Hello All!
Thanks for visiting this corner of my Very Personal Review, where I share all sorts of details about very womanly issue – period / menstrual cycle / PMS / PMDD, whatever you’d like to call it – along with my ups and downs of emotional state. I am calling it an emotional state rather than any formal psych diagnostic label, because, one, the whole process of labeling one’s mental state is a very subjective business (despite there being an official diagnostic guideline. Also, the development and revision process for such is very messy), and two, it very often becomes such an ‘identity’ for a person, that it actually gets in the way of recovering, and restoring balance.
I am unusually upbeat right now, probably from being so zoned into work to meet this damn February deadline. I am actually scared of the ‘low’ I will hit once I meet the deadline and have nothing to obsess over. Obsession of sorts have always helped me to appear a very high-functioning human being. But, I am being chased by time and here goes my report of this cycle, partially on Prefemin.
Not proof read, not edited, not thought-out ahead of time. Free-association style.
Skin | I have been complaining about my skin all acting up enough, that if you are a regular visitor to this odd corner of the internet, you already know that my skin has been less than ideal. I had a pretty brutal visit to my dermatologist, during which he zapped the living heck out of existing & budding breakouts. I had to use fair amount of makeup to cover up the redness and the scabs resulting from it for a few days. Since then, I did have some additional zits showing up, but nowhere near the extent of my previously bitched-about level.
I went back for a tune-up the other day. He lasered some zits again, not nearly as many as the last time. It seems like my skin is finding somewhat of a balance again. Considering that it was PMS week, it actually was pretty average. |
Fatigue Level | I’ve been trying to get around 7 hrs of sleep every night. Sleep is crucial in maintaining mental acuity, regulating mood, and obviously so, fatigue level. Groundbreaking, I know!! But here, I am not just saying it, the difference is very noticeable.
During the week leading up to my expected P date, I made sure I got 8.5 hrs of sleep. I know this seems like a lot of sleep for someone who claims she has no time for anything. Right. I’ve cut people, exercise, and some minor entertainment time (youtube watching) to make sure I get adequate amount of sleep. I was still tired, I minimized physical activity level at the slightest sign of fatigue. I did squeeze in some light exercises here and there when I felt like I would benefit from it. I was still more tired than usual, but I didn’t feel like I would fall asleep whilst walking down a busy street. |
Cognitive Ability | I had no motivation to do complicated mental work, which is not good considering I needed it. I tried my best to get more simple, busy work done and save more complicated business for later.
Noticeably shorter attention span per usual, but I think I managed it a litte better. |
Food Cravings | I paid particular attention to eating more balancing / slow releasing food. When I had cravings for sweets, I allowed myself to a sensible amount. I’ve also cut back on caffeine this week. |
Mood Swings | This. I had many many occasions which I had to hold myself back from giving the world a piece of my mind. I was mostly very impatient. |
So, overall, This particular round of PMS was significantly more manageable than usual. I’ve only been on Prefemin for about 15 days, and I’ve been off of it for almost two weeks now. Honestly, I think I am just high on adrenaline, rather than it being the effect of Prefemin. It’s this weird co-existence of depressing undercurrent and adrenaline high. The fall will be a bitch.