Dealing with Tough Days

Some days, period feelings can hit harder than others, and you might feel weepy, snappy, or just not yourself. That's completely okay. Here are some gentle, real ways to get through the harder moments.

It's okay to feel this way

First, the most important thing: your feelings are valid. Hormones are powerful, and it's completely normal to:

• Cry over small things.
• Feel irritable with everyone.
• Want to be by yourself.
• Feel anxious or worried.
• Have a shorter temper than usual.

Most of the time this is your cycle doing its thing, and it settles once your period gets going. But not always, and there is a section further down about the days when it does not. Feeling like this does not mean you are broken, and it also does not mean you have to sit with it on your own.

Quick mood boosters

When you're feeling low, try something small. You don't have to fix everything at once.

5-minute fixes

• Breathe deeply, 4 counts in, 4 counts out.
• Splash cold water on your face.
• Step outside for some fresh air.
• Play your favorite song.
• Text a friend something silly.

15-minute fixes

• Take a shower, warm water is calming.
• Do some stretches or gentle yoga.
• Watch a funny video.
• Write in a journal.
• Cuddle a pet or a stuffed animal.

Longer fixes

• Go for a walk somewhere green.
• Call someone you love.
• Do something creative.
• Take a nap.
• Watch a comfort show.

When you feel snappy

Feeling irritable? Here's what helps:

1. Step away from the situation if you can.
2. Count to 10 before you respond.
3. Move your body, even a few jumping jacks help.
4. Write it out instead of saying it.
5. Apologize later if you snap, it happens to everyone.

When sadness hits

Feeling weepy is okay too:

• Let yourself cry, it's actually good for you.
• Comfort yourself the way you'd comfort a friend.
• Remember it will pass, usually within a day or two.
• Reach out, even texting "I'm having a hard day" is brave.

When to tell someone

Some feelings are bigger than a bad week, and those are the ones to hand to an adult instead of carrying on your own.

Tell a trusted adult, and ask to see a doctor, if:

• You have felt low, flat or tearful most days for more than two weeks, and it is not lifting when your period ends.
• The bad days are stopping you doing school, sport, friends or things you used to enjoy.
• You feel angry, anxious or out of control before your period in a way that scares you. When PMS is this severe it has a name, premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD, and there is real treatment for it.
• You are sleeping much more or much less than usual, or eating much more or much less, for weeks at a time.
• You feel numb, or like nothing matters.

Tell an adult today, not next week, if the feelings ever get so big that they scare you, or you do not feel able to keep yourself safe. That is a sign that you need help now, not a sign that something is wrong with you, and it is not something to sit with alone.

If you cannot reach your usual adult right away, find any adult nearby: a parent, a teacher, a relative, a friend's parent. Asking is always okay, and no adult worth telling will think you are making a fuss.

Remember

Tough days don't last forever, and you're stronger than you think. Be gentle with yourself, reach out when you need to, and know that Sosô is right here with you. 💛