The Most Important Word for PMS Reduction

Posted in PMS, PMS Symptoms by HappyMonth

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?

A Simple Tool for Instant PMS / PMT Results

Posted in Quick Tips by HappyMonth

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

22Jan2014

Conquer PMS: Honesty with yourself and others

Posted in Book Review, PMS, PMS Symptoms by HappyMonth

The more you hide your feelings, the more they show. The more you deny your feelings, the more they grow. ~Unknown

If you suffer with one or more of the psychological symptoms associated with PMS e.g. irritability, mood swings, depression….. The above quote must ring true; I know it certainly does with me!

For some reason when I used to suffer with PMS and experience a low mood, I would state the now classic and favourite quote of mine which is “I’m fine”…. but actually, on the inside I was experiencing enough frustration to kick a door down and on the outside I would be as warm as an artic winter!

But “I was fine”! ….. In fact, it was everyone else with the low mood, not me!

Does the above sound familiar?

As women with PMS we know that the hiding of our emotions is not something we do on purpose, but it is something that seems to happen at unconscious level…. and as Guy Finley eloquently states in his book “The Secret of Letting Go”:

The inner determines the outer.

For example, if a person writing a letter misspells a word, the error starts in the person’s mind, after which it appears on the paper. The word can not be corrected until the mind is corrected first. If mind is not corrected, the error will endlessly repeat itself on paper.

So with this knowledge in mind, physiological symptoms of PMS should be reduced by actively working on the following four self development areas listed below:

Develop Awareness skills and learn to become consciously aware of every thought and feeling being experienced, so that you can consciously decide how to react or respond to the outside world.
Develop honesty and compassion with yourself.
Learn how to communicate openly to your loved ones, so that they know how PMS is truly making you feel.

and number 4….the most important…. but sometimes hard to hear!

Learn to take responsibility and action for yourself by actively seeking to improve in the above areas day by day, month by month.

The path to curing PMS is not easy, but it can be done and I hope that by reading this blog your journey will be made just that little bit easier.

Chrissie.

10Oct2013

Help reduce PMS by talking about it – even to men!

Posted in PMS, PMS Symptoms by HappyMonth

A really simple technique to reduce your PMS symptoms is to talk openly about the topic with your loved ones and especially those that you live with.

This should be a really easy discussion, but as we know, from an early age it is instilled in us that PMS is a taboo subject, that we should hide all symptoms and never, ever mention the word “Period” in public!!

PMS is often used by the opposite sex as the reason why a female’s mood may be low, even if PMS has nothing to do with it….

Due to this way of thinking, tension is created within everyone who suffers from PMS or those who just have a period. This tension manifests as negative thought patterns associated to Periods and PMS which in time becomes a habitual way of thinking, causing stress to the subconscious mind every time you reach your 28^th day.

To reduce this tension we need to remove the negative thoughts associated, such as:

– I should be happy

– Even if I did tell them, they would not take this condition seriously

– It’s just a “women thing”

– I should not moan about it

– It’s embarrassing

– No one must know that I am having my period!

and replace them with positive new ones….. one way of doing this is to talk openly with your loved ones.

Explained to them how PMS makes you feel, how you typically react and most importantly what you need from them when a symptom develops – this can make the world of difference because suddenly they understand, they know what you need and what they can do to make you feel better – remember they are your loved ones, they will support you – they just need to know how they can help!

So this month, make a positive step and start talking about PMS and Periods!

It’s important, so please do not hide it – share it 🙂