Periods can affect your mental health but experiencing their symptoms is NOT mental health in itself.
Mental health issues can include depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Period symptoms can also include mood swings, irritability, feeling of sadness or depression, changes in appetite or sleep habits, fatigue and anxiety. But just because mental health symptoms can be similar to period symptoms, it doesn't mean that during your period you are going through mental health issues.
HEADING
I remember very well the things that went along with having my periods (food cravings, paranoia, bloating, pain, crying, etc). They could definitely affect my mood. While it was possible for my period to contribute to my mental health, having the hormonal imbalance symptoms was not mental health in itself.
Yes, a lot of women experience issues with their moods and emotions during their periods. I also struggled with depression during this time. Many women experience more anxiety or even personality changes because of their cycle. But this doesn't mean that your period is synonym of mental health. It means that you had a specific set of experiences during that time that made you feel a certain way.
There are women who celebrate having their periods. They consider themselves "blessed" because they get to experience this event. And there are also women who view their periods as a hindrance, to the point that they would rather not have them at all.
I understand that you may be thinking that your period has caused your mental health issues because of the negative experiences you've had along with them. But I want to tell you something very important: there are many other reasons why your mental health issues may have occurred. Without going into it, let me just say that it could be a combination of things.
You've been told and also you've been conditioned to believe that your mental health issues are caused by the fact that you have your period. But this is not true. Yes, periods can cause certain symptoms and it can make you feel a certain way, but these feelings are part of a natural cycle in women's lives.
Without going into all the details about how your brain works, I just want to say that there are other possible explanations for mental health issues other than periods.
HEADING
We need to learn to shift the negative paradigm about periods in general. For example, stopping the negative comments. I'm sure you've heard the following:
"Oh, is it that time of the month for you, is it?"
"Are you on the blob?"
"On the rag?"
"It must be your pads."
"You're so moody these days."
"Your period's making you gain weight again."
The list goes on and on.
It's not supportive to have people make negative comments about our periods. This is harmful to our self-esteem. In fact, these types of comments undermine a woman's power. They put women down. It makes us feel like we're not wanted, needed, or good enough.
What it all boils down to is something very simple and that is that when someone asks if you're on your period, they are trying to make you feel bad about your cycle.
So, yes, it's time we shift the paradigm around periods and start speaking of this natural event with more positivity and positive thoughts. We need to start rebirthing this whole concept of period shame.
HEADING
There is a lot going on when we have our periods, so many things to think about. That's without going into the financial side of it. The comments mentioned above are part of a bigger problem and it's not about your periods. It's about women are viewed, how we are treated, and how we feel about ourselves.
In the end, all of this is about putting women down and making us feel like we're not enough for ourselves or for others. It just makes us feel even more powerless.
We need to deconstruct Period Shame in order to stop women feeling shameful about their period, their bodies and themselves.
Thank you for reading!
Lynn Tunnicliffe
