The Horror of PMS
Dear Men,
Let's think back to when we were babies in diapers.
Think about the progression of life. We go from diapers to pull-ups, and maybe by age three our parents trust us enough to ditch the diaper altogether. Now it's just pull-ups. Then we progress to pull-ups only for overnight sleeping, and by age five or six we no longer wet the bed.
We are FREE!
No more diapers. Such a big accomplishment. Now put yourself in my shoes.Imagine finally being free from diapers, only to hit 12 years old and end up back in a fucking diaper every God damn month for 5 to 7 days at a time for the next 20 to 30 years of your adult life.
Have you ever woken up covered from your waist down in your own blood?
Feeling confused, ashamed, embarrassed, and disgusted all at once?
And that's just the emotional part, let's add the physical symptoms, abdominal cramps, back pain, breast pain, and God forbid you touch your nipples. Diarrhea, imagine bleeding out while simultaneously having diarrhea. Fun, right? There are times when all we want to do is cry, and we don't even know why. At the exact same time, we feel angry, irritated, and on edge. Then we lash out and feel awful about it afterward.
We don't want to be mean. But deep down, part of us does because you just don't get it. And shit, for some of us it gets even worse. Some women experience self-deprecating thoughts and suicidal ideation. Others battle extreme anxiety, tension, and that feeling of being completely "keyed up." Concentrating on anything becomes nearly impossible. Then comes the lethargy, fatigue and a complete lack of energy that makes it hard to get out out of bed.
And let's not forget the food cravings. The binge eating. The appetite changes. The guilt. The shame. "I am soooo fat." Which then leads to feeling overwhelmed, out of control, and frustrated with ourselves all over again.
And here's the thing. This is not a one-time event this isn't something that happened once and we got over it, this is every single month. You would think after years and years of the same thing happening every month we'd have it all figured out by now.
We don't.
Because every month is a Russian roulette of bullshit. Some months are manageable. Some months feel like we are starring in our own psychological horror movie. So before you decide it's not a big deal and dismiss the girl or woman in your life, think twice, because this is bullshit. And honestly? You couldn't handle it.
Seriously though.
You couldn't.
Think about it this way, if someone so much as taps your balls, you're out for the count. Now imagine being tapped in the balls every day for 5 to 7 days, every 10 to 15 minutes and then add all the other symptoms I just mentioned. Still think it's not a big deal?
So be kind.
Be patient.
Be understanding.
Because while we're over here trying not to cry, scream, eat an entire bag of chips, question our existence, and bleed through our underwear at the same time, the last thing we need is someone telling us we're overreacting.
Trust me.
We're already suffering enough.
