The Secret To A Happy Period

I was in Grade 7 and I was about to fall asleep on that cold night, when suddenly I felt something strange inside of me. Time came to a standstill when I noticed some blood down there. It was quite horrifying for me because a few days before that, my cousin had been operated since he bled when he urinated. I am terribly scared of operations and injections. I promptly created a huge scene out of it and started crying loudly and told my mother and father about the whole scenario. It was then that my  elder sister literally dragged me away and told me that my case was quite different. It was something which would happen to me every month, she said. I started crying at a much higher pitch after that. I am sure my neighbours would have been thinking that I was getting a sound trashing from my family following my uproar.

My sister started with that horror story. Yes, at that time,it was a horror story for me. I was hardly 12 years old and I had to learn to manage a diaper – like thing (read sanitary napkin) for a good five to seven days. I was horrified. I told my mother not to send me to school for a week and she agreed. I was relieved.

The very first night of my periods was a sleepless one. I had the constant urge to check for any leakages and stains. I changed thrice that night. I was so horrified. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=””]I even cursed myself for being a girl.[/inlinetweet] I just could not digest the fact that a part of my body would bleed for seven days and there was nothing that I could do about it.

The most horrible part was that the aunties in my neighbourhood began asking for the real reason behind my really long absence from school and would then make faces at me to imply that I must have been in deep pain. This made me feel even more terrible. [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”” suffix=”null”]I felt as if I was being punished by God.[/inlinetweet] I had a word with my friends and they told me that they were living normal lives. They did not bleed. That got me even more tensed.

I used to bunk my sports classes and I used to wear a pair of tights under my school skirt just to avoid the dreaded stains. In my third month, I noticed that I was getting familiarized with my periods, but I was still very uncomfortable. I was happy to attend my school even during my periods though. Trust me, that was an achievement for me, almost as if I had climbed Mount Everest.

I realised that the moment I accepted my periods as a part of my routine life, I just became and felt more comfortable. It was then that I started taking them lightly, though the cramps still used to haunt me and my sister would urge me not to take any medicines for it as she insisted that I would get used to it. She used to treat my cramps instead with a  hot water bag.

I got my periods when I was 12 years old and now I am 24 years of age. In these 12 years I have actually accepted the fact that one must bleed every single month gracefully, because with time I have learnt to deal with my periods. I learnt that periods do not haunt you unless and until you make a big deal out of them.  This is something very natural and the cycle repeats itself every month. The more you think about it, the more it is going to haunt you.

We already are in pain for at least the first two days of our periods and for the rest of the days, we elongate the pain just by having the feeling that we are down and out. But this is wrong; this is natural and it will happen. [inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”null”]With a little care, you can surely have a Happy Period.[/inlinetweet] Yes, now you must be thinking about how a period can be described as Happy but they’re there and they’re here to stay.

According to me, a period can be happy if you want to make it that way. Eat good food, keep yourself clean and take a hot shower.  I use a lot of fragrances when I am down just to make myself feel fresh. Yes, that’s my way and choice and fashion of having a happy period. I know that I have no option other than facing my periods, so I have decided and I choose to face my periods happily. Isn’t that worth a thought?

I read a lot of blogs on periods which makes me feel that it is not as bad as we make it out to be. Eat fruits, take a lot of fluids, think good thoughts and be happy –that is The Secret to a Happy Period.

So ladies, cheer yourselves up. Be happy that your natural cycle is normal. Just remember, half the battle is won with your thoughts. The happier your thoughts are, the more comfortable you would be with your periods. So next time anyone says to  you, [inlinetweet prefix=”null” tweeter=”null” suffix=”null”]“Ohhh, you are in pain!”[/inlinetweet], just smile and say, “No, it’s something very normal and I am as happy as ever!”

Author: Juhi Agarwal
Juhi is a graduate of Retail and Marketing Management as well as Mass Communication. An avid reader and a feminist, she likes romantic movies, travelling and diligently maintains a daily diary.

Editor: Divya Rosaline