Is it time to shake up how you manage your period in 2019? Here are some New Year period resolutions to inspire you.
Welcome to 2019! A fresh year. Make of it what you wish and seize the opportunity for change…
There’s so much pressure at the start of a New Year to ‘reinvent’. This is usually in the aftermath of Christmas burnout. Motivated by all of the ‘new year, new you’ messages that follow you from your car radio to the online article you’re reading on your mobile at lunch. But reinvention is a big ask and it’s not always necessary. Let’s start the new year motivated but without the heavy burden of making a BIG change or restricting ourselves. If you want to make changes in 2019, break everything down into small, manageable steps. These can have a big impact over time.
So, I’m not here to preach about new year ‘reinvention’, I’m here to present an opportunity for change in one area of your life. It might be something you’ve not considered before because we’re often guilty of just going on ‘period auto-pilot’, but hopefully by the end of this post, you’ll be inspired.
Your period is a big part of your health & wellness
Here’s why I am talking about applying some of that New Year’s motivation to how you manage your period. Your period is an important part of your life. On average we get around 500 periods in our lifetime!
More importantly, menstruation impacts your health and wellbeing, and not just for a few days each cycle. It can impact how you feel all month. Your menstrual cycle rules your hormones and your hormones can affect both your physical and mental wellness.
If you’re motivated to be period powerful in 2019, here are some potential new year resolutions for you:
Resolution 1: “I will tune into my hormonal health”
Your hormones will naturally fluctuate during menstruation, but your lifestyle can also impact your hormonal health. A hormonal imbalance can present itself with a number of symptoms, including breast tenderness, heavy or irregular periods or digestive issues such as constipation.
In 2019, tune into your hormones and hormonal wellness. If you’re experiencing symptoms during your menstrual cycle, then start logging these into a tracking app or planner. This not only helps you to understand your body, but a planner can also help to communicate this to your GP if you seek medical advice.
Also, worth noting some everyday items can impact hormonal health. This includes certain plastics, processed foods and caffeine-rich drinks such as coffee. If you’re looking to brush up on hormonal wellness check out our previous posts here. Alternatively, consider getting yourself a book on this topic such as ‘The Balance Plan: Six Steps to Optimise Your Hormonal Health’ by Angelique Panagos.
Resolution 2: “I will use period care that works for me”
It’s important to pay attention to what you’re using on your period. Getting the right product type and absorbency can make a big difference. When you get your next period, stop to think about what you’re using – why did you choose this product? What is it made from? Do you feel comfortable when using this?
Periods are personal so find what works for you. If you’re experiencing any itching or irritation on your period, then it’s even more important to address what you’re using. There might be irritants such as plastics, fragrance/perfumes or gels in your tampon or pad which can disrupt pH balance in your vagina. For more on this, I recommend reading Ellie’s story here. She talks about how she experienced itching on her period until she changed what she was using.
To help you discover if switching to organic period care works for you, we launched our switch kit end of last year. This contains a mix of different products from our range.
Resolution 3: “I will be eco-conscious on my period”
In 2018 periods came under the spotlight due to the impact they have the environment. If you missed any of these, here’s a refresher:
– Every year, 1.3bn plastic tampon applicators go into landfill in the UK.
– In the UK approx. 2.5 million tampons and 1.4 million pads are flushed down the toilet every day.
– Conventional menstrual pads and their packaging has been found to be around 90% plastic.
One way to be eco-conscious is to dispose of tampons and pads responsibly. As you can see from the stat on flushing above, this is a big problem in the UK! Flushed products end up in the oceans or if they get stuck on the way, they lead to severe sewage blockages. Remember to always throw used products in the bin. In addition to the tampon and pad, wrappers and packaging can also impact the planet. For tips on disposing of period care and packaging take a look here.
Hopefully we’ve inspired you to be #periodpowerful with our New Years period resolutions! For period talk and menstrual wellness tips, don’t forget to follow us on socials – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Photo credit: Lydz Leow
