearly here and New Year’s Eve will soon be with us too…..

Now is a really good time to start thinking about how 2015 worked out for you? did you stay committed to the goals you set? did you see a reduction in PMS symptoms?

If reducing PMS/PMT Symptoms is still a goal for 2016, then the below list of lifestyle changes may help you on your journey:

  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 next year commit to adding additional wholegrain carbohydrate foods into your shopping basket that can be used to help you sustain your energy levels e.g. Sweet Potato’s, nuts, bananas, whole-wheat pasta.
  2. Caffeine is known to increase anxiety and irritability, so combine this with PMS and it can be a dangerous combination… So next 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 more time for yourself during the day, this could be by introducing meditation, reading, listening to music or any other enjoyable activity.
  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, provide yourself with words that comfort and support you.
  7. Having a bad day? Is everyone annoying you? Then try 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.
  8. Commit to letting yourself relax and slowing the pace down 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.
  10. Lastly, no matter what you decide to do, commit to your goals and make sure it becomes part of your lifestyle, don’t be that person who stops after just a few weeks!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Happy Month.x

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