It's that time of the month again...

...and I'm feeling so rubbish and I never want to leave the bed.

The pain is unbearable, the mess is gross and i've got five days of it. Food is the best way to get through it. You can eat as much as you want for the next five days, because you deserve it. Your body is aching, it's doing natural stuff that is gross and painful, and your hormones are making you cranky and sad. I am one of those girls who can't take the period pain (even after paracetamol) and end up crying to sleep. This is my way of coping:

Eat
I basically eat comfort food. I try to eat warm things and nothing stodgy. I don't tend to eat as much during my period week as I always feel bloated. I try to eat things that won't take me ages to cook like...

Grilled Cheese Sandwich(es)
If you've always made regular sandwiches at home, please try this. Turn on the cooker/stove/hob, put a small frying pan on it. You take two slices of bread, butter them like you would normally. On the un-buttered side of the bread, you add your fillings. I add cheese, a lot of it, and then if I can be bothered to in my period-state, slice tomatoes and add that, and maybe some ham. Put the other slice of bread, un-buttered side down, onto the fillings, then transfer to the pan. It's like making a cheese toastie, but better. Squash the sandwich down with a spatula, making sure that the bread isn't burning but is toasting nicely. When one side is toasted, flip it over. Careful with the flipping, especially if you've got a lot of filling in there, as it could be a disaster when you're turning it over! When the cheese is oozing, and the sandwich is toasted, you are ready to eat. Eat with soup, for extra warm-stomach-comforting goodness.

Banana Nutella Waffle(s)
I am just using store-bought waffles for this. Get your waffle(s), toast them for a minute, spread some Nutella (or other spread, like jam or peanut butter) and put some sliced bananas on top. Chocolate is supposed to make you happy (or maybe that only exists in the wizarding world) and bananas are natural pain-relievers, and are also energy boosters. Great for if you're feeling tired. I'd recommend eating this with a cup of tea, and re-runs of Friends on Comedy Central.

Drink
You need to drink some kind of liquid so you don't dehydrate and feel even worse. I like to think that it'll help to flush out a bit more of the blood when you pee, but I don't have any evidence with that so... don't take my word for it. Drink hot liquids. From soup to tea, it'll warm up your insides and take a bit of the pain away. While your mug is hot, carefully put it on your stomach to relieve some of the pain. This is quite useful if you're at work and can't do the next step...

Comfort
I don't bother with hot water bottles as I'm deadly afraid i'll burn myself trying to pour water into it. I choose those microwaveable bean bags you can stuff into a bear. I prefer these as they provide the right amount of heat to my stomach and back. I try not to listen or watch anything emotional, like Marley & Me or The Notebook, or any Adele albums. I will also wear comfy, loose, stretchy clothes. Or a onesie.

How do you cope with period pain?
Jenny xo