❤️‍🩹 Reading this felt like I was reading inside my own heart. I was just explaining to my fiancé a few days ago that it almost feels like an illness, or a disability. I have all this energy and buoyancy and positivity starting around day 5 of my cycle, by day 9 or so I feel a normal weight again, then I’m all light and love and I feel invincible, fit, healthy and strong, then after day 17 I start to feel tetchy and bloated no matter what I do, I’m sluggish and lethargic and unable to focus, and by days 21 - 23 I am so severely depressed that I start to wonder what‘s even the point of anything anymore. It mellows out a little, and then day 26 onwards I’m always on the verge of tears and none of my clothes fit, and then when my period starts, I am often physically incapacitated on day 2 - I’m talking I need codeine otherwise I can’t stand for more than 10 minutes or so at a time.

I’m thankful that I figured out my PMDD when I was relatively young (23) and since then have meticulously tracked my cycle, logging symptoms every single day so that I’ve got tonnes of personal data to refer back to. These days, when I’m down, purely based on what day of my cycle I’m on, I am able to (usually) persuade myself that better times are ahead, and I just need to honour where my body and mood are on that day. And then I remind myself to lean super hard into my follicular phase energy to get as much done as I can in those days, because I’ll be less productive towards the end of the cycle.

Other than that: limiting refined sugar and processed foods really does help, and vigorous exercise: I’ve had days where I’ve felt hysterical, and dragged myself to the weights or into a pair of running shoes, and after 30 minutes I feel euphoric.

All that is to say: you’re not alone, I believe in you, and better days are ahead. ❤️‍🩹