7 Ways to Relax Your Hormonal Symptoms

Most women suffer from at least one these tormenting symptoms during and around cycling times.

• Cravings of unhealthy (of course) foods
• Breast pain
• Cramps- there is a wide range of how extreme
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Irritability 
• Annoyance (this is a weird one of mine!)
• Pimples
• Bloating
• Mood swings...
• ... and other hormonal side affects that affect our everyday life.

Trying to suppress these ailments can be a struggle, especially if you don't want to be on medication 24/7 2 weeks of the month. I'm really into natural and herbal remedies, so me and my dad have both done research on this. My dad did it for the benefit of the rest of the family. Ha-ha. This is what I got from various sources and personal experience.

7 ways to Relax Your Hormonal Symptoms 

1. Exercise

Your body will cry out for rest at some time, and most definitely don't ignore it. But, at some point, at least for me, you are kind of just sore bloated and cramped up. That's when it's time to get your body moving. Trust me, it will really help. It inspires and pumps you up, and meanwhile refreshes and rejuvenates your mind. There are many ways to exercise, but choose one that you enjoy doing and doesn't just make you feel exhausted and out of breath. That is NOT our purpose here.

2. Take Supplements

The suggested ones I've read about and my dad has researched on are these:

• Evening primrose oil- helps your body create balanced hormones. This is especially important to those who have really extreme symptoms, because that means your body is producing unbalanced hormones.
• Women's multivitamin- this kind of pill will help because it has a great variety of ingredients in it that are specifically helpful for all kinds of issues women have in their reproductive organs.
• St. Johns Wart- I got caught off guard with this guy until I realized it is not spelled wort, but wart. Whew! Not wanting to take a fragment of some saint's skin infection, even if it's blessed... Later, however, I learned that St. John's birthday occurred around the same time this plant bloomed; also that the old English word for plant was wart. So the strange name is explainable now! It has been used for 2,000 years, according to my research, for mood improvement. Because of this, it is also known to alleviate mood swings during PMS.
• Omega 3s- These are currently all over the place because of health trends, so it won't be hard to learn about them and how to weave them into your diet. They have been proven to decrease inflammation and cramps, along with a truckload of other ailments. So I would highly suggest taking these daily, throughout the entire month too!

3. Rest

I know you have all those excuses, but this is important. That ominous pile of unfinished homework from your history class, the towering stack of yogurt-encrusted parfait glasses in the sink, or all those emails from your great-second-aunt-thrice-removed that you haven't read, are a crumb on the floor compared to the criticality of 7-9 hours in bed! It can really decrease your tiredness rate during the day. 

4. Caffeine Decrease

What! No! No! No!!!!!! But thats what keeps me living through the day!!!!! 

Even though it seems more sensible to drink more coffee during your extra-tired days, I've read you should greatly decrease your consumption of caffeine-infused liquids during menstrual cycles and PMS. Even though this seems like the most ridiculous of all the statements on this post, just try it. You don't have to cut it off completely. Instead of drinking 4 sugar-marinated-fake-flavored-bad-chemical-corn-syrup drinks from the nearest coffee shop, decrease it please! Just go down to drinking one cup, and then see if it helps. If it doesn't, then maybe your body isn't affected. Each woman's body has different affects and symptoms, so not everything works on everybody.

5. Eat Healthy

Despite all those cravings you get for chocolate-covered cream-filled cherries, and the triple cheese deep dish pizza from Connie's, I'm still suggesting this. If there is anything that will throw your hormones off balance, it's eating greasy, sugary, carb-immersed junk food. It can be as simple as only allowing yourself a 2-3 small treats a day that you really can't live without. And of course, fill at least half your plate with fruits and veggies. You should especially not skip meals or eat enormous ones (except on holidays and parties), because that can really throw you off balance. Remember, It's all about balance!

6. Stay Hydrated

It's vitally important. You loose lots of water during your period because of blood loss, but that's the time when you need it the most. According to research, you also loose 8 percent of the watery part in your blood when your estrogen levels are are high. That means that during PMS, this is important too! So basically buy a cute and reliable water bottle and keep it with you at least 2 weeks out of the month. I suggest the sports kind were you suck the bottle instead of sip it. It's pretty therapeutic, which can come in handy when the raging emotions come swinging in! If I have a bottle or glass by my side the whole day, I know that I'll automatically be dipping into it regularly. On those days I know I'm throughly hydrated, but you can be scientific about it.

• Health professionals typically suggest that you drink 8 8-ounce glasses of water a day. (I count milk and juice in my diet)
• You need to drink when you are not thirsty, because thirst is a sign of mild dehydration.
• Some people need more or less hydration a day, on account of the many factors like how much exercise or body mass you have. 
• The healthy amount to drink is easy to remember, it's simple called the 8x8 rule. Drink 8 8-ounce glasses of water a day!

7. Don't Let Your Emotions Fly High

This is really a struggle for some of us. Most of the time, hormones can really affect our attitude and self-control. When you have a big explosion, and your family just tells you "it's only because your on your period," it makes us feel even worse. Some tips on how to control your self are:

• Write it out. You can keep a journal were you write all your gore, and then burn it later. I personally want one the people will read in 50 years, so I keep a separate one to document my daily life.
• Remember that you are extra-sensitive, so notify the people living with you about it. That way, when you over-react, they can remember your body is just giving you a hard time.
• Avoid conflict and don't try to break up other people's fights because you'll be easily dragged in yourself. I know from experience. 
• Do therapeutic things daily. Mine are baking, sucking water, laughing, and reading. It can really help calm your mind!

Women don't have deformed or disfunctioning organs, it's the way our bodies were made to be. It can be tempting to think we were just make wrong because we spend half the month in suffering. But, God made us perfect in his own image!