Understanding Period Moods

Ever feel like your emotions are on a rollercoaster you didn't ask to ride? You're not imagining it, your hormones really do shape how you feel throughout the month. Once you understand why, those big feelings get a lot easier to handle.

Why your moods change

Across your cycle, your body makes different amounts of hormones, mainly estrogen and progesterone. These hormones gently affect the chemicals in your brain that steer your mood. So when your hormones shift, your feelings can shift too. It's biology, not you doing anything wrong.

How you might feel week by week

Week 1 (your period)

Hormones: low, then slowly rising.

• Tired at first, then more like yourself.
• A bit of relief that PMS is over.
• Maybe a little crampy or uncomfortable.

Week 2 (after your period)

Hormones: estrogen rising.

• More confident and outgoing.
• Creative and ready to get things done.
• Social and chatty.

Week 3 (mid-cycle)

Hormones: progesterone rising.

• Calm and steady.
• Maybe a little more inward and quiet.
• Drawn to comfort and cozy things.

Week 4 (before your period, PMS time)

Hormones: both dropping.

• More sensitive or emotional.
• A bit irritable or anxious.
• Craving comfort foods.

PMS is real

PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome, and it's a genuine thing, not something you're making up. It can include:

• Feeling sad, anxious, or easily annoyed.
• Crying more easily than usual.
• Feeling bloated or tired.
• Food cravings.
• Trouble concentrating.

Gentle ways to ride the waves

1. Track your cycle so you know what's coming and can plan a little.
2. Be kind to yourself, it's okay to need extra rest.
3. Stay active, moving your body releases feel-good chemicals.
4. Eat well, since big swings in blood sugar can make moods bumpier.
5. Talk about it, sharing how you feel really does lighten the load.

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

Your feelings are valid. Most big feelings do pass on their own, and the ones that do not are the ones to hand to an adult, because those get better with help. Getting to know your own rhythm is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself, and Sosô is cheering you on through every week. 💛