6 Self-Care Tips for PMS

Most women know about PMS as over 90% of women experience one symptom of PMS and over 50% of women experience more than one symptom. Symptoms can include:

• mood changes such as irritability, aggression, tension, lower self-esteem, depression
• fluid retention such as bloating of the stomach, swelling of the feet and ankles, breast swelling and soreness
• pain such as abdominal cramps, back pain and headaches
• food cravings, binge eating
• nausea

In Western Medicine, this collection of signs and symptoms is considered a normal part of a woman’s reproductive life. However, in Chinese Medicine, it is your body expressing disharmony within itself.

The Liver organ system in Chinese Medicine controls the free flow of Qi (energy) in the body. Emotions are also a form of energy and when they are not expressed appropriately or at all, the free flow of energy starts to get blocked, creating Liver Qi Stagnation. This can cause emotions which are associated with the Liver anger, frustration, resentment and annoyance, which are emotions which can cause the Liver Qi Stagnation, so a cycle is created.

To break this cycle, here is some self-care you can apply:

1. Avoid coffee, alcohol, hot and spicy foods, rich and fatty foods, and large amounts of red meat before and during your period.
2. Acupressure “Nei Guan (Inner Gate)”, located three finger-breadths from your wrist crease, this point moves Liver Qi, calms the mind and reduces nausea.
3. Practice gentle and mindful exercise such as Tai Chi, Qi Gong or Yoga. It cultivates your body through physical movement as well as develop mental awareness.
4. Regular meditation cultivates mindfulness and gives you the ability to deal with your emotions in a healthy way. You can just “watch” your anger and by doing this, it removes the “charge” of the anger and your conscious and unconscious reactions to it.
5. Write in a journal to help you stay in touch with your emotions.
6. Avoid excessive work and maintain a balanced and regular schedule for eating, sleeping, working, exercising and resting so no undue stress is placed upon your physical, mental and emotional self.

As you can tell, the main culprit in causing PMS (and in fact most diseases) are emotions. If we can learn to be aware of them, recognise them and allow them to flow through us and out of us constructively, we can reduce the disharmony that is created and causes illness.