Listen up Men, Here’s How to Support a Woman When She’s on Her Period
Did you know that 100% of men need to learn (or be reminded of) how to support a woman during her period? We promise you this statistic isn’t an exaggeration – because period shaming, and a general lack of male education on periods, a woman’s body, and her reproductive system has been constant talk of the town in the news, and honestly, on any social media platform and forum that exists on the internet.
Here’s the thing about women’s periods. There are ACTUAL changes that are happening to her body on a chemical level throughout the month – and when her period comes around, those chemical changes create serious changes within her hormonal cycle – causing her whole body to experience things like headaches, acne, bloating, swelling, lethargy, and cramping. All condescending mood jokes aside, she’s not just “overthinking” “being emotional” or “being sensitive” “being toxic” – she’s out here literally fighting for her life.
So, yeah dude. Here are 5 things you can do to make the battle in your favourite woman’s uterus a little easier to navigate and tolerate.
1.Communicate as much as possible
She’s high on hormones, yes. And she has headaches, sure. But, that doesn’t mean she can’t still think logically. Your woman can fully comprehend how you feel. But, just like all relationships, she won’t always be able to understand your feelings without communication. So, if you’re feeling a certain way, or have something on your mind that you need to share, let her know. This way she can gain awareness on how you’re feeling and what she can do to help.
2.Give an extra 20%
No actually. No drama intended, but if there’s one time besides pregnancy and labour to give it your all, it’s when she’s on her period. This is the time she needs you the most. Her body is quite literally bleeding, and contrary to our busy-bee society, it’s also a time when she should be spending the majority of her days resting and conserving her energy. This means that this is your time to give in more than your usual 50% in the relationship. Go above and beyond to be there for her. Ask her what she needs (and after a couple of cycles, anticipate at least the most basic and consistent needs for her moon time). And if there’s one thing you can really do, it’s listen to her. Acknowledge what she’s going through – and if she’s not going through anything, listen to her anyway. Your girl is bleeding, so just let it be her time to shine.
3.Drop your ego for the week
And leave the drama at the door. This is absolutely not the time to pick fights, cause a scene, or make things about you (within reason of course). Sure, it might blow up more than necessary because she is not chemically balanced. That is, without shade, definitely a possibility. But, at the same time, it’s kind of a dick move to be self-centred during a woman’s period – clearly, she’s suffering enough. So, if the thing you need to share with her needs to absolutely be addressed, maybe bring it up at another time.
4.Observe and act on her love languages
It might be hard to figure out at first, but focus on learning how to and actively giving her love the way she needs to be loved. A great way to do this is to focus on her love languages – does she feel loved through touch? Acts of service? Affirmations? Gifts? Maybe it’s a combination of these things – or a whole other love language all together. At the end of the day, this might look different for different people. So, if she needs space, you might need to take a step back and realise it’s not personal and give her space. Just as likely is that she needs you to hold her hand. In this case, you might need to hold her hand longer than usual. Either way, be prepared to go with the flow of it and act on your observations of her personality, moods and needs during this intense time.
5. Understand that who she is on her period is not a reflection of her, but a part of who she is.
She might behave a little differently than usual. And parts of her personality just may be the complete opposite of who she normally is – including the parts of her that you vibe with, or honestly, like best. So, if she’s adventurous on her non-menstrual days, but chooses to be a homebody on her menstrual days, it doesn’t mean she has changed. It just means she needs two different things in 2 different hormonal cycles of her life. It’s not a reflection of what her personality is as a whole, but it’s still a part of who she is and how she shows up in the world when she’s on her period.
