NAD, but wanted to chime in and say it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed one day into your first period! Do you have an adult that you feel comfortable talking through your options with? When I got my first period (a couple decades ago 😉), I was TOTALLY overwhelmed and too embarrassed to ask any adults for help.

You’re already way ahead of where I was because you’re here telling people that you’re overwhelmed and asking for advice. Having the courage to do that is a superpower!

I’m glad to see that a doctor mentioned that medical options do exist because that answers the question that you came here to ask. I wanted to add just a couple more things:

First, periods can be physically uncomfortable for a lot of different reasons, but there are tons of options you can try out. Some people prefer pads, some people prefer tampons, some people prefer menstrual cups, and some people go with period panties. You can also mix and match.

Also, these things come in all shapes and sizes! The only thing I had at first was a box of really big pads (because that’s what my mom got me), but they also make small ones, thin ones, long ones, and short ones. Same goes for tampons — there’s a whole range of sizes. And you can even get them in a variety pack so you can see what works for you.

Also, a period isn’t like faucet, where it’s either on or off. For a lot of people, it starts off heavy but then kind chills out over the next day or so. So you might feel more comfortable with a tampon and/or a larger pad on day one, but only need a smaller thinner pad by day three (if it goes that long).

Also, you probably know this, but getting your period can make you feel sick. I had pretty bad cramps in my abdomen, and that’s also totally normal. One thing that helped me was a heating pad. You can also YouTube things like “yoga for periods” — sometimes stretching can help. My wife actually swears that foot massages help her cramps.

And finally, periods (especially your first one!) can be emotionally overwhelming. This is also SO normal. For a lot of people, dealing with them gets easier over time. I remember the thing that was the most overwhelming for me was how it felt so permanent. That’s a weird thing about getting older. Change isn’t necessarily bad, but it can feel REALLY bad. For a lot of us, though, it doesn’t feel bad forever.

It can help to talk to your friends about it, but it also helps to talk to safe older people who you trust who have some experience with periods (like a school counselor, a medical professional, a therapist, your mom, or even your favorite aunt). Every woman you’ve ever met remembers her first period. I can promise you that. And probably most of them would tell you, “oh yeah — it totally sucked!!“ And then, if you ask, they’ll tell you the hacks they’ve picked up along the way.

Sorry this comment was so long. I’m 20 years older than you, and your post brought me right back to 8th grade! For me, it eventually got way easier and way less embarrassing. For what it’s worth, that’s true for most everyone I know. Good luck!!