Drip drip drip… month after month, the menstrual clock keeps ticking. Tick tick tick… It’s been a journey of 30+ years and now I stand enlightened!

Across the universe, if you put together our experiences during this time, there will be dozens galore! Right from the age from when it started, with the flow, from zilch to excruciating pain, to when the clock stops to tick, and then the aftermath… to each one, her own!

Here is my bloody journey that enriched me in its own unique way.

Blame it on when I timed my birth (yeah! I had all the option to time it!). Back then, ‘periods’ were the biggest taboo. When they set in, it was a different kind of nightmare and if it wasn’t then it was completely another kind of nightmare. So it’s been a journey of discovery through each experience, with no one to even talk / share it with, other than, of course, the likes of our own.

It did catch me unawares. From the minute the first drops of blood trickled out and since Day One, it’s always been one hell of an experience. I used to shudder as I recalled when I recognized that moment and its onset. The countless roller-coaster moments, the inexplicable and piercing pain, along with those societal Dos and Don’ts – oh dear! As a bonus, you got to hear stuff like “How can you time it so, to have your periods on a Friday morning?” Oh yeah, if only I could control it (along with the tongues that wagged and the minds that set these rules to make it an entirely uneasy period in one’s life)!

Best way to talk to your daughters about periods

Confined to a corner of a room (or to the stairs because someone is performing some pooja), distanced from everything you touched or was given to you, all piled up in one corner or another, and the worst-of-the-worst was the endless walk around the back portion of the house just to attend to calls of nature and / or attending to other such necessities – so that you had better learn to control your urges, or else! You see, lest you walk around the house like that! With a change of times, as we moved to a flat, the difference was that you didn’t need to walk around the house, just stick to its corners. Phew, a savior indeed!

I still remember some horrendous experiences. One was in school when I nearly fainted and had to be cycled home by my friend; another was when I had to stand in the Chemistry lab for 5+ hours, and another was when I had to stand through and help students during their computer lab sessions, and so on and so forth…

Not to forget those Mood Swings. It’s like bundles of negative energy trying to find its way out along with all the blood and the heat!

And adding a flavor to all these experiences were the doctor visits… bottles of tonic because you are anemic and the all-time favorite solution of course, was: “Once you have a kid, this pain will be gone.”  Ya right! At that age though, I would have been delighted if only I could have had a kid and got ridden of this hellish pain!

One gynecologist gave me a medicine that only ended up adding flab to my body and my aunt persuaded me to stop having it. From her experience, the only thing that could remotely help was to keep your body cool – have a fistful of feenugreek seeds and buttermilk. I walked that way for some years…

It’s been the same story ever since… As years passed by, the pain was probably tired of being with me and now it’s a rare visitor.

Living through this month after month and year after year, I have discovered a lot… Some of the biggest learnings for me have been:

  • Embrace pain, especially when it’s unavoidable. Enduring such pain prepares you both physically and more so mentally, to face life and all the unexpected pain that it pushes your way.
  • Certain things are a given in life, Accept it and move on. Don’t keep fighting it.
  • It helped me find my strength from within. My mood swings irritated me, as it was a viral of sorts. So I started to find ways to control it, as this is usually within your control (most of the time). Distract yourself – that is the key!
  • Stop listening and adhering to societal norms that makes no sense and/or have no logic: In this case: don’t enter the house, lighting diyas are a no-no, visiting temples are a sin. Ask yourself, do you really feel so? Some strongly believe in this due to years of conditioning, some learn to unlearn (like I did) but whatever it be, let it be Your Choice and not something pushed down your throat.
  • Accept yourself the way you are. What is given by nature is given for a certain reason and probably the best suited for you. This pain also in a certain way, prepares you for your motherhood.
  • Stretch yourself through this pain and explore your full potential. For the last two months, I stepped away from my belief that I should not exercise during my periods! I make it a point to walk / exercise at least for 30 minutes and believe me, I am able to do so. Yes, there are times when your body will signal for you to rest, which you must listen to, but don’t allow the conditioned mind to restrict you from exploring more possibilities in life.

I could probably have started these way back and I might have had a better hang of my pain… but better late than never I suppose. The same is the case with life. So far, you may have traveled a certain path, a certain way, but if ever you feel from within the urge to change, to try a new path / way, embrace what comes your way, push yourself through it and you will most definitely be rewarded – either with results or with lifelong lessons.

As I stand enlightened by the flow of blood from within a hygienic soul, I hope and believe that this sharing will make some difference to at least a few out there! Even if it does not, at least I am revived and I continue on with my journey….

easiet way to teach and learn about periods

Poet: Sri Priya
Sri Priya is a Project manager in an IT Company. She loves Blogging, making short films and advertisements. She also does food blogging here.

 

Editor: Divya Rosaline 

 

 

0