Living with PMDD makes day-to-day life much more difficult and management will be completely personal to you and your symptoms.
We’ve been chatting to our certified period coach Katherine Glyde to give you some tips on how you can reduce the impact that PMDD has on your life.
Get to know your cycle
Tracking your menstrual cycle can really help you to understand what’s happening with your body.
Noticing patterns and triggers will in turn raise your awareness of the symptoms you experience which could help you make choices to support yourself. For example, if you notice your symptoms occur at a particular time each month, you can schedule rest and relaxing activities for this time.
Be open
Remember, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing to cause it and are in no way to blame for having PMDD.
Who in your life do you feel comfortable sharing your condition with? Looking at your day-to-day life, who do you need support from? Could you benefit from a PMDD support group? Would having a conversation with your employer would help?
Being open and honest about your symptoms could help you get support in the areas you need it.
Try to plan around it
This isn’t always possible but can you work your schedule around your symptoms?
Planning around your PMDD also means having your toolkit of things that support your symptoms ready for whenever you might need them. Making sure you know what those things are is essential!
Physical health
We are in no way telling you how to live; but looking at stress management, sleeping patterns, hydration, and exercise could potentially help ease the symptoms you are experiencing.
These are things you can test out and track how they make you feel in your symptoms dairy.
Why not reach out to other PMDD warriors and share your tips and tricks for managing the condition? A problem shared is a problem halved!
Do you have any tips for how you manage PMDD and reduce the impact it has on your life? Let us know in the comments!