am I allowed to be tired?
I’m almost 36, and my periods can still kick my ass. Some are worse than others, and this particular round was, well, not fun.
That’s after taking multivitamins, supplementary iron, significantly increasing my intake of greens, drinking a ton of water, and getting back in shape. All of those things help, for sure. In spite of taking these useful measures, though-
some periods are just brutal.
I’m wrapping up this round and I’m honestly crawling my way out of mental and physical exhaustion. The older I get, the more I resent just how often I’m reminded that this world is still functioning with an obvious disregard for individual health, and that’s heightened for women.
I usually have so much work on my plate that if I do take sick days during my period, I’m going to be coming back to a stressful workload.
The first problem in my case is my conditioning. Girls who are taught that we just need to push through the pain and perform normalcy when dealing with cramps, low energy, and hormonal rollercoasters become women who guilt themselves for needing time to rest.
I’m experimenting with ‘indulging’ myself bit by bit. Life is short, and while the patriarchy is not interested in making my life easier, maybe I should be.
