How I Prepare for My Period, Part 2

In the first article of this two-part series, I spoke of how my period used to take me by surprise and floored me each and every time with excruciating pain. Now I have a period preparation routine, which has minimized my pain to almost nothing at all. In this article, I’m going to take you through the final ways I get ready for my time of the month.

My toolkit

For some reason, I always come on at night, and I cannot count the number of times I have been rummaging around in dark trying to find my various pain relief tools with one hand whilst clutching my stomach with the other. So now I’m much more organized (most of the time...) and have my period tool-kit laid out next to my bed when I’m due on. To help me do this, I use a period tracker to get the exact date, and usually they never fail me, but I tend to keep my tool-kit nearby on either side of that day, just in case.

Even though I usually come on at night, I also make sure if I’m out and about on the days near my period, I take most of, if not all of, my period tool-kit.

I’ll expand on my tool-kit in another article, but it usually includes organic sanitary pads, essential oils, magnesium spray, an essential oil balm, a TENS machine, mild pain killers, an essential oil period patch, and a heat patch or hot water bottle.

My ritual

Having a period ritual is of course dependent on where you are when you start, which is why my earlier step of blocking out your dairy can be so important. Having said that, you can’t always take a day off with every period, so your ritual might need to be before or after work.

My ritual includes first relieving any pain I might have, which at these days is usually minimal, with some of my natural pain relief options in my tool-kit. I tend to first spray on some magnesium, rub in some balm, and then stick on my TENS machine.

Once I’ve reduced my pain, I’m able to move around much more freely. I might make a soothing tea (chamomile, ginger tea and raspberry leaf tea are good options) and then light a candle, turn on my electric heater, and follow a free YouTube yoga for period pain video. The heat really helps soothe my aching body, whilst I find yoga eases the cramping and relaxes me.

After yoga, if my pain has ceased enough and it’s the middle of the night, I’ll head back to bed wearing my TENS or period patch. If my pain is still continuing, I might take a mild painkiller and go to sleep, or if it’s not too late, I’ll run a bath. The warm water relaxes my body, and adding Epsom salts, and maybe some clary sage oil reduces my cramping.

How do you prepare for you period? Tell us below!