Normalize PMS Talk

For those 5 days or so, don’t worry about what someone is going to think about you. Accept that we are human and we have problems. We can speak about them. We can ask about them.

• I would not eat during PMS despite feeling like, because some XYZ told me that women gain a lot of weight after having their first period. So my first one year’s PMS was basically feeling sad, feeling hungry and feeling sad that I’m feeling hungry.
• Another XYZ told me that women stop growing tall after getting their first period. So I started skipping. Which I could not do during PMS. So again, my first year’s PMS was about not getting up because of cramps and feeling even more horrible, imagining myself like a short Lilliput.
• We are told not to speak about periods in a group or in front of men. I’d randomly get body pains or headache. People would ask me what happened, if I ate something wrong or would persuade me to take a tablet. I would not tell them that it is PMS and their persuasion made me angrier. Because, who talks about it in public, right?.
• I watched this super-normal movie and felt like crying for no reason. I was scared if I was becoming a weak person, because, for many people, crying is a sign of weakness. Then, I didn’t watch movies for 1-2 weeks because I didn’t want to cry.
• I shouted on someone during my PMS. When they asked me why I’m being so rash, I cooked up some story instead of telling that it was my PMS. Again, I cried because I felt bad. I don’t know why I did either.
• As a part of PMS, I get pimples too. They magically vanish after my period. Not realizing this, I contemplated so much on my pimples and then stopped eating sweets. (Sweets also includes pastry, cake, chocolate) for quite a long time.

What I’d like to tell everyone is, PMS is a really difficult phase. It can be made a bit better if you have supportive people (and chocolates) around you. And let me tell you, reminding us that we have to cope up with it somehow, is NOT support. We know we have no choice than to go through it. So let’s think of how to ease PMS now?
At least for those 5 days, don’t ponder about how you are going to become fat or thin or short or whatever. If you laughed while reading the above things, I’m glad for your optimism. Because you don’t care what others think.
For those 5 days or so, don’t worry about what someone is going to think about you. Accept that we are human and we have problems. We can speak about them. We can ask about them.

“This happens to every one, don’t make a fuss. ”
“Don’t behave like it is your first PMS.”
“Why did you have to say it is PMS? You could just say headache or something?”
“You are a woman. You should deal with it. You don’t have an option.”
It is better to be silent than to use these phrases.

We know PMS happens to everyone. That is the reason why we should have more conversations about it. We must help young women deal with PMS, than admonishing them that it is their fate. Normalize PMS talk.

Image source: Unsplash

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